The End Of The World As We Know It

If this is TRUE, then God must HATE us...

A new report by The Climate Institute indicates coffee could be extinct by 2080 if global warming trends continue!
According to the report, rising temperatures encourage the growth of fungi and pests, which could make half of the world's coffee farming land useless.
It's happened before (almost): unusually high temperatures and high-altitude rains through Central America in 2012 resulted in a wave of coffee leaf rust, affecting more than 50% of the crop. And coffee berry borer, a major pest originating in Congo, has now spread to places such as Tanzania, Uganda, and Indonesia due to hotter, wetter conditions.

The report also warns that such factors can have an impact on everything from coffee flavour to coffee price: "Without strong action to reduce emissions, climate change is projected to cut the global area suitable for coffee production by as much as 50% by 2050. By 2080, wild coffee, an important genetic resource for farmers, could become extinct."
As one who can't function without a good strong coffee every morning, all I can say is: thank goodness I’ll be DEAD by then!

Whale On Food Festival Menu

When tourists think of Japan, images of dramatic landscapes, futuristic cities and world-class sushi may spring to mind.
But one Tokyo district is hoping to reel in outsiders with one of the country’s more controversial traditions: slaughtering whales.

Ebisu, a Tokyo gastronomic hub, is hosting an annual food festival aimed at introducing foreigners to the culinary delights of whale meat.
But few tourists visiting the district seem willing to tuck into the dark meat, with some saying the concept put them off visiting the festival entirely.
Japan's culinary relationship with cetaceans is both controversial and complex. The nation has hunted whales for hundreds of years but the commercial industry only took off after WWII, to help feed a hungry country.
In recent decades it has used a legal loophole in the international ban on whale hunting that allows it to continue catching the animals in order to gather scientific data. But it's no secret that the whale meat from these hunts ends up on dining tables, even though consumption has fallen sharply in recent years.
The country’s influential Japan Whaling Association has given the festival its blessing. Chairman Kazuo Yamamura: "If foreign visitors actually see the food being served at restaurants, I hope they say it may be all right to use it as resources as long as the animals are not endangered."
Around 30 Ebisu restaurants are serving whale dishes throughout the festival, which closes on 18 October.

Kiwi Coffee Kills The Cappuchino

Once considered the height of sophistication, the cappuccino may now be in decline.
Starbucks, the world's biggest chain of coffee shops, has taken it off the menu in a number of US outlets. And what's pushed it out…is the good ol' kiwi favourite: the flat white!
Invented during the 1970s in New Zealand, the flat white is a coffee house staple here. And now Starbucks is playing catch-up. But because Americans fear anything unfamiliar, their news outlets have had to publish articles explaining what goes into the drink. Ahhhh, bless! (Incidentally, a flat white should be in between the foam of a cappuccino and the warm milk of a latte.)
The cappuccino has slowly disappeared from some outlets in NY, San Fran and Seattle - the home of the chain. However, it is still available so fans are able to order them as usual. And Starbucks has no plans to stop selling cappuccinos in the UK.

A decent cuppa char!

Digital brand consultant Peter Thompson, who reviews cafes in London and NY, says he for one will not be grieving the loss of the cappuccino: "It's a relic of when the world aspired to drink coffee Italian-style. It represents the mass consumerization of bland and poorly-made chain coffee." He believes the flat white represents a new wave of independent, hipster-style craft coffee from unexpected places.
Sounds a bit ponsy - we kiwis just think it's a bloody good cuppa!

Blonde Bimbo's Burger Ring Blunder

"With this burger
ring, I thee wed."

Was it because she was blonde?
Was it because she was Australian?
Whitney Beseler will no doubt be remembered for all of...ohhhh...15 minutes, for the "most embarrassing moment of her life" on the tv show, Millionaire Hot Seat Australia.
The P.E. teacher/Contiki tour manager from Ballarat didn't write history as the one who took home a million smackeroos. She'll be remembered as the blonde who didn't get the super-simple $100 question right!
She was asked by host Eddie McGuire: "Which of these is not a piece of jewellery commonly worn to symbolise a relationship between two people?"
The choices: anniversary ring, engagement ring, wedding ring and...burger ring.
Tough one, huh? Beseler confidentially locked in 'anniversary ring'.
Bzzzzzzztt! Time's up!
Only then did Whitney realise her mistake: "Oh my God, burger ring! Oh, Eddie - that's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. Can we cut and start again please?"
Er...no...we can't.

Mind you, in the 'dumbness' stakes, she's got a looooong way to go, to beat Miss South Carolina in Miss Teen USA 2007!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Back In The Water...

A fishing blog in Russia has got anglers scrambling to catch giant mutant catfish...said to be growing near the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster site!
The blog has even featured a picture of one catfish which locals reckon is over 2m long!

Because of the risk of radiation poisoning, access is limited to the area, and all fishing for food purposes has stopped. But now there's renewed interest from sporting fishermen keen to land the catch of their lives - regardless of whether it'll cost them their lives!
The Pripyat River is polluted with radionuclides, but anglers say there're giant fish to be caught, in parts of the river near but outside the exclusion zone. Riiigghhtt - like the fish can't be irradiated near Chernobyl, and then swim into a "safe zone"???
One local fisherman says: "I reckon radiation is more likely to give them extra eyeballs and two heads rather than simply making them enormous in size." Been watching too much sci-fi? "The bottom line is that nobody is fishing these waters," (really? Ask yourself WHY!!) "...and that's meant with no natural predator, the catfish has been able to grow to an enormous size."
Scientists are testing to see if they have excessive radiation levels which could be responsible for their large size.
Meantime, if you fancy a dinner that glows in the dark, go fishing for giant catfish near Chernobyl!

To Pea Or Not To Pea

Here's a short clip from Iron Chef America, an American cooking show on The Food Network.
The critics were delivering their thoughts on a pea-oriented dish.
But WTF???!!! WHAT did that judge say???
And what did the other judge think she said???
"There's much penis going on here, which is nice, I like it a lot..."
That's what she SAID!!!
I'll not say another word...*snort*snigger*

Coke Goes Green?

The first new Coca-Cola, since Coke Zero was launched in 2006, will hit the UK shelves this September.
Coca-Cola Life is a naturally-sweetened drink with a third less sugar and calories than the regular galvanised-steel-nail-dissolving stuff.

It's part of govt/industry efforts to tackle obesity in the UK, and follows a pilot in Argentina and Chile.
The new cola is sweetened with a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract (stevia leaf extract is naturally sourced from the stevia plant, native to South America). A 330ml can will contain 89 calories (a regular 330ml Coke has 35gms sugar, or 39% of an adult’s guideline daily amount. Coke Zero and Diet Coke contain no calories). Coca-Cola Life will contain 22.1gms or 25% of an adult’s GDA.
It'll also be sold in a green can.
Currently, Coca-Cola Great Britain uses stevia leaf extract as a sweetener in its Sprite and Glaceau vitamin water brands. It says the new drink is part of its commitment to offer reduced, low and no-calorie options. The company signed the UK Govt's Responsibility Deal, where the food and drink industry has pledged to promote a healthier diet and make changes to their products. Coca-Cola has committed to reduce the average calories per litre in its range of sparkling drinks by 5% by the end of 2014.
Early this year, a group of UK health experts launched a campaign to reduce the amount of sugar added to food and soft drinks as part of an effort to reverse the UK's obesity and diabetes crisis. 'Action On Sugar' said the food industry would easily achieve a 20-30% reduction in the amount of sugar added to products, which would result in a reduction of approx.100 calories per day or more in those particularly prone to obesity.

Powerade Not So Hot

Coca-Cola is removing a chemical linked with fire retardants from all its drinks. From its DRINKS???!!! WTF!!!

Yeup, brominated vegetable oil (or BVO) contains bromine. Bromine is used as a flame retardant in plastics, upholstered furniture, and some kids' clothing, and is not approved for use in foods in Japan and the EU. Coca-Cola uses it in Fanta and Powerade, among others. It's been linked to memory loss and skin and nerve problems when consumed in large amounts.
The move to remove BVO from drinks began with an on-line petition by US teenager Sarah Kavanagh in 2012. Coca-Cola relented after the petition gained 200,000 signatures.
BVO is used by several drinks makers to help stabilise ingredients in flavoured drinks and stop them from separating. Coca-Cola said it will move to other ingredients, that're found in other beverages and also chewing gum. BVO should be out of its production chain by the end of the year.
Coke however reiterates that its drinks are safe. Well, you obviously can't burst into flames if you drink Powerade!!!

Waiter, There's A Whale In My Jam!

Food containing Norwegian whale meat is being sold illegally at a stand operating at Green Week, a large Berlin food and agricultural fair attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
The dish contains minke whale and blueberry jam, according to the group Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).

It is illegal to sell whale and dolphin meat in Germany, but not in Norway. If convicted, the stall-owners could be fined and imprisoned for up to five years.
WDC campaign manager Astrid Fuchs: "The fact that the meat of a species strictly protected in Germany and the whole EU is offered for sale is scandalous. There is an urgent need for a greater application of existing laws."
Ze Germans are investigating zis matter.
Not only has Norway broken the law several times - by importation and sale - but the unsuspecting visitors to the fair would also be breaking existing laws by purchasing the meat.
Norwegian company, Myklebust Whale Products, was responsible for delivering the whale meat to the Norwegian stand. Myklebust currently wants to export around 34,000kg (!!!) of minke whale products to Japan, following a similar export last spring of 4,250kg. Yet the CEO was quick to claim ignorance of any wrongdoing and blamed both German Customs and the fair's management.
The discovery is yet more proof of the whaler’s desperate moves to find new markets to prop up their failing industry. Earlier in January, WDC exposed the sale of ‘Whale beer’ in Iceland (a creation of the Icelandic Steðjar brewery and whaling company Hvalur). Icelandic health authorities banned the beer just hours after the brewery stated that it contained whale meal purchased from the whaling company. And a good bloody job too!

Finning Finally Finito

At last!
The finning of dead sharks will be completely banned by 2016.
The NZ govt has spelt out its plan for managing shark populations for the next three years.
Finning of live sharks was banned in 2009, but fishermen were still able to cut fins off dead sharks and throw away the carcasses. Now, fishing companies will be required to release sharks alive or bring them ashore with fins attached for processing.
Finning involves catching and killing a shark, removing the fins and dumping the body overboard. Only 2% of the shark is actually used. It's unnecessarily contributing to declining shark numbers, some of which are already dangerously low.
The first stage of species will be protected from finning in October this year. All other species except blue sharks will be protected from Oct.2015. The blue shark ban will apply from Oct.2016.
Ever since that damned Jaws movie (1975), I've been too scared to swim in the ocean - because of sharks! Even so, I don't want to see whole species decimated and creatures die in agony! Annually, over 100 million sharks are killed globally, just for their fins: that's about 1800 in the time it takes to read this post. Between 50,000-150,000 blue sharks are believed to be killed in NZ waters every year.
In southern China, it's said anything that walks, flies or swims is fit for the dinner table. Much like Japan's puzzling determination to keep hunting whales, some Chinese feel it's their nationalistic duty to eat whatever they want. Fins exported from here can earn up to $1200kg., mostly sent to Asia for soups or traditional medicines. To our shame, NZ is among the world's top 20 exporters of shark fins (NZ$4.5million p.a.).
I'm not against shark fin soup as such, if the killing is humane. But this sort of butchery has been a wasteful and inhumane practice, and was long overdue to be banned.
45,300 public submissions agree.

Pub Peurility

French officials have fined a pub in Brittany €9,000 for 'undeclared labour' after a customer returned some empty glasses to the bar!
For customers at the Mamm-Kounifl concert-café in Locmiquélic, Northern France, carrying drinks trays and used glasses back to the bar is a polite tradition. But for nasty 'Big Brother' social security agency, it's also an infringement of labour laws because customers are supposedly acting like waiters. Riiiiigghhtt!
The authorities swooped into the pub one evening, initially fining the pub owners €7,900 and briefly placing them in police custody. Customers vouched for the owners and they escaped charges, but the agency is still pursuing a social case and is now seeking a further €9,000 due to non-payment of the original fine.
Pub owner Markya Le Floch: "We were shocked by zis and we're certainly not going to pay ze fine. Zis was all a mistake. What 'appened was completely surreal, but we've received a lot of support from our customers, and zey also zink zat zis situation is completely ridiculous."
The case will now be examined at a later date at a special court in Britany.

Vintage Wine Years Ahead?

Profitability is returning to the wine industry after several years of grape oversupply.
Fabian Partigliani, NZ boss of Paris-based Pernod Ricard Winemakers says supply and demand are finally back in balance.
Problem was - 2008's bumper vintage caused a 27 million-litre glut that eroded wine, land and grape prices and led to a surge in exports of cheaper bulk wine…but the new-found balance means good news for the whole supply chain.
It's crucial however that local winemakers keep innovating and don't take the international success of NZ wine for granted. For its part, Pernod has sold off North Island assets to focus on the Marlborough region. Partigliani: "It's all about reshaping our footprint to meet the export potential which we believe is Marlborough-centric... based around sauvignon blanc."
One of the company's recent innovations is Flight (a low-alcohol sauvignon blanc), pinot gris and riesling sold under the Brancott Estate label.
NZ is well-placed to take advantage of a global shortage in wine. Global wine production peaked in 2004 and has been steadily falling since, with international demand outstripping supply by 300m cases last year. This has resulted in the deepest shortfall in over 40 years, which is expected to result in a significant increase in export demand, and higher prices for exports globally.

Fonterra Fucked Up

As serious questions are raised over Fonterra's botulism balls-up, it transpires that the laboratories used by Fonterra were not accredited to carry out botulism tests!
Fonterra asked AgResearch to test whey samples for the clostridium botulinum toxin: it came back positive. So Fonterra issued a statement sparking global recalls of its product, a firestorm of consumer panic and criticism of the dairy giant. But the organisation in charge of accreditation of laboratories says the crown research laboratories were never qualified to carry out the tests: in fact NO NZ labs are accredited!
When Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was finally notified by Fonterra, it sent samples to four overseas labs - all accredited - and had results back in 3½ weeks…confirming the contamination was a harmless strain of clostridium sporogenes.
Fonterra says it used AgResearch because it is one of only two research facilities in NZ capable of carrying out the test. AgResearch acknowledges it's not accredited, but claims it has the necessary experience and facilities to test for botulism. It agreed to carry out the botulism tests as a researcher, not as an accredited lab. It says when it advised Fonterra of the positive result, it said to also seek further testing. However, Fonterra claims it had no choice at that time but to go public that there was potential contamination.
So…panic reigned, orders were cancelled, reputations damaged… simply (it seems) because Fonterra didn't do the correct thing initially and go to an accredited lab!
Note to Fonterra: update your systems, for crissake! ONLY use accredited labs, establish clear lines of communication, traceability systems, specialised audits, more stringent quality controls… ANYTHING to avoid a repeat of what was – by ANY definition – a total FUCK-UP!!!

Macca's Going Veggie?

McDonald's is trying to cash in on the whole vegetarian scene, with two new vegetarian wraps now hitting their restaurants in Canada.
This is the first time in a decade that McDee's is attempting a veggie-focused product. Rather than resurrect the 'veggie burger' (which didn't sell well all those years ago), they're trying something new: a Santa Fe Veggie wrap and a Mediterranean Veggie wrap. So what's in 'em?
Santa Fe Veggie wrap: fire-roasted corn, black beans, a blend of two cheeses, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce and tortilla chips, along with a chili-lime glaze and southwest sauce.
Mediterranean Veggie wrap: garlic hummus, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, lettuce, crispy onions and a creamy Mediterranean sauce.
Looks a better choice than a Big Mac, but...no. The Santa Fe contains 490 calories, 24gm of fat, and 980gm of sodium. Compare that to a Big Mac, with 540 calories, 29gm of fat, and 1,020gm of sodium.
Not much difference really, and cutting out the cheese and dairy sauces won't change things too much...not that anyone looks to Macca's for healthy fare. So why come up with these options?
Well, McDonald's has found that even people who don't identify as vegetarian still want vegetarian options from a meat-oriented junk food outlet.
Go figure!

The Company You Keep

Could the archetypal British dish of fish'n'chips be actually supporting the killing of endangered fin whales?
Unwitting Brits are eating fish, caught by an Icelandic firm with links to a company that resumed commercial whaling this year.
Campaigners are calling on Warners Fish Merchants in Doncaster (which supplies 8% of Britain's fish'n'chip shops) to halt imports from the Icelandic fishing giant, HB Grandi, which has close links with the whaling company Hvalur.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) believes up to 90 fin have been killed by Hvalur since hunting in Icelandic waters resumed after a two-year hiatus. The fin whale was heavily hunted during the C20th., and is classed as 'endangered'.
Clare Perry, EIA: "Warners and other British companies should ensure there are absolutely no ties to whaling, before importing fish from Icelandic companies or other companies from whaling countries like Norway, Japan and the Faroe Islands."
Warners describes itself as having "a strong relationship with HB Grandi", and thus is fully aware that Kristjan Loftsson (owner of Hvalur) is chairman of its board, and that the companies share processing facilities.
"HB Grandi has in the past leased one of its buildings to Hvalur for processing whale meat," says Gary Warner, "...but HB Grandi does not have any quota on whales, nor does it catch or process whales." So, Gazza, just because HB Grandi doesn't actually fire the explosive harpoons, that makes its chummy association with Hvalur and bloodthirsty Loftsson ok?
In May 2011, major UK seafood supplier Findus marked HB Grandi as 'unacceptable' across its entire supply chain, for its whaling links. And in June 2012, HB Grandi was banned from supplying seafood to the 2012 London Olympics, for the very same reason!
It doesn't take a brain surgeon to read the writing on the wall: any association with any company linked to whaling will cost businesses dearly! Can Warners afford to lose 8% of its trade, because of the company it keeps...

Warners Fish Merchants: proudly supporting HB Grandi...

Perfect Egg Just A Pre-Packaged Purchase Away

You'd have to be pretty stupid not to be able to boil an egg.
(Saying that, I met someone just last week who, at the oh-so-adult age of 20, had just accomplished her very first egg-boil. Yes, I too was stunned!)
So, if boiling a pan of water, dropping in an egg and timing it for a few minutes seems far too complicated, your ship has just come in! The Dippy Egg is about to hit UK supermarket shelves, apparently designed for those too inept to create a perfect runny yolk.
The Dippy Egg - a single pasteurised egg in its shell - is pre-boiled in an airtight plastic bag to just the right consistency, before being sold in a plastic pot. All the hungry (lazy?) consumer has to do is remove it from it's plastic bag, put it back in the pot, pour on boiled water, replace the lid and wait five minutes (clue: it's as easy as opening a packet of 'instant noodles', ok?).
When the egg's ready, it can be eaten from the lid, which doubles as an egg cup. And joy of joys, even if left in hot water in its pot for longer than five minutes while you're busy Facebooking your achievement to your 3,571 friends, the yolk will still not set. A blessed miracle!!
Of course, for a REAL challenge, the adventurous could boldly learn how to boil an egg from scratch themselves.
*whisper* The trick is...don't burn the water first!!!

Fonterra Botulism False Alarm - But WHY?

Wednesday's news that NZ dairy giant Fonterra's botulism scare was

*Phew!*

just that - a false alarm - was greeted with a huge collective sigh of relief.
But questions must be answered.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) received results confirming the bacteria found in the Fonterra whey protein concentrate was not the botulism-causing clostridium botulinum, but clostridium sporogenes, which is not capable of producing botulism-causing toxins.
The latest independent research involved a total of 195 tests carried out in both the US and NZ. Fonterra originally commissioned independent testing from AgResearch, as one of only two NZ research facilities capable of carrying out testing for the bacteria. Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings: "On the basis of those results, we had no choice but to announce a global precautionary recall." He acknowledges there was confusion and anxiety arising from the recall and apologises, but says Fonterra would do the same again, if confronted by similar circumstances.
MPI has informed overseas regulators of the new results, and will provide full diagnostics. On the back of these results, NZ and Fonterra now has a solid and clear platform from which to re-enter overseas markets affected by the scare.
The NZ Food and Grocery Council says from an industry perspective Fonterra did exactly the right thing, putting public safety first.
NZ Infant Formula Exporters Assn says it's looking forward to resuming trade with China, but it was dismayed with the way the scare was handled initially, with its members losing millions.
Opposition party Labour's primary industries spokesman Damien O'Connor calls the results a complete systems failure by MPI: "This fiasco is a disaster for our clean, green brand. The inability of the ministry's systems means our reputation is always at risk.''
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says MPI's announcement is good news and the govt is relieved. The all-clear will go a long way to reassure international markets that MPI has done a thorough job.
However, there're unanswered questions about the scare, and both MPI and Fonterra need to take an extremely hard look at how it developed.
+ Why was the bacteria wrongfully identified in the first place?
+ Given that the original test showed clostridium botulinum, why was it allowed to continue to progress into the infant formula food chain?
+ Why did it take so long for the warning flags to go up?
+ Why was MPI able to test the product for the bacterium in less than a month whereas it took Fonterra three months (and now has come up with a different result)?
Inquiries are underway...

No Whale For Sale

54 restaurants and hotels across Iceland have joined a pro-whale watching effort and vowed not to sell whale meat.
The Icelandic Whale Watching Organisation and The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are behind the effort, and restaurants and hotels involved are sporting a window sticker saying "Whale friendly".
37 of the 54 restaurants and hotels are in Reykjavik, the capital and largest city (population about 120,000 - over a third of Iceland's total). The rest are spread all over the country.
But do these restaurants even matter? After all, only 37 of the approx.250 Reykjavik eating places are participating...
Well, whale meat enthusiasts have requested the compilation of a list of restaurants that DO offer whale meat on their menus. Such a list might be available at some point, but at least for now it's very obvious which restaurants do NOT serve whale meat. Some cynics have pointed out that many of those participating restaurants didn't offer whale in the first place, and were not likely to serve it in the future anyway. However the list is a positive start, and will hopefully prove a selling point for the supporting restauranteurs.
Meanwhile Kristjan Loftsson (Iceland's lone, and some say maverick, whaler) continues his Ahab-like pursuit of whales with his handful of 1940's steam-driven whaling boats. To mid-August 2013, he had killed 89 fin whales.
The Icelandic Tourism Association (SAF) is deeply critical of his activities. SAF agrees with the Icelandic whalewatchers' association (Icewhale) that killing whales is not only bad for whalewatchers but for the tourism industry as a whole. More and more, Loftsson's activities are seen as harmful to Iceland's image and economic interests, and furthermore are cruel and unnecessary. Even the shareholders in his company are beginning to publicly call for this loss-making whaling enterprise to stop (last month, a whalemeat shipment to Japan was blocked by Germany, and returned to Iceland. The Icelandic shipping company Samskip announced it would not be involved in further exports of fin whale meat.).
Loftsson is being seen as an out-of-date diehard, determined to use his wealth to kill whales that are increasingly difficult to sell.

Christchurch Icon: One Last Look

For several months now, demolition crews have been steadily chewing away at Christchurch's iconic Canterbury Brewery.
All that remains is the big red multi-storied multi-windowed brewing tower right on the corner of St.Asaph and Antigua Streets...and by tonight, much of that will be rubble. I spoke to some of the crew yesterday and they said that - all things being equal - they'd begin tearing down Big Red this morning.


Brewing history bows to the bulldozer: beer's been made on this site since 1854, longer than anyone else in New Zealand. So raise a glass of Canterbury Draught and enjoy a last look at Canterbury Brewery.

Return Of The George

Who ate all the pies?
Maybe it was a big boy called Brownlee (!!)...but some clown called McDonald is bringing 'em back.
McDonald's is extending its Georgie Pie trial: another six restaurants now sell the famous NZ steak mince'n'cheese pie. That's a total of 17 Maccas so far, adding the much-missed Georgie Pie to their menus.
Two more Auckland restaurants started to sell the pies this week. Four more in the Manawatu will follow suit from early August.
McDonald's NZ managing director Patrick Wilson says, since the pie's relaunch, the number of ovens have doubled to meet demand: "Sales have been far greater than projected, which tells us Kiwis are still passionate about Georgie Pie and staying true to the original recipe was worth it." 
Earlier this year, plans for a restaurant on Auckland's North Shore and an additional Hamilton restaurant were postponed when demand in other restaurants outstripped supply. The relaunch proved so popular that special queues and security staff were bought in to handle crowds. At times, the lines went out of the restaurant and stretched across the car park!
During its 21 years in business, Georgie Pie achieved a number of firsts here: first drive-through and first with breakfast; first 24-hour drive-through; and the first domestic concept to seriously challenge the international fast food giants. Many NZers have fond memories of the delicious pies, the production of which was discontinued in the late 1990s. Today, the only change to the original much-loved recipe is the removal of MSG.