New Zealand Food & Grocery Council

What New Zealand Food & Grocery Council does

The New Zealand Food & Grocery Council (NZFGC) is a non-profit industry association headquartered in Wellington that represents the country's food and grocery sector. Its membership spans manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers across the FMCG value chain, and it functions as the sector's principal collective voice on policy, regulation, and industry standards.

The Council delivers a portfolio of programmes and services including advocacy and regulatory engagement, the Grocery Code Training programme (launched September 2023 to support compliance with the new grocery code), the FMCG Futures Internship Programme (operating since 2017) for talent development, and member events. It also participates in cross-industry initiatives such as the Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship scheme and the SmartFacts digital labelling partnership launched in 2025 with GS1 New Zealand and the Australian Food and Grocery Council, reflecting an active posture on emerging regulatory and digital infrastructure issues.

Operationally, NZFGC is a small organisation of 1–10 employees based in Wellington, New Zealand. Its business model is membership-funded, supported by training and event income, and it maintains a trans-Tasman partnership with the Australian Food and Grocery Council to coordinate industry positions across the Australia–New Zealand market.

Name

New Zealand Food & Grocery Council

Legal name

NZ Food & Grocery Council

Website

https://fgc.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The New Zealand Food & Grocery Council is a Wellington-based non-profit industry association representing the country's food and grocery manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers through advocacy, training, and workforce development programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association (FMCG Sector)

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Industry trade association
• Grocery supply code
• FMCG regulatory advocacy
• Grocery sector training
• FMCG networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: NZFGC generates revenue through membership dues from manufacturers, producers, and suppliers in New Zealand's food, beverage, and grocery sector. Members gain access to advocacy, training programmes, industry events, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NZFGC is a membership-based industry association that represents and supports New Zealand's food, beverage, and grocery manufacturing and supplier sector. It delivers industry advocacy with government and regulators, Grocery Supply Code training, an annual conference and member events, talent development programmes, sustainability and packaging guidance, and sector networking. Members include the country's largest FMCG manufacturers as well as emerging start-ups, with the sector generating over NZ$40 billion in domestic retail sales and NZ$34 billion in export revenue.

Product overview

NZFGC is an industry association representing manufacturers, suppliers, and producers behind New Zealand's food, beverage, and grocery brands. Rather than a unified software platform, NZFGC offers a portfolio of member services including the Grocery Code Training Programme (delivered with NextGen Group), ProductRecallNZ (a supply chain recall platform developed with GS1 NZ), and the SmartFacts digital labelling initiative (Trans-Tasman QR code standardisation project). Additional member offerings include the Shared Horizons documentary series, NZFGC Leaders Webinar Series for professional development, and the 'Winning in Summer, Winning Together' supply chain toolkit developed with major retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shared Horizons: A video documentary series presented by NZFGC in partnership with ASN Media, showcasing innovation, leadership, and collaboration in Aotearoa New Zealand's food and grocery industry. Features themes including Sustainability, Investing in Tomorrow, Reformulation & Innovation, and Innovation & Technology.
• NZFGC Leaders Webinar Series
• FMCG Futures Internship Programme
• Kaleidoscope Forum

Products and services

• Grocery Code Training Programme A comprehensive training programme for the Grocery Supply Code of Conduct, delivered in partnership with NextGen Group. Includes full-day introductory workshops and half-day refresher sessions covering Code principles, practical application, and 2026 updates. Over 750 industry professionals have completed the training.
• ProductRecallNZ

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 750 industry professionals trained on Grocery Code since September 2023
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GS1 New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025NZFGC and GS1 New Zealand partnered on the SmartFacts® digital labelling initiative — a Trans-Tasman collaboration with GS1 Australia and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) — to harmonise QR code-based digital labelling across Australia and New Zealand, providing consumers with standardised product information via smartphone scans. SmartFacts® uses GS1 Digital Link standards and began rolling out across select FMCG products from the second half of 2025.
• GS1 AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025Part of the Trans-Tasman SmartFacts® initiative, collaborating with NZFGC, GS1 New Zealand, and the Australian Food and Grocery Council to develop industry guidance for standardised digital labelling in Australia and New Zealand.
• Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025NZFGC and AFGC co-lead the Trans-Tasman SmartFacts® digital labelling initiative, ensuring consistent consumer experience and regulatory approach across Australian and New Zealand markets.
• NextGen GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNZFGC partnered with NextGen Group as its exclusive learning partner to deliver Grocery Supply Code training programmes since the Code's introduction in September 2023. Over 750 industry professionals have been trained. The programme was updated for 2026 Code changes, and includes full-day and refresher training formats. Training is delivered by NextGen experts Mike Rudman and Anthony Grant.
• Biz AdvisorcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBiz Advisor and Talent Solutions co-deliver the FMCG Futures Internship Programme, a structured summer placement initiative for university students. NZFGC has supported the programme since its inception in 2017. Biz Advisor manages candidate screening, interviews, and placement coordination.
• Talent SolutionscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTalent Solutions co-delivers the FMCG Futures Internship Programme alongside Biz Advisor, providing structured external learning for interns including FMCG fundamentals, retailer and supplier visits, and career development workshops. NZFGC has supported the programme since its inception in 2017.
• ASN MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZFGC partnered with ASN Media to produce the Shared Horizons docuseries, a video series showcasing innovation, leadership, and collaboration across New Zealand's food and grocery industry. The series explores four themes: Sustainability, Investing in Tomorrow, Reformulation & Innovation, and Innovation & Technology. Three seasons have been produced (2023, 2024, 2025).
• Robin Davies (Leadership Coach)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRobin Davies is the leadership coach partnering with NZFGC to deliver the monthly NZFGC Leaders Webinar Series (February–November 2026), covering topics including inclusive leadership, organisational change, regulatory shifts, and psychologically safe high-performing teams.
• Heart Foundation (New Zealand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZFGC works with the Heart Foundation's Food Reformulation programme, which sets sugar and salt reduction targets for food companies. The programme, funded by Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ, has helped remove an estimated 760 tonnes of sugar per annum from targeted food categories and involved companies representing over 80% of market share in each category.
• The Packaging ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZFGC co-designed the Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship (PPPS) scheme with The Packaging Forum, funded by the Ministry for the Environment. The scheme proposes a producer-led system to manage and reduce the environmental impact of plastic packaging. The final report was submitted to the Ministry for the Environment in 2025.
• Foodstuffs North IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoodstuffs North Island collaborates with NZFGC on the 'Winning in Summer, Winning Together' supply programme, working to secure steady and sustainable product supply during high-demand summer months.
• Foodstuffs South IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoodstuffs South Island collaborates with NZFGC on the 'Winning in Summer, Winning Together' supply programme, working to secure steady and sustainable product supply during high-demand summer months.
• Woolworths New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoolworths New Zealand collaborates with NZFGC on the 'Winning in Summer, Winning Together' supply programme alongside Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island.
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)coreOthersNZFGC works closely with FSANZ on food standards, labelling requirements, and regulatory changes affecting the food and grocery sector, including plain English allergen labelling, Health Star Ratings, and folic acid fortification.
• Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) / New Zealand Food SafetycoreOthersNZFGC works very closely with the Food Safety division of MPI, which leads New Zealand's food safety system. NZFGC also collaborates with MPI on product recall coordination via ProductRecallNZ (developed by GS1 NZ in collaboration with FGC, Foodstuffs, and Progressive).
• Commerce Commission / Grocery CommissionercoreOthersNZFGC engages closely with the Commerce Commission and Grocery Commissioner on Grocery Supply Code implementation, wholesale supply inquiry, and grocery market competition reform — advocating on behalf of suppliers.
• Trading Partner Forum (Australian FGC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZFGC participates in the Trading Partner Forum — a joint Australia-New Zealand forum — which has endorsed a trans-Tasman guideline for shelf-ready packaging to deliver consistency across both markets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• FoodDrinkEurope: FoodDrinkEurope is the confederation of the European food and drink industry, representing national associations and major manufacturers. It parallels NZFGC's role in policy advocacy, sustainability, and regulatory engagement, but operates at a continental, multi-market level.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: FMI is a US trade association serving food retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. While member composition skews retail, FMI's emphasis on industry standards, training, and consumer-facing initiatives (e.g., Healthier Nutrition) overlaps with NZFGC's mandate.
• Consumer Brands Association (US, formerly GMA): Consumer Brands Association is the largest US trade association for consumer packaged goods manufacturers. It is comparable to NZFGC in providing advocacy, regulatory engagement, and industry networking for FMCG manufacturers, but on a vastly larger scale and with a broader product/membership portfolio.
• Food and Drink Federation (FDF, UK): FDF is the leading UK trade association for food and drink manufacturers. It mirrors NZFGC's mandate of advocacy, training, sustainability, and trade policy support, but operates at much greater scale and serves a significantly larger and more diverse manufacturer base.

Regional players

• Food Industry Asia: Food Industry Asia is a regional industry association representing food manufacturers across Asia-Pacific. It provides a comparable advocacy, sustainability, and trade-facilitation mandate but operates across multiple Asian geographies rather than a single country market.

Others

• GS1 New Zealand: GS1 New Zealand is a standards organization and NZFGC's partner on ProductRecallNZ and SmartFacts. It is not a trade association but operates adjacent to NZFGC in barcode/traceability standards that underpin grocery supply chain visibility.
• Retail NZ: Retail NZ is the New Zealand trade association representing the retail sector, including supermarkets. While it represents the buyer side of the grocery relationship (versus NZFGC's supplier focus), it engages with similar regulators and policy issues and is a natural counterpart in domestic grocery debates.

Direct peers

• Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC): AFGC is the primary cross-Tasman counterpart to NZFGC, representing Australian food, beverage, and grocery manufacturers. The two organizations explicitly co-lead the SmartFacts Trans-Tasman digital labelling initiative and engage jointly with regulators, making AFGC the closest direct peer by mandate, member composition, and policy focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCePmoZ_GxNtibOItsbvLeLw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nz-food-and-grocery-council/posts/?feedView=all

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Zealand Food & Grocery Council