< Previous20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCARTONING AND SLEEVINGsleeves. These have become fairly common on ready meals and microwaveable meals, particularly Chinese, Indian and Japanese variants. In many cases this mind of packaging will contain all the necessary information, along with cooking details – before being slipped off to reveal a typical film and plastic container ready for cooking. Legislature is also, for possibly the first time ever, working to help the cartoning industry. As an ever-increasing amount of information is required on products, cartons become an attractive method of displaying them, without compromising the aesthetic design of the individual product. As with many sectors, much innovation has been driven thanks to consumer demand for sustainable products. In the carton sector, many companies now aim for their cartons to be labelled as meeting the criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody. FSC is an international organisation that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests and its CoC certification allows wood fibres to be traced at every step through the supply chain, providing assurance that any products bearing the logo support forest management that adopts © Shutterstock/Bulatnikov22 Á19-23.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 10:25 Page 227 & 28 February 2019 . NEC, BirminghamVISIT THE EVENT FOR FREE REGISTER ONLINE TODAY2IÀFLDOPHGLDSDUWQHU,QSDUWQHUVKLSZLWK It has been great to see such an array of different suppliers all under one roof. The show has been very informative, clearly laid RXWDQGZHZLOOGHÀQLWHO\FRPHDJDLQ$VKOH\/LJKWIRRW3ULQW $UWZRUN7HFKQRORJLVW0XOOHU8. ,UHODQG,WLVRXUÀUVWWLPHDWWKHVKRZDQGZHDUHreally impressed. We came to the show looking for suppliers and have had a number of leads.5HEHFFD:DONHU%UDQG0DQDJHU)ORUHWWHMeet the whole supply chain, network and learn all under one roofSAVE THE DATEREGISTER NOWwww.easyfairs.com/PIUK www.easyfairs.com/EmpackUK www.easyfairs.com/Label&PrintUK5HEHFFD:D19-23.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 10:25 Page 322 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCARTONING AND SLEEVINGenvironmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management practices. This has led to major overhauls of the packaging process in many companies – and some find this a challenge. Investment costs for regulation and legislation will always be a difficult factor, especially with varying standards across the EU. These are necessities that cannot be avoided however, and as labelling is one of the fastest-changing sectors when it comes to changes in legislation, it is something that many are forced to quickly adapt to. This is important for the aforementioned booming ready meals market, particularly with pre-cooked meals. Mainly due to the misconception that ready meals are somehow less wholesome or lower quality than freshly cooked food, the perception of a premium or somehow artisan product is necessary to alleviate this. Typically this is achieved through aesthetically pleasing packaging – but there is almost universally a picture of the finished product in its cooked state, which would not be possible to print with any real definition on the film itself. Sleeves allow an effective alternative, and will as such continue to do so as the ready meals sector continues its growth. Digital technology has certainly provided more flexibility for packaging design, especially as legal requirements have required much more information is on packaging that was previously the case. Many companies have introduced QR codes on their products to allow customers to receive promotional material and much else, while it also has value when it comes to traceability. The packaging of many of the products on retailers’ shelves remain in the iconic and distinctive designs they have kept for many years – but while their look hasn’t changed, the materials used often have to create more effective, efficient and secure packaging. To achieve higher shelf spacing is the challenge facing all producers. This is particularly so in convenience stores where space is even more limited. Cartoning and sleeving has provided many answers for those in the industry, taking over certain sectors – but that’s not to say the packaging industry can slow down and let things lay. New innovation will always be on the forefront of people’s minds. © Shutterstock/Vlad Enculescu19-23.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 10:25 Page 4Market Leading Cartoning and Sleeving End Load & Top Load Cartoning Preglued & Wraparound Sleeving Header Card Applicators & Tray Erectors t : 01724 276908 e : sales@tfreemantle.comWe offer simple, reliable and robust machinery that is easy to operate, hygienically designed and proven worldwide. We have a machine to suit almost every Cartoning and Sleeving application. From simple manual cartoners through to automatic high speed wraparound sleevers. Manufactured in the UK, Used Worldwide19-23.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 10:25 Page 524 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTDue to the differing nature of hygiene risks and how they can occur, it is often a requirement to bring in outside help to judge and identify potential flashpoints. These can come from any number of aspects, be it the ingredients themselves, the way employees work or simply the atmosphere of a given facility. In the food and drink sector, hygiene is harder to manage than many others, and the consequences can reach much further. This added pressure is one which necessitates swift action. Companies that aren’t able to point to clear health and safety regulations will usually find themselves unable to win contracts from major customers. The importance of security and speed across the supply chain means retailers demand manufacturers and distributors reach the highest standards and must be able to illustrate their commitment to quality – and a formal health and safety policy, with full information on potential flashpoints and the measures in place to deal with them, is usually required. When it comes to hygiene itself there are actually many things that can be done to minimise both cost and Controlling hygiene A stringent health, safety and hygiene plan is all but required in the food and drink industry, and yet accidents still happen – costing companies millions. 24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 1Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTdowntime, some of which can be quite simple. In food manufacturing in particular, build up inside machinery can prove a major source of contamination, requiring regular cleaning and downtime as workers scramble to clear this away. Small changes in how a site is set up, however, can help to minimise this. Hard corners and right angles, especially inside storage tanks and mixers, can be problem areas, as it provides a sharp corner for food to get stuck in. Simple changes to make these rounded corners or to blunt them can help reduce levels of build up significantly. Changes to materials are also commonplace, along with initiatives that may seem painstakingly obvious at first, but which have been proven to have profound effect. Take for instance the case of cleaning apparatus, from brooms to mops and everything in between. While it may seem obvious to say that tools from one part of a plant should not be used in another, owing to the potential for contamination, it does 26 Á© Shutterstock/Mark Agnor24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 226 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTIssue 7 to 8 workshops prepare companies for next BRC audit Food companies supplying the major supermarkets will be aware that Issue 8 of the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety comes into effect in February 2019. In order to help businesses prepare for their next BRC audit, a series of official BRC Issue 7 to 8 Conversion for Sites Course Workshops are taking place at Verner Wheelock in Skipton, Yorkshire. The training is led by BRC Approved Training Partner, Eleanor Nicholls. The workshops examine in detail the differences between BRC Issues 7 and 8. They are discussed section by section with plenty of time for input and discussion from the group. On completion of the workshop, delegates will have the skills and knowledge to successfully implement the changes on site. The workshops take place on 8th January, 28th February and 26th March. To find out more, visit www.vwa.co.uk. not mean it always works. If a mop is misplaced or left in the wrong spot, then staff may not know which section it came from. Developers now have taken to producing cleaning apparatus which is brightly coloured and coded, allowing workers to know that purple mops belong in the meats section, or that red are only allowed in the red-zone. Again, it may seem common sense and an obvious solution, but if it makes the lives of employees easier, then how hard is it to implement? This also brings into question where hygienic material is kept and how easy it is to bring to bear if there is a problem. Sanitation stations are commonplace in food and drink production facilities and yet for many they are locked away out of reach, wasting employee time as they need to leave an area entirely to ensure they are properly sanitised. Moving these facilities, as well as any others that employees might make use of, closer to the actual production line can improve efficiency. This might seem a small factor, especially if it only saves a minute of an individual employee’s time a day but considering it over a longer period of time can make for more savings. That single minute might also become more important if a problem happens during it, along with a product recall because that staff member was unavailable to solve the problem at the instance it happened. What many in the food and drink industry tend to forget is that, unlike with most cases of efficiency, the human element is more required than not in safety and hygiene. While automated machines are designed not to make mistakes, that does not mean accidents do not happen, and when there is a spillage or contamination, 28 Á© Shutterstock/timurtas onan24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 3Take the fight to contaminants, germs and bugs! Clean welds, sealed ingresses and tough materials mean you can defeat germs with our hygienic furniture and equipment.FOODFIGHTQUALITY BY DESIGNQQUALITY THROUGH MANUFACTUREQUALITY OF SERVICET: 01603 788 833 | W: teknomek.co.uk | E: mail@teknomek.co.uk24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 428 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTmost process systems will not have been designed with a solution in mind. It’s the old adage of something being created to be perfect not having the solution to what happens when it is imperfect. A benefit to the food market, however, is that many health and safety products also work towards improving hygiene – allowing a company to effectively kill two birds with one stone. Non-slip and hygienic flooring is one such example that can both reduce the risk of accidents within the facility – while also adding a clear hygienic defence against contaminants. Despite all of this, and whatever methods are taken to reduce the risks of contamination, a stringent quality assurance line will always be necessary. There is only so much that human inspection can achieve in any production environment. Given that food safety is absolutely essential from both a commercial and an ethical standpoint, it is vital that any potential for error is eliminated. The human eye is a powerful organ, but with the advent of Machine Vision Systems we are the packaging of a product which could result in contamination or degradation. With traceability also a key concern, the advent of Optical Character Verification (OCV) has been a huge boon for the industry. OCV is principally used to ensure that products are labelled correctly. Use-by- and best-before dates must match the actual product, and the information printed on entering an entirely new – and potentially flawless – world. For the most part, food and drinks manufacturers use Machine Vision Systems to carry out tasks such as counting large numbers units on the production line, reading product labels to ensure they contain accurate nutritional and allergen information, portion control, and testing for faults in Researchers develop rapid test kit for E.coli A new rapid testing kit for E.coli aims to revolutionise food safety testing by producing results in hours rather than days. Developed by researchers at Western University in Canada, the kit detects E. coli 0157. It has been approved by Health Canada and translated for commercial use, with the first production lot now making its way to food processing plants in North America. The kit detects a protein unique to the pathogenic E. coli bacteria and using flow through technology is able show results in under 24 hours. The process works in much the same way as a pregnancy test – showing one line for negative and two lines for positive. Current food testing methods typically rely on culture, which requires samples to be sent away for testing, with results taking up to two weeks to come back. By that time, the food has often been shipped to market and large recalls have to occur.© Shutterstock/Jarun Ontakrai24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 5Food & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTa product’s packaging must be 100% legible in case of product recall and other worst-case scenarios. Most OCV devices used in food manufacturing are font-based ID-readers that are pre-programmed to recognise particular details such as specific allergen advice and nutritional information, while ensuring that these are labelled correctly. © Shutterstock/Corepics VOFSteady levels of campylobacter in supermarket chickens Levels of campylobacter in UK-produced chickens sold in supermarkets remain steady as the nation’s top retailers publish their latest testing results. Since 2014, Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been testing chickens for campylobacter and publishing the results to unite the food chain to tackle the issue. As of September 2017, however, the survey was altered allowing major retailers to carry out their own sampling and publishing their results under FSA protocols. The latest figures – from July to September 2018 – show that on average, across the major retailers, 3.5% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of contamination. These are the chickens carrying more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (cfu/g) of campylobacter. The corresponding figure for the previous set of results (April – June 2018) was 3.7%, while for the first publication (July-September 2017) it was 4.6%.© Shutterstock/Goncharov_Artem24-31.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2018 14:25 Page 6Next >