< Previous10 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMini Babybel launch limited-edition charity packs Cheese snack format Mini Babybel has thrown is weight behind UK charity Comic Relief for the twentieth year running with new limited-edition Red Nose Day packs. The charity partnership will see Mini Babybel raising money for Comic Relief through the release of limited-edition packs, with a 5p donation made to Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day for every promotional pack. Each promotional pack includes individually wrapped Mini Babybel complete with fun dares featured on the wrappers. The packaging encourages consumers to share their dare on social media using the dedicated hashtag #BabybelDares, with Mini Babybel donating a further £1 to Comic Relief for each dare shared on social media. Accompanied by supporting marketing activity, including fun-filled influencer collaborations with famous faces such as Spencer Matthews and Vogue Williams, the charity partnership cements the brand’s position as a long-term partner to the charity.Maple Leaf Foods launches Impossible Burger challenger Maple Leaf Foods’ alternative protein brand Lightlife Foods is launching its Impossible Burger rival with a plant-based burger offering the sensory experience of beef. The meaty analogue is created from pea-protein and is thus free of gluten, soy and artificial flavours. Product development took a culinary approach mixing familiar ingredients including pea protein, virgin coconut oil and beetroot powder. The end result, Lightlife says, is a “juicy and meaty burger”. Like its competitors, the burger is intended to be grilled, meaning an open flame will make it even meatier. The burger is part of a new and improved line-up of core products which include plant-based Italian sausage, bratwurst sausage and ground beef style product. In the US, the Lightlife Burger starts shipping to foodservice this month and hits grocery store shelves starting in late March, with more products quickly following. The Canadian launch follows suit in April.Nestlé launches first range of Starbucks branded coffee products Nestlé has launched the first range of Starbucks branded coffee products since securing global rights last year. The 24-strong range includes whole bean and roast and ground coffee, as well as the first-ever Starbucks capsules. These capsules were developed using Nestlé’s Nespresso and Nescafé Dolce Gusto proprietary coffee and system technologies. In August 2018, the two organisations came together and forged a global coffee alliance which as well as boosting sales growth and market reach also emphasised traceability. The range of products are made from 100% high-quality arabica coffee, which Nestlé said has been “ethically sourced from farmers in the world’s premier coffee growing regions”. Nestlé will begin rolling out these products in several markets across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the US. The products will become widely available in grocery stores as well as major online platforms.RE:CLOSE delivers freshness, convenience and promotions on one tape RE:CLOSE from Essentra Tapes is adding user-friendly reclosability to bagged snacks on-shelf across Europe, helping delivering portion control and maintain freshness, as well as proving the ideal means to deliver the latest on-pack promotions and campaigns. Durable enough to withstand resealing and reclosing up to 10 times, RE:CLOSE Tape meets the demand for consumer choice in providing portion control functionality to multi-serving packs as it allows consumers to keep the snacks or food product in the original pack between each use. And with its high-impact print it delivers the latest promotional campaigns and messaging direct to consumers’ fingertips – all without the costly need to change the overall pack’s graphics. The wide resealable tape incorporates an easy-to-use finger lift area that runs along both sides of its length, making it simple to lift away from the pack. Once opened, a pack can be resealed using the RE:CLOSE Tape, securing the contents and helping to ensure their freshness. Quality and functionality from ice-cream pack The high-quality, user-friendliness and eye-catching decoration of the sleek EasySnacking pot from RPC Superfos are key factors in its selection for a new range of ice-creams from Russian manufacturer Taice. Thanks to In-Mould Labelling, it is possible to show the texture of the ice cream in razor-sharp photo quality on the packaging. This is complemented by the striking purple colour of the lid that catches the consumer’s attention. Overall this smart look of the EasySnacking pot makes the product stand out on shelf. In addition to these powerful colours and smooth design lines, the integral spoon of the handy EasySnacking pot is a key feature for Taice. The spoon is neatly separated from the ice cream, and easy to grasp under a tear-off label in the lid. Taice made the vital packaging decision in collaboration with Denis Komarov, the company representative at UnipakCentr. on the shelf© Nestlé & Starbucks© Lighterlife Foods04-11.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 12:00 Page 7Food & Drink International 11www.fdiforum.netDanone expand production of plant-based yogurt in US Growing demand for plant-based foods has seen Danone expand its production footprint in North America with the opening of a new building at the company’s DuBois, Pennsylvania facility. A multi-million-dollar investment has seen Danone expand capacity at the DuBois facility making it the “largest production facility making plant-based yoghurt alternatives in the US”. The company added that the expansion also adds additional capacity, creating “new opportunities for both Danone North America and the local surrounding community”. The expansion comes as growing numbers of consumers embrace a flexitarian diet or adopt a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. The plant-based foot category in retailed is growing at 20% compared with all food which is growing at only 2%. Given this opportunity, Danone said it has set a broader global ambition to grow its plant-based business three times by 2025.Cargill boosts sustainability for red seaweed supply chain In a bid to ensure long-term sustainability in the red seaweed supply chain, Cargill has launched a new sustainability promise. The ‘Red Seaweed Promise’ has been designed to address key sustainability challenges for the harvesting and cultivation of red seaweed. It will also aim to enhance producer livelihoods, support local communities and conserve the marine environment, Cargill said. Red seaweed is the raw material needed to produce carrageenan, a texturiser used in various applications such as dairy, confectionery and personal care products. The program also answers food industry and consumers’ needs for more sustainable food ingredients, with a commitment to source 60% sustainable red seaweed by 2025. Sebastien Jan, Cargill Seaweed Strategic Sourcing Project Manager, said: “The Red Seaweed Promise supports producer’s prosperity by providing the training, coaching and tools producers need to adopt environmental and safe production best practices while committing to sustainable marine and coastal ecosystems.”Record breaking year for Wolf Packaging Wolf Packaging, the global packaging solutions provider from Germany, has enjoyed a record-breaking year having received orders for over 300 machines in 2018. The Group’s profitability revenue, meanwhile, exceeded €30 million for the first time in its history. “We enjoyed significant growth in 2018, thanks to a huge upturn in the snacks market,” said UK Managing Director Andy Neal. “Our UK business opened a dedicated office in Birmingham in May 2018 with UK-based service engineers to further strengthen our business in Britain and Ireland. We also opened a Russian office to extend our direct sales reach and to provide service as well as spare parts in the region. “Looking ahead, we will be opening an office in Dubai to cover the UAE and the Middle East later this year.” Last year also saw Wolf Packaging celebrate its 30th anniversary, an important milestone for the company. Seed tech specialist supporting sesame supply chain Seed tech company Equinom is applying farm-to-fork traceability and sustainability to the sesame seed supply chain to help support local producers. The company has launched its patented sesame variety to open new markets for the cultivation of sesame. It has developed, high-yield, high profile sesame seeds that it says provide advanced organoleptic characteristics plus a shatter-resistance trait that makes them suitable for mechanised harvesting. Equinom’s technological achievement will provide local farmers with a new platform for growing sesame of a higher nutritional profile and sets the ground for the advancement of a more responsible supply chain, greater price stability and cost-effective growth. This technology also brings new hope to farmers located in desert regions where extreme weather conditions threaten crop performance. For consumers, this means food manufacturers can incorporate highly nutritious, clean and safe sesame into their products.Tate & Lyle assessing sustainability of stevia supply chain Tate & Lyle aims to assess the sustainability of the stevia sweetener supply chain via a new research project launched in collaboration with its stevia partner Sweet Green Fields. The supply chain review will be led by non-profit environmental science-based organisation, Earthwatch. It will identify steps to ensure that as the stevia market grows, sustainable growing practices are embedded consistently, and socio-economic benefits are maximised. Working in partnership with these two organisations, Tate & Lyle said it will use the research insights to “establish and spread sustainability best practice across its stevia supply chains and beyond”. Earthwatch will engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the stevia supply chain, from seedling producers to family-run planters and industrial farms. Steven Loiselle, Senior Research Manager at Earthwatch, said: “Our project, working with leading researchers, producers and others, shows how multi-partner collaborations can be used to promote sustainable production.”on line© Shutterstock/govindji© Shutterstock/Andrii Horulko© Danone04-11.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 12:00 Page 812 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTPrime US trade © Shutterstock/ Anton MislawskyA trade deal with the US could result in lower welfare standards and compromise food safety levels, experts warn, but as a no-deal Brexit looks increasingly likely, the UK is in need of new trading allies. 12-15.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:01 Page 1Food & Drink International 13www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTOver the last few years, Brexit has emerged as one of the biggest changes to international trade. As much an opportunity as a cautionary tale, the vote to leave the European Union has seen the UK realign its trading relationship with Europe. As we go to print, there’s still precious little clarity over the future of this relationship, or of trade inside our own borders with the fate of the Irish backstop still hanging in the balance. Part of the complicated politicking since the referendum has involved wooing ministers and government officials around the globe with the hope of securing new international trade deals. With Britain potentially jeopardising many pre-existing deals with Europe, it made sense that the Government would want to strike new alliances elsewhere. Although China and the Middle East are hoping to fill this trade deficit, the United States is keen to strengthen bonds between our two nations and beef up trade. However, this has come on as a carrot and stick approach with the US highlighting the benefits of a deal whilst also saying that the UK must adopt US food production standards if any deal has a hope of being struck. Yet MPs and food safety specialists our side of the Atlantic warn that a trade deal with the US would comprise food safety and lower the stringent EU regulations the UK currently abides by. In the US, producers adhere to the ‘Defects Levels Handbook’. This federal directive regulated by the Food and Drug Administration sets out the maximum number of foreign bodies – including maggots, insect fragments, rat droppings and mould – that can be present in any given food product before it reaches the market. For example, US producers are allowed up to thirty insect fragments in a 100g jar of peanut butter, and eleven rodent hairs in 25g of paprika. But in the EU, there are no allowable limits for foreign bodies in food products, with much stricter regulations in place governing the quality of food products. In breaking from these EU standards and lowering our own to secure a trade deal, consumers, MPs and producers are worried about food safety, public health and food quality. Speaking to Business Insider, Labour MP and Shadow Trade Minister Bill Esterson, said: “Clearly, the Tories have some very unpleasant surprises for UK dinner tables if they have their way with a fast-track trade deal with the United States. We know the Tories are keen on chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef, but they surely cannot expect that the British public will be happy to swallow these other horrors.” However, UK Trade Secretary Liam Fox has, on numerous occasions, denied that the UK will lower its food standards post-Brexit. That said, he hasn’t ruled out changing standards in order to strike and secure new deals around the world. And in a move that earned the ire of the opposition and the British public he last year claimed to have “no objection” to UK consumers eating products which are currently banned by the EU after Brexit; products such as chlorinated chicken. 14 Á12-15.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:01 Page 214 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTAt present chlorine washed chicken and poultry is barred entry into the EU on welfare grounds. On both sides of the political divide, this controversial cleaning technique has become emblematic of what a trade deal with the US would entail. Where one side argues it will result in lower food safety, welfare and quality, others say it will mean the UK is well-stocked, well-fed and in rude health with its biggest trade partner. But the benefit of chlorine washing has been called into doubt. A study led by microbiologists from Southampton University found that listeria, salmonella and other bacilli remain completely active after chlorine washing. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, with the US poultry industry unregulated compared with the EU. For example, the US allows flocks to be kept in greater densities which can lead to higher incidences of infection. A trade deal with the US, then, could see the UK squander its animal welfare standards that Environmental Secretary Michael Gove is keen to point out are among the best in the world. Given he’s gone on record on numerous occasions as saying Brexit can be a springboard to even higher animal welfare, lowering standards to appease the US can’t be what he had in mind. Although these claims have been dismissed by some quarters as baseless, the US looks as though it has other ideas. Senior meat lobbyist Craig Thorn, Chairman of the National Pork Producers Council, has told the Trump administration that the UK must adopt US food producing standards if it wants to secure a trade deal post-Brexit. If the UK remains part of the EU customs union, or maintains regulatory harmonisation with Europe, it will be “difficult or impossible” to achieve any © Shutterstock/ Brent Hofacker12-15.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:01 Page 3Food & Drink International 15www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTFirst-ever blockchain beef shipment leaves US for Taiwan Technology developed at the University of Wyoming (UW) has enabled the first-ever blockchain shipment of beef with researchers saying the approach could “change the way food is shipped and tracked across the globe”. The consignment of Wyoming beef was shipped to Taiwan utilising a blockchain code developed by UW student Kip DeCastro in collaboration with Phillip Schlump of digital supply chain specialists BeefChain. Rob Jennings, BeefChain’s founder and CEO, says it was the first shipment of beef tracked on blockchain from the United States to Asia. The beef was raised at Murraymere Farms in Powell. It was placed in tagged cases with RFID labels and sent to a five-star dining establishment in Taipei, Taiwan. The labels featured a unique digital identifier that enabled the cases of beef to be tracked along the entire supply chain, from plant processing, export, import and to the restaurant.Boom in British gin exports UK gin exports hit a record high worth over £600 million in 2018, up 15% on the previous year, according to figures from HMRC. In 2016 export sales of the spirit broke the half a billion-pound mark for the first time and since then the popularity of British gin has seen sales continue to soar. Thanks to the growing interest in British gin – the so-called ‘ginaissance’ – UK gin exports are worth more than double the sales in 2010, which reached just over £288 million. Britain sends more gin around the world than it does beef or beer, with gin sales overseas worth 28% more than beer sales. The USA remains the largest importer of UK gin, with sales to the US worth £191 million, up almost £13 million on 2017. Australia has also caught on to British gin spending £24.4 million on British gin, twice as much as they did in 2017. Sales have also seen a surge in South Africa and Switzerland.agreement, he said. With that in mind, he has called for the UK to drop high tariffs and adopt a “science-based” approach to sanitary and phytosanitary regulation based on US standards. For example, the EU currently bans the import of pork with ractopamine – a feed additive that is widely used by US producers. This, Thorn argues, is not science-based and undermines the future trading relationship with the UK. Before a trade deal with the US can be negotiated, the UK must first finalise and agree upon its own Brexit plan. But with March 29 less than a month away, a no-deal looks more likely than ever. In that case, chlorinated chicken might be the least of our worries. © Shutterstock/ PP_Phototalk© Shutterstock/ etorres12-15.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:01 Page 416 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTRANSPORT AND LOGISTICSSustainability and environmental focus have remained difficult points for the logistics industry, not only due to the seeming impossibility of making road travel any less carbon-producing than it is, but also of the high cost of new technology, which has made implementing changes akin to financial suicide. As technology has improved and become more mainstream, however, the costs have fallen – enabling some leeway at last. Investment and innovation in recent years has been a great help, while many companies are now collaborating to ensure greater efficiencies, with the aims of making savings that can be passed on to customers as well as helping to lower emissions. One body who have been looking into ways to reduce the impact of the logistical chain is the Independent Transport Commission (ITC), whose report suggested that sustainability policies are currently adding up to 20% to logistics costs. Among the ITC’s recommendations to meet the new challenges are a review of possible ways to reduce the movement of empty containers in the UK. Possible subjects of investigation include a study of containers in and out of Scotland to see if it’s possible to reduce the current shortage of container supplies to the Scottish whisky industry. More innovative urban distribution solutions are also being debated – certainly the potential use of drones has hit the headlines but there may well be more prosaic options that could be introduced both by distributors and the authorities. What remains an issue in the supply chain of the renewables industry is of course that caused by the waste management sector. Particularly companies whose business revolves around the transportation of hazardous or unsafe waste. In many cases there is little that can be done to improve upon the efficiency of these industries, barring some new technology that can solve the waste materials problem entirely. One solution, and something that is being utilised in the US, is that of exchanging a company’s transport fleet for CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)-powered vehicles, such as the Volvo VNM 200 model. This has not seen quite the same exposure in the UK, and some believe it is due to a lack of funding to help companies in making the switch, as the US has numerous financial incentives for companies looking to move from traditional petrol/diesel fleets to CNG. NGV’s, or Natural Gas Vehicles, emit up to 25% less greenhouse gas emissions than their diesel-powered counterparts, and as such are an attractive option for waste management specialists. Ultimately however, the final decision often comes down to the bottom line – what will the running costs be if a change is made? One concern, especially in the UK, is the lack of facilities at which to refuel such a vehicle. Fuelling stations tend to make their money by catering to both commercial and public vehicles and investing in new pumps specifically for NGV’s is something they likely won’t do – unless NGV’s start to outnumber RGV’s. But conversely, logistics companies are loathe to switch to NGV’s until the stations start to have the facilities for them. It’s a catch-22 situation, where both sides are waiting for the other to adapt first, and as such neither changes. No matter how hard one tries to put a spin on it, the logistics industry is never going to be completely green. New initiatives are making cutting down more feasible, however. 18 ÁGoing green 16-18.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:03 Page 1Food & Drink International 17www.fdiforum.netTRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS© Shutterstock/ Milos Muller on logistics 16-18.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:04 Page 218 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTRANSPORT AND LOGISTICSWhen it comes to pricing CNG is currently priced competitively with diesel, though the recent falls in oil prices have left some in a position of “wait and see.” In recent years the price of gas could be quite volatile, mainly due to a relatively small amount of it being produced (at least in comparison to the vast quantities of oil), but now with a steadier supply available the price has fully stabilised. Of course within the UK there is the connected concern that one of the common forms of CNG gas is shale, which predominantly is set to come from the fracking industry. As this as a future resource is still up in the air, with various groups and ministers discussing for and against it, there are fears that the sustainability of CNG will not last in the long term. Another issue is of course the up-front costs of a change from RGV’s to NGV’s – as the initial investment obviously scales dependent upon the scale of the supply chain and transport fleet. This is not helped by the fact that the individual vehicles can cost between $30,000 - $50,000 more than their typical counterparts. One method of reducing the environmental impact of the logistical supply chain is to use methods that don’t fully rely on road – what is often considered the most carbon heavy medium. Intermodal transport is a popular method utilised predominantly in the US – but also in Europe as well. The guiding principle is to mix multiple forms of freight transport to achieve a net reduction in costs, be it energy or capital. The typical example would be to use rail to shift huge quantities of goods to a given warehouse closer to the final destination – before then having lorries ferry the goods the last distance into urban areas. While this can obviously save many thousands of road miles there is the issue of rail availability, especially in the UK. The reason why it is so prevalent in America is thanks to their abundance of flat land that is suitable for rail. UK rail systems are often not as well developed – and while that hasn’t stopped companies such as Tesco utilising rail for intermodal logistics, it does mean companies are somewhat limited in location. Being forced to settle warehouses where the rail links are strongest. Efficient use of those facilities can also help to reduce environmental impact, and this is an area where financial savings can be made. Efficient materials handling means less time wasted idling, and that can mean less vehicles on the road – so storage solutions and racking systems in a warehouse can help. Similarly, the speed at which products can be shifted in and out of a distribution centre can be important – especially in the food and drink industry where many warehouses will be temperature controlled, and thus come with additional environmental costs and concerns. Ultimately there are methods out there at this time to cut emissions in the transport industry, but each will come with serious initial investments which might leave many companies out of pocket. Until the infrastructure of a location improves to enable these methods, perhaps even with Governmental incentives or aid to enable investment – the transport industry might still be facing what is an up-hill battle in the war against climate change. © Shutterstock/ urfin16-18.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:04 Page 3Food & Drink International 19www.fdiforum.netPACKAGING SPOTLIGHTFrom a logistical standpoint, food and drink generates plenty of packaging. It’s not simply a matter of packing products together and transporting them, as many products have specific requirements, whether that’s a chilled environment, or a greater level of packaging material due to a fragile nature. When it comes to the packaging of the product itself, many fruit and vegetables are packaged with a cardboard tray and wrapped in cellophane or film. This has been a standard for generations now, which makes change a difficult prospect. But the environmental impact and the recyclability of the materials used in packaging has become a dominant part of the conversation. But what about materials which have no redeemable environmental attributes? Black plastic packaging is commonplace to pack foods including fresh meat and ready meals, with supermarket shelves stocked full of it. However, this type of packaging isn’t recycled in the UK due to the carbon black pigment within the plastic. Sorting machines used in the recycling industry cannot detect the trays because of this pigment, so they’re The shape of the sector Over the years, the relationship between consumer and packaged goods has changed, especially with heightened environmental awareness. But aesthetically pleasing packaging is what catches the eye, meaning that what consumers are naturally drawn towards isn’t always the best option for the environment. The challenge of late has been in designing packaging that continues to appeal to consumers whilst also boosting its environmental profile. © Shutterstock/ Prostock-studio20 Á19-23.qxp_Layout 1 26/02/2019 10:09 Page 1Next >