Tuna cannery expands

The only remaining tuna cannery in Australia has received a prestigious international food service award for the second year running, according to a report from FIS.

Port Lincoln Tuna Processors this month went to New Zealand to receive its second Heinz Watties Australasia Vendor of the Year award in the co-packing category.

General manager Lindsay Guillot said the cannery was one of the most modern in the world, and was undergoing an expansion that would potentially double its current annual production of 56 million cans.

The factory, which also processes and exports fresh tuna and other species destined for the sashimi market, uses skipjack tuna to produce cans labelled as John West Tuna Tempters as well as the Heinz/Greenseas brand.

The new state-of-the-art expansion will allow the cannery to develop new products aimed specifically at the export market.