A new food manufacturing company, Nutri V, has been formed by leading vegetable grower Fresh Select and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO.
Nutri V is developing nutritious products from vegetables that might otherwise be thrown out to help people eat healthier and pioneer new sustainable farming practices.
Nutri V is commercialising CSIRO-patented technologies to turn surplus Australian-grown vegetables into ingredients, products and supplements that lock in the vegetable’s natural colour and flavour.
They also have enhanced nutritional content thanks to CSIRO’s microencapsulation of healthy oils and gut health fermentation applications.
Only 7 per cent of Australian adults and 5 per cent of children eat the recommended five serves of vegetables a day.
At the same time, food waste costs the Australian economy $20 billion each year, with about 20 per cent of all vegetables grown in Australia wasted before even hitting retail shelves.
Sustainable, dairy and gluten free, Nutri V ingredients help the environment as well as Australians looking to meet their daily vegetable intake.
Nutri V CEO John Said explained that Nutri V would produce a range of value-added vegetable ingredients from 100 per cent Australian grown vegetables including highly nutritious powders and purees for use in a variety of applications such as food products or supplements.
“We’ll be able to minimise wastage by using the entire crop to make powder – ‘ugly veg’, stems and leaves as well – not just the retail-fit parts,” Mr Said said.
“In the years to come, our planet needs to produce more with the same resources and we see Nutri V as part of that solution.”
“We’ve been collaborating with the CSIRO for more than two decades and this latest venture is a tremendous breakthrough with numerous benefits for people and the planet."
CSIRO scientist Dr Pablo Juliano said Nutri V was turning cutting-edge food science into products for all Australians to enjoy while making a difference for the planet.
“We’ve been able to apply our expertise in creating nutrient dense foods with innovative techniques to tackle the challenge of converting what might otherwise be lower value crops into foods with enhanced nutritional profile,” Dr Juliano said.
“This is next-step innovation in plant-based ingredient and product technology."
Mr Said did not see the Nuri V products as a replacement for a fresh and health diet.
"Fresh is best," Mr Said said.
"Rather, Nutri V provides an opportunity to help consumers increase their vegetable intake quickly and easily.
“Nutri V sees these ingredients as a fantastic opportunity for the Australian food industry to increase the nutritional content of products to maximise the health of consumers.”
The first Nutri V products will be available in the coming months.
Nutri V and the Nutri V logo are trademarks of Nutri V Pty Ltd.
To learn more about Nutri V’s ingredients, vision or become part of the growing team, please visit www.nutriv.com.au.
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Background information
ABOUT FRESH SELECT
Since Fresh Select’s beginnings more than 60 years ago, the company has built a strong reputation for providing only the most fresh and carefully selected vegetables to local and overseas markets. Fresh Select leads the way in industry innovation using sustainable farming techniques and responsible practices to ensure top quality produce to the highest food safety standard. Headquartered in Melbourne’s Werribee South region, today, Fresh Select is one of the largest lettuce and brassica farmers in Australia. The business produces vegetables, namely broccoli, baby broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, iceberg, cos lettuce and hydroponic lettuce, in both open field and protected cropping sites across Australia. Find out more: www.freshselect.com.au
ABOUT CSIRO
As Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO delivers around $4.5 billion of benefit to the nation each year as a result of their science, securing our future national prosperity as well as environmental and social benefits. CSIRO also manages state-of-the-art research facilities for the nation. For over a hundred years CSIRO has been finding solutions through science and technology to make life better for Australians. They’re preparing for the next hundred by supporting STEM programs in schools, accelerators and investment for science spin-outs, and growth programs in businesses of all sizes.