Two cadets from Sainsbury's have been visiting the meat company to gain an insight into the industry including meat processing, research and development and livestock procurement.
Lisa Quinn, of Ireland, and Mark Chaddock, of Manchester, were in New Zealand as part of the supermarket's six-week Taste the World programme, in which students worked with Sainsbury's suppliers and partners around the world.
The pair spent time on the road with the company's livestock representatives, saw the Lorneville plant boning room operations and stayed at farms which supplied meat to Sainsbury's.
A key focus for the cadets, who will both join Sainsbury's as full-time employees on their return to the UK, was exploring Alliance Group's development centre, where the company undertook research into meat taste and tenderness and improving product shelf-life.
The visit follows the conclusion of a New Zealand lamb marketing campaign by Alliance Group in conjunction with Beef and Lamb New Zealand.
The campaign provided support for consumer-ready cuts such as leg steaks and loins using recipe advertising in Sainsbury's own consumer magazine and on more than 38,000 shopping trolleys.