< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FLAVOURING AND COLOURING © st ock. adobe .com/ monticellllo www.kanegrade.com Tel: +44 (0) 1438 742242 Email: info@kanegrade.com NATURAL FOOD INGREDIENTS fiercely in manufacturing, and is a clear indicator that the colourings industry is under no threat despite those clamouring for less additives. Bold colours, striking contrasts, `healthy` hues and more determine whether a consumer purchases a certain piece of food over another – this much is known, but research has shown that consumers will completely avoid foods, especially meats, that don’t meet their expected colour. This includes meats that are traditionally coloured, such as salmon being given more of a pink colour. The perceived “perfect colour” of meat factors just as much in the minds of consumers as where it is from and its sustainability. As ever, then, the reality is that form is just as important as function – and as such manufacturers cannot allow themselves to slip when it comes to the quality of their food colours and flavours. Obviously, flavour is the most important factor in any food, for while appeal is important it will only ever secure a customer once if the taste is not there. The balance, however, has shifted a little more in favour of looks, mainly driven by social media, and this can be as much an opportunity for brands as an issue. In fact, there are 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:35 Page 3Food & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net FLAVOURING AND COLOURING We specialise in Halal Certification of Food Ingredients, Beverages Dairy, Confectionery, Flavourings, Colourings, Pharmaceuticals, Toiletries, Cosmetics and other non-food items. We also certify Meat, Poultry, Slaughtering, Cutting, Portioning, Processed and Ready Meals for national and international markets. www.halalfoodauthority.com | info@halalfoodauthority.com | 0044 (0) 20 8446 7127 LONDON - IRELAND - BELGIUM GLOBALLY RECOGNISED SINCE 1994 Halal Food Authority SYMBOL OF TRUST & AUTHENTICITY many who see it as a way to draw more attention to their goods, namely by use of clear packaging to reveal the food and brighter food colouring to draw the eye. Sushi, ready meals and other food- to-go items are big offenders of this, and it’s a market that has continued to grow over the years, hit only slightly by lockdown and then many people working from home. As lockdown lifts, the market is expected to grow again substantially. That said, there is a lot of media highlight on colourings lately, mainly in relation to perceived harm that can be caused by them – this is more common in the US, but research outside of it has found some tenuous links between food colouring and hyperactivity in children, and there are efforts underway to educate people as to the risks. It isn’t yet known how much of an effect this will have, especially not with people all over the world posting pictures of their food online and consumers of fish especially being shown willing to pay more than a dollar more per fish that is coloured than uncoloured. The industry, and those demanding change, also have more pressing issues of obesity to deal with, with the UK ban on advertising of sugar-high drinks on public transport coming into place. It may well turn out that flavourings and colourings could find their opportunity here as well, with some child psychologists suggesting that more “fun” colours in vegetables could break past early barriers to healthy eating. The same could be said for flavourings as a way to add more spice to otherwise bland vegetable meals. © st ock. adobe .com/P icsA rt 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:35 Page 432 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net WATER TREATMENT Water is fundamental to the food and drink industry, not only as an ingredient and for the incorporation of recipes, but for cleaning raw materials and washdown routines. Around two thirds of the water not used in the production and process of the end product is actually used for purposes such as cleaning equipment or in cooling towers. It’s estimated that a third is used for sanitation purposes. When it comes to the food and drink products themselves, matters are further complicated by the fact that the processing of different kinds of products necessitate different types of water – whiskey, for example, requires distilled water for purity. Some food and beverage factories use water directly from the municipal water supply, while others need to get distilled or deionised water delivered. Suffice it to say, it all adds up, leading to significant water footprints for manufacturers. All of which results in the need for water treatment and the processing of wastewater. Unsurprisingly, the market for water treatment chemicals is expected to grow by more than five per cent by 2024. As companies look to close the loop and bring as much of their operational chain in house, a growing number of food and drink plants are recycling treatable wastewater onsite. Not only does this give a company greater control over its operation, cutting out the middleman so to speak, but means that as little water as possible is wasted. No matter how efficient the process, any transportation of wastewater will result in wastage. By reducing the distance travelled, wastage can be significantly reduced. Yet there’s more than this wastage to consider, with cost a major factor. A big motivator for plants installing their own water treatment facilities onsite is to drive down the cost associated with wastewater – making savings in water bills, supplier fees, fuel costs and logistics overheads stemming from transportation. Of course, this won’t be an option for all manufacturers, especially small batch producers, but it does offer a compelling option for larger manufacturers looking to take control of their wastewater treatment process and to lower operational costs. The water treatment process is essential to food and beverage processors. Not only does treatment protect equipment and maintain a high- quality product, but it also prevents chemicals from contaminating freshwater systems. Historically, water has been treated with chemicals but with concerns around both environmental and worker safety concerns, the food and drink industry has seen a shift away from chemicals in recent years. So, what is used in place of chemicals? The undisputed king is reverse osmosis due to its high levels of efficiency and its ability to curb water usage. Widely considered to be the most efficient filtration system for treating wastewater, reverse osmosis works by using 34 Á Reduce, reuse, The onus is on food and drink manufacturers to reduce their water footprint, leading many to explore not only the way they treat wastewater, but also ways of reducing water usage across their operational chain. Reduce, reuse, 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:37 Page 1Food & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net WATER TREATMENT recycle recycle © st ock. adobe .com/ siculodoc 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:37 Page 234 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net WATER TREATMENT pressure to pass water through a semipermeable membrane which removes impurities and contaminants. With little maintenance required, no chemicals needed, it can remove 99.9 per cent of bacteria from water. Despite the inherent efficiencies and competencies of reverse osmosis, it isn’t the only effective water treatment solution being utilised across the food and drink industry. Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, for example, is also able to provide highly efficient bacterial control without the use of chemicals. UV rays might be invisible to the naked eye, but they are incredibly potent, able to disinfect water from bacteria and viruses. This makes it ideally suited not only for treating wastewater, but for purifying drinking water. Another option is ceramic membranes which provide filtration in water recycling units at high flows without fouling. They filter fluids such as oils, fats and greases with suspended solids and high viscosities. Membrane bioreactors, on the other hand, assist the aforementioned ceramic membranes and can recover water from effluent. Carbon filtration, meanwhile, can reduce organic chemicals found in drinking water, whilst also being able to minimise lead and remove solvents, pesticides and industrial wastes. However, it is unable to remove metals, nitrate or microbial contaminates. An option to remove contaminants such as fats, grease and grit, among others, is a settling system. Water is pumped into a tank where contaminates are allowed to fall to the water due to their greater density. They can then be expelled. With water scarcity an ever-pressing issue, food and drink companies are increasingly looking at ways to improve water efficiency and reduce wastage. Significant savings can be made inhouse by taking proactive measures such as adopting new cleaning © st ock. adobe .com/br ane x © st ock. adobe .com/ aur emar © st ock. adobe .com/K aly ak an 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:37 Page 3Food & Drink International 35 www.fdiforum.net WATER TREATMENT AstellBio manufacture thermal effluent decontamination systems (EDS) for sterilising up to 6300L per day. Visit AstellBio.com to find out more. AstellBio.com THERMAL WASTEWATER STERILISATION The AstellBio Sink & Autoclave Combo The perfect sterilisation station for autoclaveable materials and liquid waste The AstellBio Micro EDS A plumb-in effluent decontamination system which automatically sterilises wastewater using hea t The AstellBio Sink Liquids washed down the sink are sterilised with heat before being despatched to the drain Chemical sterilant and disinfectant free Chemical sterilant and disinfectant free The As & Auto The perfect for autocla and m The AstellBio Sink Liquids washed down the sink are sterilised with heat before being despatched to the drain methods. For example, using ozone as a cleaning and disinfecting product has been shown to reduce water whilst allowing any water that is required for these processes to be recycled through the system. Major water savings can also be had when it comes to fruit and vegetable processing. By implementing cyclone dirt separation technologies, manufacturers can remove dirt from vegetables in a way that uses less water than the traditional highly water intensive processes. This process also allows for water to be re-used more efficiently. Balancing the need to reduce water, responsibly treat wastewater, and ensure there’s no compromise in cleaning, processing and maintenance is no easy feat. But by adopting the right technologies, and exploring options such as bringing water treatment inhouse, food and drink companies can make significant water savings, creating greater operational efficiencies and saving money. 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:37 Page 436 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MEAT, POULTRY AND SEAFOOD The meat, poultry and seafood industry is one that continues to face significant obstacles. From inflation across input costs to issues in labour supply, pay, and factory shutdowns due to mass COVID-19 infections, expanding public scrutiny, and new waves of diseases, the list is long and diverse. Meanwhile nations such as the UK are dealing with further complexities with additional red tape, export health certificates, and increasing costs in importing and exporting meat, poultry and seafood thanks to Brexit. The challenges impacting the industry have seen it hit headlines in the UK frequently. The pig sector has perhaps garnered the most attention in the first months of 2022 after a tough end to 2021, due to a backlog of pigs on farms - resulting in mass culling of healthy pigs - high pig feed and production costs, lower pig prices, and a shortage of pork processing plant workers; all factors pushing farmers to the brink of going out of business. These problems have followed global disruption to CO2 supplies and a loss of exports to China for some pig processors, with demand from this market continuing to slow alongside a weak EU market. Moreover, the unfair nature of many contractual arrangements has been highlighted, leading to a new review this year of Supply Chain Fairness in the pig sector. The sector has pleaded for further help from the UK government, and though last October it provided a package of support measures including temporary work visas for up to 800 pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid (PSA) and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to enable an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs, the National Pig Association (NPA) has indicated that these have had barely any influence on improving throughput in pork plants and reducing the backlog. While a pig industry crisis summit was held in February with a key ask being financial support for the most affected pork producers in England, the event saw no progress in this regard. This came as a direct contrast to support for struggling pig producers in Whether it’s continuing Brexit complexities, labour shortages, or high input costs, meat, poultry and seafood processors are experiencing a range of stumbling blocks. 38 Á Facing challenges Facing challenges 36-40.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:39 Page 1Food & Drink International 37 www.fdiforum.net MEAT, POULTRY AND SEAFOOD © st ock. adobe .com/bannaf arsai thermometer.co.uk THERMADATA® WIFI LOGGERS Temperature monitoring solutions for your HACCP plan Manufactured in the UK, we offer a wide range of specialist thermometers for the catering industry from daily hand-held monitoring to Bluetooth® wireless technology & remote WiFi logging 36-40.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:40 Page 238 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MEAT, POULTRY AND SEAFOOD Food Safety Consultancy, Support and Training Food Care Solutions aims to help our clients achieve their aims. We have helped food businesses throughout the UK since 2003 with our services, including: • Food Safety and Food Quality • BRC and FSSC 22000 certification • Supplier Auditing • Training • Hygiene Inspections & Internal Audits • Complaints & Incidents Management Tel: 01933 276 400 • Mob: 07811 192545 • Email: fcs@food-care.co.uk • Web: www.food-care.co.uk FOOD CARE SOLUTIONS FOOD CARE SOLUTIONS Northern Ireland and Scotland, and in a number of EU countries including France, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania and Estonia. The summit however did lead to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) announcing an important change to the Slaughter Incentive Payment scheme. The requirement for pig meat from pigs slaughtered during a SIP scheme 2022 shift to go for export or into the PSA scheme has been removed. This means that pigs slaughtered can now be sold on the domestic market for higher prices than for product going into PSA or for export. Previous restrictions on SIPs were limiting uptake, with minimal incentive for processors to use it when they knew they could not sell pork on the domestic market. The scheme was initially introduced in November to boost the throughput of pigs by contributing towards the extra costs involved in operating additional slaughter shifts at abattoirs. Concurrently poultry is tackling a major threat - one of its worst ever outbreaks of avian flu. The disease has seen hundreds of thousands of animals destroyed and temporary bans for poultry producers in restricted zones, where infections have been identified, on their exports to the EU. Now a third country to the EU, extra controls are in place. This comes on top of the labour crisis accelerated by Brexit - as noted by the British Poultry Council (BPC), prior to the start of 2021, 60% of the sector’s workforce were EU nationals - and new post-Brexit administration, which has seen British poultry meat hit by costs of an additional £60 million in 2021, including inspections at border control posts and burdensome customs procedures, according to the BPC. BPC Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths, said: “Government have continually expressed that the Trade and Co- operation Agreement (TCA) allows British businesses to ‘trade freely’ with the EU, but this is not reflective in the real-world impact of third country trading. From vet shortages, to mile- long-queues to Dover to trading under bird flu, it is clear the current system is not designed for third countries to ‘trade freely’ with the EU. Businesses have tried to face into these burdens but trade with the EU is imbalanced. To thrive, not just survive, recognition of mutually beneficial standards and practices with our most vital trading partner must be agreed upon to ensure fair and competitive trade and to correct the problems our member businesses are encountering on a daily basis.” The BPC says that to achieve a functional Brexit, a mutually beneficial Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement is required. Of course seafood hasn’t been spared from Brexit complications which have continued into 2022. New regulations and logistical barriers brought in by the Brexit trade deal mean that exporting fish and seafood costs more and takes longer, leaving fish less fresh and seeing businesses lose customers. Furthermore, in January, reports reinforced this issue, indicating that the EU Commission’s tightening of animal health rules was leading to delays to some shipments and problems with different European countries interpreting regulations in different ways. As the industry faces these challenges, the expectations for sustainability and animal welfare within the production of meat, poultry and seafood products is only rising, especially in the wake of COP26. Consumers are now more frequently presented with negative information on the origins of their food, its 36-40.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:40 Page 3Food & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net MEAT, POULTRY AND SEAFOOD CAMB MACHINE KNIVES is one of the largest independent machine knife distributor/manufactures in the UK with over 30 years experience in the food industry, with exports to over 25 countries we are truly a global company Unit 6, Alpha Centre, Bristol BS7 5NG • Tel: 01454 322178 • Fax: 01454 321172 Email: sales@camb-knives.co.uk www.camb-knives.co.uk production, and environmental impact, and greater transparency is desired for product decisions, so consumers can feel good about what they are eating. Recent trust and transparency research, from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), conducted by Blue Marble, indicates that 87% of consumers would find it helpful to have labelling on how and where animals are raised and 81% would find sustainability labelling such as food miles or the carbon footprint of a product helpful. Although, as the AHDB note, as it stands, without an industry agreed 40 Á © st ock. adobe .com/Nat aliia 36-40.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2022 10:40 Page 4Next >