NZ Food Safety Company Reducing Foodborne Illness in the U.S

A New Zealand company servicing local industries for 11 years is making inroads into the massive U.S. market for the supply of food safety disposable gloves and clothing. There are over 3,000 reported deaths and 48 million reported illnesses in the U.S. each year from foodborne illness (FBI), with 15% of these figures attributed to glove cross contamination. Eagle has a goal to reduce these numbers through food safe products and processes, and its unique and ongoing research investment into the science of disposable gloves and how they affect the food they handle. By 2022 the achievement of these goals would reduce FBI’s by 3.6M cases and save 225 lives every year!

Eagle Protect supplies a large proportion of the New Zealand Primary Food Industry, food processing and manufacturing, as well as the dental, medical and aged care sectors with disposable gloves and clothing. Eagle is New Zealand’s first Certified B Corp, the world’s only disposable glove and clothing specialist to be B Corp certified, and has recently been certified Child Labor Free to Manufacturing level for a specific range of products.

“Paraphrasing a B Corp theme, we want our business to not only be the best in the world, but also the best for the world,” Steve Ardagh, Eagle Protect Founder and CEO said of the company’s direction. “Eagle’s supply chain is fully transparent, mitigating the real threat of glove fraud and the food safety risks of our products. Our products are ethically sourced from responsibly run factories around the world which we visit regularly, and we also have a sustainability focus to help our customers reduce waste because of our better quality products.”

Eagle has joined forces with international food safety expert Barry Michaels, furthering research investment into the science of disposable gloves and their effect on cross- contamination and food safety. “Protecting our customers, and their customers, by reducing the number of food-related events each year through the supply of quality gloves is our goal,” said Ardagh.

U.S. Market
“We have a strong and growing New Zealand business. For further expansion we knew the only real option was to look at international markets. Australia is often the obvious choice, but for us the challenge associated with business in the greatest consumer nation in the world was the attraction!” Ardagh added.

The U.S. is estimated to use around 100 billion disposable gloves per year with a sizable amount of this in food manufacturing, processing and service. “Our background, coming from a net food exporting country like New Zealand, gives us enormous knowledge and skill in keeping food systems safe,” Ardagh explained. “The U.S. food sector is very price conscious, but the local suppliers of our product range, in our view, do not offer the unique level of knowledge and experience that Eagle does.”

“We have found our unique offering of being a food safety company using disposable gloves and clothing as a tool for greater efficiency to reduce consumption and waste, and to improve food safety programmes has resonated well with the U.S. food sector. We are currently in trials or have been asked to bid with several large big-box food service companies and, like in New Zealand, supply some well known meat industry businesses across the nation,” Ardagh continued.

There have been many obstacles along the path for Ardagh and Eagle Protect. Visas for New Zealanders wishing to do business in the U.S. are complex and relocation is expensive. “We relocated our family to California as we believe that to be successful we have to be here. It has been quite a culture shock because as much as we may think we are alike - we are quite different in many ways!” admitted Ardagh.

“The innovation we are bringing to what has been a standard offering for many years has been welcomed by the forward thinking businesses in the U.S. that see how integral these products are for safety and business efficiency. For example, we recently made the decision to discontinue selling vinyl gloves in the U.S. for many reasons, the main one being they are a food safety risk. Gaining nationwide industry news coverage, Eagle Protect has received positive feedback from the large incumbents in the industry as well as large users.” “My advice to New Zealand businesses wanting to gain a foothold in the U.S.? Relocate, and make a plan. Expect to throw that plan out and make another one,” said Ardagh with a smile. “Then repeat! It will take twice as long as you think and cost twice as much, but we are happy with our decision and have found the whole journey very rewarding.”

Eagle Protect PBC is based in South Lake Tahoe, California and employs 5 full-time staff as well as a number of contractors and consultants. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the New Zealand company of the same name. Eagle is currently exploring options to raise capital to assist with growth and promotion of food safety.

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