News

A spoon, a wrap, and that crunchy bite as you sink your teeth into a healthy taco – lettuce has always been the foundation for tasty salads, but with recent innovations the humble leaf now offers much more.

The future of farming and food production is a shared responsibility. While the world’s population is increasing at a rapid rate, and available arable land and water are becoming increasingly scarce, this presents opportunities for key players in the industry to explore new pathways for vegetable development.

The world of food, fibre and farming will come together this month to focus on global food security, and Rijk Zwaan will demonstrate our corporate social responsibility through innovations in vegetable breeding that are helping to sustain cucumber production and increase lettuce consumption.

From convenience foods and technology that tracks consumer behaviour, to eco-friendly and ‘flavour’ packaging, there is a lot to learn from our counterparts in Europe, according to Nicky Mann of Family Fresh Farms who recently returned from an AUSVEG European Industry Leadership and Development Mission.

A dedicated laboratory and phytopathology scientist based at Rijk Zwaan Australia’s head office addresses the need for speed and local expertise in plant pest and disease management.

Australian growers have the opportunity to visit Rijk Zwaan’s state-of-the-art facilities in Holland, as well as a protected cropping demonstration greenhouse in Spain, as part of the AUSVEG European Industry Leadership and Development Mission in February 2019.

Sitting in an accountant’s office, Mark and Gabrielle Millis were told their tomato business wasn’t viable. They were juggling five young sons, multiple bank loans and while they weren’t losing money, they weren’t making much either. But, luckily for the Australian hydroponic vegetable industry, Mark had a dogged determination and a fierce belief in quality produce, and so began the foundations of Flavorite Tomatoes, the country’s largest, family owned glasshouse fresh produce business.

A new cabbage variety will make a point of transforming the Australian fresh cabbage market by offering more opportunities for growers and a sweeter product for consumers.

Rijk Zwaan is committed to innovation and improvement and spends 10 million euros on research and development (R&D) each month. As a further investment, an extension of the R&D facility at Fijnaart, The Netherlands, creates a dynamic environment for collaboration, growth and modern research activities.

A year on from the introduction of the award-winning Knox™ trait, there’s more good news for the entire chain as the delayed pinking characteristic is now bred into an a new range of Salanova lettuce – meaning fresher leaves for longer and potential export opportunities.