Marion Cumming
Food and Dairy Technology Consultant

Marion has over 40 years experience in Product Development and Technical Services in the New Zealand Food Industry. She has worked extensively in the dairy industry with yoghurt, soft cheeses, spray drying and AMF.

Food industry experience covers a range of food processes including sauces and jams, pickles, beverages, dry food mix formulations, snack foods, infant foods, nutritional and functional foods, glaceing, brining and snack foods. She has 2 Carter Holt Harvey Awards (Food Awards) to her credit, including a Supreme Award.


Services offered

Technical Service

· troubleshooting
· documentation of procedures
· compilation of product specifications
· technical support to marketing
· ingredient and nutritional information requirements to meet Australia and NZ, plus other countries labelling regulations

New Product Development

· product formulation or re-formulation
· process and packaging development
· project management including costing, budgeting and procurement

Professional Development

· mentoring or in-house training of personnel
· user of several dedicated food technology software packages


Qualifications & Experience

· B Tech (Food), Massey University
· BBS (Accounting Studies), Massey University
· Fellow New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology Inc (FNZIFST)
· Many training courses in Product Development, Project Management, Food Safety and Quality Assurance
· Committed to ongoing professional development


· 15+ years consultancy to New Zealand business on technical services, product development and food labelling. Clients have included Nutricia NZ Ltd, Zeagold Products Ltd, Tatua Nutritionals, Westland Milk Products Ltd, Waldrons Confectionery, A2 Milk, Harraways. FSANZ contract, involved with the Australia New Zealand Foods Standards Code review and development.

· Lecturing Food Product Development undergraduate paper at Auckland University.

· 3 years at Tatua Nutritionals developing nutritional and functional products for the Asian market.

· 10 years Technical Manager, East Tamaki Co-op Dairy Co Ltd. Involved in product and process development of spray dried and liquid dairy ingredients, recombining technology, yoghurt, white mould cheeses, soft cheese and cheese spreads.

· 5 years Research & Development Manager, Tasti Products Ltd. Involved with the development of glace kiwifruit, breakfast cereal, carob enrobing and dry ingredients packing.

·5 years Senior Food Technologist at Cerebos Foods Ltd. Involved with development and processing of brined vegetables, pickles, sauces and toppings, no oil dressings, liquid and powder beverages, soup, instant meals and gravy powders. Developed and ran in-house quality training programs.

· 1 year Food Technologist, Haymarket Foods Ltd. Involved with quality control and the development of vacuum peel glacéing process and snack foods utilising Rheon extrusion equipment.

Professional involvement: Fellow NZIFST, National Treasurer NZIFST, previously involved on committees of Auckland Branch, Food Safety Division and with the team that produced 2 early NZIFST publications.


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