< Previous20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netPROCESSING SPOTLIGHTThere was a time when a dedication tothe highest standards would have beenconsidered a USP but retailers andconsumers alike now demand these as amatter of course.The challenge for manufacturers is toensure standards don’t slip at a time whenretailers are looking for increasedefficiency on the supply chain, costs needto be kept down at every stage as newproducts and production methods areintroduced. As Roy Green of HarfordControl points out, “This requires thehighest degrees of operational discipline,excellent interdepartmentalcommunication, far greater awareness ofissues and current production status,together with automation, whereverpossible, to minimise the risk of operatorerror.”All responsible manufacturers will havecarried out in depth risk assessments, andrealised how easy it is, within such highpressure environments, to get somethingwrong. Errors in component handling, outof date ingredients, coding and labellingerrors, compromised pack seals andinaccurate weights are just a few thingswhich negatively impact deliveryschedules and the bottom line in foodmanufacturing environments where shortbatch runs and frequent productchangeovers have become the norm.Roy Green says, “Our experiencesuggests that companies who have themost problems are those who have triedto deal with this increasing complexity byhanging on to their old methodologies,largely paper-based, which were put inplace decades ago and, at the time,probably adequate to deal with the pace ofbusiness and the lower levels ofcomplexity that existed. While easy to putin place, these systems are difficult tomanage and a nightmare to analyse.“During our half century in theindustry, we have seen many changes,mainly in the complexity, demands andpower of the supply chain. The internalchanges in food and drink manufacturinghaven’t kept pace with the changes in thesupply chain. From our own research andexperience during this period, we havehighlighted three reasons why mistakeshappen in food and drink factories.“The first is that momentary lapse ofattention or loss of focus which enablesproblems to occur. The second comesfrom taking short cuts – in other words,breaking the rules. Employees believe theyare finding a quicker, easier way toachieve the desired outcome whenunfortunately this route sometimes leadsto disaster. The third is errors ofReachingnewheightsThe food and drink sector is now so competitive that high standardsare no longer considered a luxury – they’re an absolute essential.judgement – guessing or taking a chancethey might be right instead of asking orconsulting standard operating procedures.“As designers and manufacturers offactory floor information managementsystems, the challenge for us at HarfordControl has always been to developsystems which address these causes ofmistakes, but to do so in such a way thatthe systems are very easy to install,implement, modify and most of all, to use,such that operational personnel find itmuch easier to use them than to try to20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:08 Page 1Food & Drink International 21www.fdiforum.netPROCESSING SPOTLIGHTneed guess what ‘good’ looks like.“It would be unfair to give theimpression that no companies have doneanything about addressing these issues.Clearly, many companies have done a lotin terms of training, retraining and theinstallation of some degree ofcomputerisation, such as perhaps an OEEsystem or a computerised average quantitysystem, but in most places, it hasn’t been23 ÁPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ALTERFALTERfind ways around them.“For example, we believe it’s absolutelyessential to make all operational personnelimmediately aware of issues and currentproduction status automatically, so thatimmediately there is a problem they aremade aware of it – in fact, it’s impossibleto be unaware of it. Similarly, as soon asthere is an improvement opportunity,either for reduced wastage or improvedefficiency, all relevant operationalpersonnel are also made instantly aware ofit.“Computerisation of procedures,together with automation wherever costjustifiable, minimises the risk of operatorerrors, either because changes to theproduction line are done automatically, orbecause in the sampling procedures,operational personnel have no alternativebut to follow pre-determined proceduresprescribed by management. To addresserrors of judgement, we have included thepossibility to add photographic referencepoints, videos of procedures and standardoperating instructions, so that they never20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:08 Page 2Many companies have alreadyimproved efficiency with the Harford Paperless PerformanceImprovement System …… you could do the same oreven betterFind out how onemajor milk bottling site reduced operating costs by more than £2.5million per annum whilst simultaneously improving compliance and quality consistencyFind out how a whisky distiller/bottlerimproved quality consistency, customersatisfaction and bottom line profits bymore than 500%Contact Harford Control Ltd.Tel: +(44) 1225 764461sales@harfordcontrol.comwww.harfordcontrol.com Anyone can achieve similarly stunning results through implementing the proven Harford integrated systems and improvement methodologies.We don’t just write the software and install the hardware, we train and support your people through the change process todo what they do even better and faster than before.Share your objectives with Harford and we’ll guarantee to provide a rapid payback, well in excess of any costs incurred33FROMPHARMACEUTICALSTOPERFUMESFROMMALTWHISKYTOMILKFROMSMOKEDSALMONTOSMOOTHIES20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:09 Page 3Food & Drink International 23www.fdiforum.netPROCESSING SPOTLIGHTMetal detectors withexceptional ROI – guaranteed!Fortress Technology (Europe) Ltd • The Phantom Building • 7 Beaumont Road • Banbury • OX16 1RH • UKTel: +44 (0) 1295 256266 • Fax: +44 (0) 1295 255987 UK • www.fortresstechnology.co.uk • info@fortresstechnology.co.ukdone as a planned holistic approach, butmore often largely through pressure fromsupermarkets or from the results ofoutside audits.“Unless the overall strategy is to bringeverything together into one place, in realtime, eventually some error will slipthrough the defences or some valuableimprovement opportunity will be missed,or both.”There are certainly many factors whichhave an impact on the quality of theproduction process and the potential forcontamination remains very great. AsSarah Ketchin, Managing Director ofFortress Technology, points out, “Metalremains the biggest and most likelycontaminant risk within a meat processingand packing plant today.“In the raw ingredient phase, meatproducts are exposed to differentprocesses – from slicing cooked meats, tomincing beef and handling raw meatwhich is a reactive product. Later downthe line, you may be cutting largerquantities into more convenient singleservice portions or preparing ready mealsor cutting deli sized portions, againintroducing a possible metal contaminantinto the food supply chain. The rapidincrease in automation uptake on meatprocessing lines has also had an effect too– with fewer manual workers on a line therisk of metal contaminants increases.”One recent example of companiesdealing with problem comes fromwhitefish processor Kirwin Brothers whoinstalled Fortress ‘Phantom’ metaldetectors to fulfil the productionrequirements of a new customer. Installedat the end of the new processing line, thebespoke metal detector unit inspects wetfish fillets sold by weight or count in bulkand packed under a covering of ice.Sarah Ketchin says, “Whenever aproduct is prepared using a cutting orslicing method, for example fish filleting,there is a potential for contaminants toenter the food chain. The bulk Phantommetal inspection system can detect particlesas small as 1.5mm giving processors andconsumers peace of mind that foods arecontaminant free and fit for consumption.“Installing a metal detection system is24 ÁInspecting fish pre-packs, therobust IP69K-certifiedPhantom from FortressTechnology complies withretailer codes of practice20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:09 Page 4NORD Hygienic design geared motors The geared motors are designed with consideration to following standards: DIN EN 1672-2:2005+A1:2009 – Food Processing machinery – Basic concepts – Part 2: Hygiene requirements 3A Sanitary standards of Blending Equipment 35-03 EHEDG Guidelines Doc. 8: Design criteria for hygienic machinery and components ANSI / BISSC / Z50.2-2003 : American National Standard for Baking Equipment – Sanitation Standard ANSI / NSF / 3A – 14159-1-2000 : Hygiene Requirements for the design of meat & poultry processing machinery NORD Gear Limited T: +44 1235 534404 E: GB-sales@nord.com www.nord.com Smooth bodied geared motors Stainless steel hardware and output shaft Protection to IP69K Food grade lubrication NSD tupH protection Nord Severe Duty tupH is an FDA approved surface conversion system that is 1000 times harder than paint making it scratch and chip resistant and will not peel or blister. The process changes the surface of the aluminium and then a sealer is bonded to the surface. FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) Title 21 CFR (Code of Federal regulations) 175.300 Resinous and Polymeric coatings 24 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netPROCESSING SPOTLIGHTthe first line of defence. However, it’sequally important to adopt a joined upapproach to quality assurance, ensuringproper procedures are in place forcontrolling rejects, as well as a foolproofprocess to determine the source of anycontaminants picked up. Equipped withthis information, appropriate actions canbe taken to protect against costly productrecalls and damage to brand reputation.”These changes to inspection anddetection have a major impact on amanufacturers’ bottom line – as do otherchanges to the production process. NordDrivesystems, for example, have been ableto create individual drive solutions withenergy-saving design that can allowcompanies to reach the kind of increasedoutput required by customers. Nord’ssystems also ensure low energyconsumption with IE2 /IE3 energy savingmotors, optionally with frequencyinverters, and reduced maintenance coststhrough the use of high quality lubricants.Manufacturers are under greaterpressure to adhere to increasinglystringent levels of compliance and thirdparty audits, while also having to contendwith an ever-changing inspection market.With constant pressure on the bottomline, the challenges continue, but manycompanies are up to the challenge.PHOTO: FORTRESS TECHNOLOGY20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:09 Page 5Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netPROCESSING SPOTLIGHTDEPOSITORSSubstantial growthfor Riggs AutopackRiggs Autopack is a British manufacturer of highquality volumetric depositors and filling machines,transfer pumps and bespoke conveyor filling lines,supplied primarily to the food production industry.The company’s origin dates back to the early 1930s. They are aRolls Royce plc approved supplier, member of the PPMA, and anISO 9001:2008 registered firm with BestCERT quality ‘Gold’customer satisfaction accreditation.Riggs Autopack has become one of the UK’s leadingmanufacturers in its field. They design and build their fillingmachinery in-house at their 50,000 sq ft factory in Lancashire, andsupply to a varied range of UK food producers. Clients typicallyrange from start-up companies and cottage industries, through tomulti-national groups such as Bakkavor, Greencore, SamworthBrothers and Kerry.During the last five years, due to Riggs Autopack’s structuredsales, marketing and production plan, coupled with its talented staffand strict customer service approach, they have experiencedsubstantial growth year on year in terms of new machine sales andhire. They have also received a number of coveted awards includingManufacturer of the Year 2014 at the Pendle Business Awards.Riggs Autopack will be exhibiting a selection of their Model 1000volumetric depositors, filling machines, transfer pumps andconveyor filling lines at this year’s Pro2Pac, on Stand S2540.If you’re a small, medium or large scale food manufacturerseeking a high quality system to accurately fill jars, bottles, pots,tubs, ready meal trays, foils, cake tins, buckets, jerry cans, pouchesor bags, then they could have the solution. Tel: +44 (0)1282 440040 • Email: info@autopack.co.ukwww.autopack.co.uk • Twitter: @riggsautopackMIXINGThe complete mixfrom AdvancedEngineeringWith in excess of forty years experience, AE Mixers areestablished as a leader in the design and manufactureof mixing equipment for fluid processing applications.Advanced Engineering manufacture mixers for the food,cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, paint and eco-fuels industries.Their range of mixers include top entry batch, sealed bearing,bottom entry, single stage and three stage inline high shear rotorstator mixers and fluid mixers.Manufactured at their purpose built factory in the UK – staffedwith skilled operators trained for quality work – these mixers aredesigned to meet specific customer requirements and are availablewith a selection of precision interchangeable mixing heads toperform essential processes including homogenisation,emulsification, blending, dispersion, solids suspension, solubilisationand particle size reduction.Mixers can be supplied as individual units or integrated with skidmounted process vessels, lifting frames and control panels. It isimportant that the correct mixer is chosen for the job in hand andAdvanced Engineering therefore offer free on site trials withpurpose built test rigs. Design and manufacturing is carried out tothe highest engineering standards, ensuring total quality at all stagesof production.With off-the-shelf spares, machine repairs and on-site service, AEMixers provides dedicated support throughout the operational lifeof the product to all customers, small or multinational.For more information, call 01706 759003, email info@aemixers.com or visit www.aemixers.com.Advanced Engineering (Middleton) Ltd5D Transpennine Trading Estate,Gorrels Way, Rochdale OL11 2PX20-25_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:09 Page 626 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMEAT, POULTRY & SEAFOODThe meat, poultry and seafood sectorhas frequently undergone huge changesthanks to consistent fluctuations inconsumer tastes with various productsgoing in and out of fashion. In morerecent times, security and sustainabilityhave also had a major impact on theproduction process.Sustainability and security havecertainly been a major driver ofinnovation in the seafood sector.Consumers are increasingly interested inthe providence of the fish and seafoodthey eat and keep an eye on thesustainability of the fishing process. Nownew EU legislative requirements havecome into force which are alsoemphasising the importance.From December, all fish processorsoperating within the EU have had tocomply with the new EU Regulation1169/2011, which affects labelsaccompanying all fishery and aquacultureproducts for EU consumers. Thelegislation includes changes to mandatorynutrition information on processedseafood, mandatory labelling of catch areaor country of production, and allergensinformation requirements. This meansmanufacturers and producers now have toensure their labelling is up to scratch, andmany well lead to changes to sourcing andrecipes now manufacturers have to bemore open on their labels.Sustainability has dominated thethinking in the seafood sector over thepast few years, and those who attend theSeafood Expo in Brussels this April, orthe Food & Drink International-sponsored World Seafood Congress inGrimsby in September, will notice howthis is driving innovation. For example,Seafish, the industry authority on seafoodwhich is hosting the World SeafoodCongress, has launched a new tool toassist seafood buyers makeinformed purchasingdecisions for their businesses.The free online platform,Risk Assessment forSourcing Seafood, gives theentire UK supply chain ofseafood buyers – in thewholesale, foodservice andretail sectors – greater clarityover the status of the seafoodthey are purchasing both atstock and fisheries levels.The introduction of RASScomes as the industry hascontinued to call forconsistency of seafoodsourcing standards, andreinforces the need for robustand up-to-date informationin order to make informeddecisions. RASS fisheryprofiles contain informationPHOTO: SEAFISH / WWW.SIMONBURTPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UKA sustainableapproachMeat, poultry and seafood producers have to deal with a growing amount of legislation – but thiscan help emphasise the sector’s high standards26-29_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:02 Page 1Food & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netMEAT, POULTRY & SEAFOODon stock status, the efficacy ofmanagement, as well as seafloor habitatand bycatch impacts. Crucially, the toolwill also eventually address ethical andwelfare issues around sourcing seafoodthat remains an area of great concern forthe industry.While information on what fish to eatalready exists from a number of sources,Seafish believes that RASS will enablecommercial buyers to make informedchoices that comply with their owninternal policies or procedures forpurchasing seafood, rather than having toadopt those of advisory organisations.Tom Pickerell, Seafish TechnicalDirector, says, “As the industryauthority on seafood, Seafish iscommitted to promoting best practicethroughout the supply chain, from UKcommercial fishermen to producers andultimately retailers. With RASS, wehave created a single, powerful referenceresource for commercial seafood buyersto consult in order to make soundsourcing decisions based on their owncorporate philosophies rather than beingtold what seafood they should andshould not buy.”Katie Miller, Sustainable SeafoodCoalition coordinator, says, “Reliableinformation is crucial to addressing such acomplex challenge. We expect the RASStool to be very useful to suppliers,retailers and others evaluating the riskrelated to sourcing a particular fish.”A further issue affecting the sectorcomes thanks to the new Europe-wideCommon Fisheries Policy which cameinto effect at the beginning of 2014. Akey element of the reformed CFP is theprogressive elimination of discards in EUfisheries through the introduction of anew landing obligation, which is beingintroduced progressively from the start of2015. This constitutes a new regime inEuropean fisheries management andmaking this work for every part of thefleet will require a great deal more work– for both industry and government.To this end, Seafish is commissioninga project to analyse the impact of thelanding obligation on the UK supply28 ÁThe recent Gulfood eventincluded the inaugural HalalInvestment Conference,illustrating the increasedinterest in this sector“As the industry authority on seafood, Seafish iscommitted to promoting best practice throughout thesupply chain, from UK commercial fishermen to producersand ultimately retailers.”Tom Pickerell, Seafish Technical Director26-29_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:02 Page 228 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMEAT, POULTRY & SEAFOODchain. The analysis will cover all specieslanded domestically into the UK that willbe subject to the phased implementationof the landing obligation. The projectwill also look at all sectors within the UKsupply chain including vessels, ports andauctions, processors, transporters,wholesalers, retail and foodservice, aswell as sectors dealing with products fornon-human consumption such asfishmeal and bait. Marcus Jacklin, Project Manager forSeafish, says, “The implementation of thelanding obligation will likely have a far-reaching impact on the entire supplychain, from vessel to wholesalers.Understanding the impact of the landingobligation is vital to supporting the entiresupply chain while it is beingimplemented.” Seafish is looking forapplicants to undertake this project, withthe tender closing mid-March and theintention for the project to be completedby the end of August.It’s not just the seafood sector wherechanges in legislation will have animpact on all companies involved. FromApril, labels for packaged food will haveto show the origin of unprocessed pig,sheep, goat and poultry meat on-packfollowing an extension of country oforigin labelling. This again may welllead to companies choosing to changetheir suppliers. Meanwhile, the latestNorth American Sustainable FoodsSummit discussed how many states inthe USA are looking towards legislationregarding the labelling and identificationof GMOs.Consumer tastes will also play a majorrole in driving innovation and changes inthe market. The recent Gulfood eventincluded the inaugural Halal InvestmentConference, illustrating the increasedinterest in this sector. Indeed it’sestimated that the global Halal marketwill reach $10 trillion by 2030, so thepotential for companies that can deliverthis is particularly impressive. Topicscovered at the Halal InvestmentConference included positioning Halalproducts in mainstream markets, and themeaningful transformation of the Halalbrand in non-Islamic countries. As highlighted at Gulfood, manyAmerican companies have benefitedfrom the rise of Halal. Jim Sumner,President of the USA Poultry and EggExport Council, predicted a strong yearwill propel US agricultural exports tothe Middle East. He said, “The US israpidly becoming one of the world’slargest suppliers of halal poultryproducts. By establishing a presence atGulfood many years ago, our exports tothe UAE have grown year-on-year. In2014, the US supplied 74,870 metrictonnes of chicken products, 3,001metric tonnes of turkey products andmore than 1.96 million dozen eggs tothe UAE.”As with many sectors, meat, poultryand seafood has had to ensure standardsare high when reviewing security andproduct integrity, with the ability todetect foreign bodies and contaminantsin their products. Finding the smallestfragment of bone in meat, poultry filletsor fish can be seriously damaging bothfinancially and to a company’sreputation, but it is often tough tomanage as conventional bone detectionmethods – lowering X-Ray tube voltageto increase image contrast – doesn’thelp if there’s no obvious differencebetween the contaminant and theproduct itself, such as poultry bone inSeafish Technical Director TomPickerell demonstrates the newRASS tool to Jose Souto fromWestminster Kingsway CollegeThe Scottish Salmon Company were apremium partner of Sirha’s new ‘GoldenFish’ fishmonger competitionPHOTO: DU LAIT POUR LES FEESAs with many sectors, meat, poultry and seafood hashad to ensure standards are high when reviewingsecurity and product integrity, with the ability to detectforeign bodies and contaminants in their products26-29_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:02 Page 3Food & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netMEAT, POULTRY & SEAFOOD5-9SEPTEMBER 2015WORLD SEAFOOD CONGRESSGrimsby Institute, Nuns Corner, Grimsby, NE Lincolnshire DN34 5BQSKILLS SUSTAINABILITY INSPECTIONUPSKILLING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTUREHOSTED BYwww.wsc2015.comwww.seafish.org@world_seafoodVisit the World Seafood Congress 2015 website to:• Register for the World Seafood Congress• Become a sponsor – bespoke packages available• View the Call for Paperswsc2015.comASSOCIATE BODYHOSTING VENUEPLATINUM SPONSORMEDIA SPONSORASSOCIATE BODYPLATINUM SPONSORGuest Speaker Sir Ranulph Fiennes confirmedpoultry meat. It’s also difficult to detectforeign bodies in a product with uneventhickness. Companies such as Anritsu IndustrialSolutions are dealing with this thanks to anumber of X-ray inspection systems tohelp meat and poultry processors detectforeign bodies. The KD Series, forexample, is highly sensitive for detectingthe smallest bone fragments in a hugevariety of food raw materials and finishedpoultry, beef and pork products, includingfan, wish and rib bones in chicken breastmeat.It’s certainly the case that the meat,poultry and seafood sector has had tochange thanks to increased legislation –but this is an opportunity for companiesto demonstrate their high standards anddedication to quality to consumers eagerto sample new tastes and flavours.26-29_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:02 Page 4Next >