Mr Apple combats food fraud

Mr Apple chief executive Andrew van Workum says 100 per cent traceability from orchard to store is a linchpin of the brand.

The country's largest apple grower and exporter has signed a three-year contract to ensure the integrity of its fruit, in a deal with Dunedin-based Oritain as the industry battles food fraud.

Mr Apple chief executive Andrew van Workum says 100 per cent traceability from orchard to store was a linchpin of the Mr Apple brand.

"We have a strong focus on the wider Asian region as a growth area, and felt we needed to remove any uncertainty about provenance of our product or food safety concerns," he said.

"Our customers around the world want absolute confidence in the source of their product. By adopting the Oritain system we can demonstrate that Mr Apple is the right partner to meet the needs of their business."

He said the Oritain Fingerprint and Trustmark system scientifically substantiated Mr Apple's claims of product origin, safety and quality.

"We are backing our promise and guaranteeing the quality and safety of our premium product, while at the same time deterring any potential counterfeit, substitution or mis-labelling in foreign markets."

Oritain chief executive Grant Cochrane said that food fraud cost the global food industry about $71 billion annually.

"We are finding that consumers today are driving the need for product authentication," he said.

"People are demanding more transparency about what's in their food and where it comes from."

Mr Apple more than doubled annual profit in its latest financial year by selling higher-margin apples in key export markets. In February the company reported that 2015 profit more than doubled to $38.9 million on increased sales of higher-value apples to markets in the Middle East and Asia.

In March, China Resources Ng Fung, a Chinese state-owned food enterprise, acquired 15.3 per cent of Mr Apple owner Scales Corp for about $55.9 million from Direct Capital Investments.