< Previous10 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT Post-Brexit battles continue 10-13.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:35 Page 1Food & Drink International 11 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT It may have been two years since the implementation of Brexit, but the UK is still finding its footing. W hile the UK is still grappling with Brexit and its impact on import and export processes, trade is growing for the nation, as the desire for British food and drink rises across the globe - in both EU and non-EU countries. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF)’s most recent trade snapshot, released in December for Q3 2022, illustrates strong export expansion — 23.2% higher than in Q3 2021, with sales to the EU growing by almost 18%, to near pre-pandemic levels, and sales to non-EU markets up 30%. With Defra’s new agrifood and drink attachés being placed overseas, further robust growth is anticipated. Though surging prices have increased the value of UK exports, volumes continue to expand too, attributed to soaring demand for UK food and drink in certain EU member states such as Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, and rapid growth in further flung locations, particularly in countries set for UK trade deals, including in the UAE, Singapore and India, driven by increasing demand for quality British products like gin and cheese. The Food and Drink Federation’s head of international trade, Dominic Goudie, said: “These figures demonstrate that the appetite for British food and drink continues to grow around the world, with exports up in both EU and non-EU countries. Defra and the Department for International Trade are taking important steps to boost support available to our food and drink exporters. As set out in our recent trade and investment strategy, we are keen to work in close partnership with all UK governments to take forward practical recommendations utilising all of the tools in the UK’s trade policy to drive further growth in our sector.” Imports are similarly rising sharply, with non-EU imports up 14% compared to 2021, influenced by businesses 12 Á 10-13.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:35 Page 212 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT diversifying their sourcing of key inputs and the rising cost of imported ingredients, and EU imports up 33%, though this is largely due to changes in the recording of official UK import data from 1 January 2022. Sterling depreciation has also increased value of imports. For example, while the value of wine imports is up 25%, volumes are up only 4%. Despite positive export figures, food and drink businesses are in reality still suffering from the fallout of Brexit - two years on from its implementation. While the UK Government cheered loudly that a wealth of trade opportunities would become available to food firms, red tape continues to hit sales and make it harder to export to and import from the European Union, including new costs, customs checks and measures affecting the movement of animals and plants. With this, many companies have paused trade with the bloc, after it became uneconomical, with a resumption not currently in sight. It has taken the sale of Cheshire Cheese Company to Joseph Heler, for instance, for it to be able to resume exports to the EU, thanks to the acquirer already having operations across central Europe. At the time of the acquisition Simon Spurrell, Managing Director of the Cheshire Cheese Company, said: “This strategic alliance has come at a very important time for the business. Post Brexit legislation meant our plans to operate in mainland Europe were halted – this arrangement will see us able to grow with increased production and fulfilment capacity and a worldwide reach.” Meanwhile many have been critical of new trade deals, that the Government previously hailed, and their impact on food and farming sectors, including former environment secretary George Eustice, who took to a Commons debate at the end of last year to share that agreements with Australia, which he helped secure, may not have been as excellent as initially stated. He said that the historic Australia trade deal, the first post-Brexit deal negotiated from scratch (as opposed to ‘rolled over’ agreements based on former deals the UK had with different parts of the world when it was an EU member), was “not actually a very good deal for the UK” and that “overall the truth of the matter is, the UK gave away far too much for far too little in return,” such as giving Australia full access to the UK market to sell beef and sheep, while Australia still bans the import of British beef. It comes after the UK agriculture sector previously warned the Australian deal would negatively impact farmers. Eustice added that © stock.adobe.com/lermont51 10-13.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:35 Page 3Food & Drink International 13 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT mistakes in post-Brexit deals need to be learned from as crucial negotiations get underway on CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership) and on Canada. The future of British imports and exports is not all negative of course, as hope remains in the potential of trade deals on the horizon such as with India, the Gulf, Canada, Mexico, Israel, and South Korea. Regarding the latter, the UK kicked off preparations to negotiate an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with South Korea in December 2022, with an eight-week public consultation. The country offers strong potential for meat and dairy products to the region, according to NFU, particularly for pork where the UK already has market access. Exports to South Korea have shown significant growth already as businesses benefit from preferential access via the continuity free trade agreement, with the FDF’s Q3 2022 data highlighting that exports to South Korea are up 35% from 2021 reaching £191m, with the UK enjoying a large trade surplus in food and drink. D Davies Turner © stock.adobe.com/Maksym Kapliuk Moreover, sales are 21% higher than pre- pandemic levels, with strong growth in exports of cheese, soft drinks and malt extracts. Yet an updated FTA with the country could boost UK exports, through simpler and more generous rules of origin and cutting the cost and burdens of trade documentation. Meanwhile British products are gaining and regaining access to markets, with lamb producers last year entering the US market for the first time in more than 20 years, in a deal allowing farmers access to more than 300 million people. 10-13.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:35 Page 414 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT Health and safety first We all know how important health, safety and hygiene are when it comes to food, but there’s always an added responsibility for any food business operation, as keeping products free from harmful contaminants means the difference between happy customers, and a regrettable public health risk. 14-17.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:37 Page 1Food & Drink International 15 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT I t’s easy to feel overwhelmed or worried by the magnitude of this duty, especially for a large and far- reaching business. It might help to see this as one more way to take pride in your business and care for everyone you’re serving - and to know that reading on will take care of the rest. The government’s Food Standard Agency will be the first to tell you that there are four bite-size categories to remember for good hygiene. These are known as the four Cs - cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross- contamination. If we take an attitude of seeing to first things first, let’s take a look at advice for cleaning your ingredients, products and food preparation areas. Here, it may help to plan ahead, beginning with a schedule of what needs to be cleaned and when. The more detailed this can be the better, as the more information is set out about rotas, how cleaning should be done and with which products, the less margin there is for error or falling behind on hygiene. Getting a schedule set down means that tasks can then be easily distributed amongst staff, with each member having their own dedicated cleaning jobs to remember and get to grips with. Beyond that and as part of the daily routine of your business, make sure food areas and equipment are cleaned between tasks, and mop up any spillages that occur through the day even between scheduled cleaning times. This becomes especially important after handling raw products of animal origin, ensuring no bacteria is transferred between preparation areas or other products. Stop waste from building up by also keeping a strict food disposal schedule and remind yourself and staff of best practice for use of cleaning products. Not only will this reduce waste of cleaning products, but it will keep staff safe when using them, and allay prosecution due to lack of proper hygiene, which isn’t © stock.adobe.com/chokniti© stock.adobe.com/Quality Stock Arts © stock.adobe.com/Dusko 16 Á 14-17.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:37 Page 216 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT uncommon in food business circles. With all food prep areas correctly cleaned, it’s then time to focus on the proper treatment of ingredients, including cooking. When done properly, cooking and heat treating kills any harmful bacteria that might be found in food products such as meat. Poultry, fowl, pork, rolled joints and minced meat products should be given special attention, and thoroughly cooked through to the middle as this is where bacteria can often hide. Government health advice says that any items that require cooking during production should reach a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius, and then be left to cook at that temperature for two minutes. Even when this crucial guidance has been followed, food temperature should always be checked with a clean probe inserted into the thickest part of the product or ingredient. Moving from the oven and into the freezer, the polar opposite of ensuring food is bacteria free through cooking is not allowing any to grow while in storage. Foods which will degrade quickly when left to their own devices, and those which present a bacterial risk already, must not be left to stand at room temperature. Chilling foods at 8 degrees Celsius or below - a legal requirement for England, Wales and Northern Ireland - is best for storing foods for shorter periods of time while they await the production line. To be certain that food is kept cool enough for health and safety, it’s considered good practice to set fridges at 5 degrees Celsius or below, as well as running regular checks that units are cold enough for purpose. For longer storage needs, or to prepare products to be sold frozen, all necessary products should be moved to the freezer as soon after delivery as possible. This is especially important because freezing doesn’t kill bacteria, instead merely holding it in stasis to begin multiplying again when thawed. In order to comply with customer safety, the amount of bacteria left to be 14-17.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:37 Page 3Food & Drink International 17 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT brought home and consumed - potentially causing severe food poisoning - must be kept to an absolute minimum. As extra safeguarding when freezing foods, separate any product into smaller batches between multiple units and, of course, keep up those temperature checks on freezers as well. Food allowed to defrost may not be fit for consumption, especially if left unchecked for a long period of time. If the worst should happen and one unit is affected by a faulty or malfunctioning freezer, separating out your batches across multiple units will reduce waste as much as possible. Each of these facets of health, safety and hygiene practice come around to preventing that fourth and final C - the cross-contamination of bacteria between food, surfaces, equipment, or even workers’ hands. Raw animal products, and particularly meats, are the most ready offenders for this. Every surface that’s touched by the product itself, or even so much as dripped on by it, needs careful cleaning to eliminate bacteria all along the production line. One of the worst scenarios to risk is cross-contamination between different food products. If not kept separate, raw meat and its juices can come into contact with any other product currently in production. Having specific equipment for raw animal products, or disinfecting surfaces rigorously where this isn’t possible, will prevent contaminants from spreading over a wider area of the factory. More important still, keeping harmful bacteria isolated and carefully controlled will significantly reduce health risks to customers, or even to workers transporting food to its destination. Through all these four pillars of hygiene, one personal effort remains all- important. Everyone is tired of hearing this nowadays but that doesn’t make it less necessary to point out - wash your hands. Keep yourself, your workers, and the customers you’re providing for safe and, ultimately, protect everyone’s peace of mind. © stock.adobe.com/Parilov 14-17.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:37 Page 418 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net CARTONING AND SLEEVING A utomation within printing and packaging has been around for some time and is commonly used within manufacturing. However, concerns over corporate sustainability, as well as the desire to keep manufacturing costs down amidst the cost of living crisis has caused some to re-evaluate whether standard practices are as efficient as they could be. Furthermore, with markets becoming increasingly overcrowded, pristine and eye catching packaging is a must in order to get products noticed. Here, we shall review the most common products which use cartons and sleeves, what these products need from their packaging to get noticed, and which innovations are important to keep an eye on. Packaging sleeves are strips of printed card which wrap around a product. Primarily, they are used for providing an extra layer of security to the internal product. However, they also provide the perfect opportunity to create a visually striking appearance with their clean lines. Furthermore, they offer extra space for text such as nutritional information. This opportunity means that manufacturers should not overlook sleeves and take the time to ensure they are both fit for purpose and have a neat and pleasing appearance. The most commonly used type of sleeving system is via a wraparound cartoning machine. This uses a half folded sleeve with the products being introduced into the sleeve via the end side. Hot glue is then applied to one half of the sleeve and wrapped around the product to create a seal. These machines are most suitable for oblong shaped packages and are calibrated to a particular package. Whilst this means that the sleeves will be tight enough for purpose, it means that new products cannot be easily introduced into the machinery without losing out on the quality of the seal. For manufacturers chiefly creating similar products, this will be no issue. A further advantage of this system is the ease of installation. These devices are designed to incorporate into cartoning process, and so will require little set up to work alongside existing machinery. This is also one of the cheapest options for sleeve manufacturing, due to its 20 Á Adaptational packaging Concerns over corporate sustainability, as well as the desire to keep manufacturing costs down amidst the cost of living crisis has caused some to re-evaluate whether standard packaging practices are as efficient as they could be. Adaptational packaging 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:39 Page 1Food & Drink International 19 www.fdiforum.net CARTONING AND SLEEVING © stock.adobe.com/Seventyfour 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2022 14:39 Page 2Next >