Wellington, July 8 NZPA - A Manawatu-based cluster of food technology companies says there is need for greater collaboration between food researchers.

Food Innovation New Zealand (Finz) -- a joint venture between leading food research organisations -- said today that a survey of 24 leading food production companies had unearthed "a number of challenges".

They included the need for more innovation, and for research organisations to become better at focusing research on commercial outcomes.

Founded by Massey University, AgResearch, Fonterra, Plant & Food Research, the Riddet Institute and the Bio Commerce Centre, Finz plans to attract more local and global food companies to commission research in New Zealand.

Bio Commerce Centre chief executive Dean Tilyard said the survey results would help shape Finz in the run-up to its official launch in August.

The survey included specific questions about the local food science sector, and the scale of local capability was identified as a barrier to commissioning research in New Zealand.

"Finz has been established specifically to address the issue of scale," said Mr Tilyard.

It will promote collaboration in which multi-disciplinary teams will be able to draw on the different capabilities of its partners and provide one point of contact for potential customers to access a wide range of the nation's food research expertise.

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