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Orange juice good for the elderly - research

Drinking orange juice every day could help improve brain function in elderly people, research has suggested. A small study, which saw 37 adults with an average age of 67 consume 500ml of orange juice daily for eight weeks, found they had an eight per cent overall improvement in cognitive function compared with a group who consumed a control drink. At the beginning and end of the eight weeks their memory, reaction time and verbal fluency was measured by carrying out eight tests. One of the tests...

Out in the field - Matthew Carter

Satsuma Chemical Thinning Although we are heading for an off year in the Satsuma crop there are some blocks with heavy crops, and even within blocks, there are often a number of trees which have a heavy crop load. Depending on the number of trees with a heavy load, it may be worthwhile applying NAA 100 for chemical thinning. Over time, it is thought that consistent use of NAA to remove small fruitlets early, will reduce overall biennial bearing. From what I have seen so far, there are some fruit...

U.S. market opens for fresh NZ persimmons

U.S. authorities have announced fresh persimmons from New Zealand are now eligible for import into the country under a systems approach. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the regulations would require orchard certification, orchard pest control, post-harvest safeguards, fruit culling, traceback, and sampling. “In addition, the fruit must be treated with hot water or undergo modified atmosphere cold storage to kill any leafroll...

Market Gardeners Limited acquires shareholding in First Fresh NZ

Leading New Zealand supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables, Market Gardeners Limited, trading as MG Marketing (MG), and leading New Zealand Citrus Marketing company First Fresh NZ Limited (First Fresh), are pleased to announce that in late December 2017, MG acquired a 30% shareholding in First Fresh. The 30% shareholding was acquired from the founder and Chairman of First Fresh, Bill Thorpe. Ian Albers, Managing Director of First Fresh, said that “Bill, having been involved in First Fresh sinc...

Push for country of origin labelling

MP Gareth Hughes (Green party) is confident his country of origin food labelling Bill will pass into law this year, to the benefit of Gisborne’s horticultural sector. The Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill, which requires country of origin labelling on all fruit and vegetables and other single component foods sold in New Zealand, passed its first reading unanimously last year. Hughes was delighted with the cross party support. About 50 percent of New Zealand’s major...

Supreme freshie for second time

MATAWHERO fruit growers Clive and Amanda Lewis deservedly took out the supreme award at the third annual First Fresh “Freshies” awards recently with four wins out of five categories in which they were nominated. The gala event was held in a large marquee in the Food and Wine area at the Gisborne Showgrounds and more than 150 guests attended. “The ‘Freshies’ awards are our way of saying thank you to our growers for their supply, loyalty and support over the previous 12 months,” said F...