< Previous10 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netUK launch forKITKAT RubyNestlé UK has introduced a Rubychocolate version of its four-fingerKITKAT after a successful debut inJapan and Korea earlier this year.The bar is made from Rubychocolate, the fourth chocolate afterdark, white and milk created by BarryCallebaut during a ten-year process. Thecolour is derived from ruby cocoa beanswithout the addition of any extra flavour or colour.Ruby chocolate has been attracting significant interest from chocolate connoisseursthroughout the world since its announcement in September last year and now KITKAT fansin the UK will be able to get their hands on it exclusively at Tesco. The ruby KITKAT was first introduced earlier this year in Japan and Korea as KITKAT Chocolatory Sublime Ruby sold exclusively at KITKATChocolatory boutiques, complementing more than 350 KITKAT ‘Made in Japan’ products in a huge variety of flavoursFollowing the UK launch, the product will be introduced to consumers across Europe and the Americas. on the shelfNew cup is simply thebestRPC Bebo has developed a uniquethermoformed screw closure system inpartnership with German tool producer Marbach.Called “Turner”, the system comprises a cup,lid and lidding film, which is sealed on the cup’sseal flange to cover the lid’s entire surface. Toopen, consumers peal back the lidding film andturn the lid in a 45° counter-clockwise rotation.This easy-open and reliable reclosing offersexcellent on-the-go benefits. It is suitable for carcup holders and its robust design means that,though lightweight, it can withstand the rigoursof modern on-the-move lifestyles. In addition to a variety of food-to-goapplications including ice cream, snacks andsweets, the Turner cup and film is also an idealalternative pack solution for pet foods. It can bespecified with barrier properties for protectionagainst oxygen, water vapour, UV and light.To ensure effective branding and on-shelfdifferentiation and appeal, a wide range ofdecoration technologies is available. WaveGrip’s multi-packing solution headsDown the RoadWaveGrip’s innovative and sustainablemulti-packing solution is helpingMassachusetts craft brewers Down TheRoad Beer Co. satisfy the growing demandfor their craft beer cans. As part of the canning system installedby Palmer Canning, a WaveGrip G1 iscurrently in operation at the brewhouse,helping to pack a wide range of beers fordistribution and takeaway sales. The G1applicator is perfectly suited for growingbreweries with its compact size of 1.4m x0.8m and ability to run at speeds of up to 100cpm at a range of can heights ensuring roomfor expansion while remaining the ideal entry level packing option.With the current output of the brewery being 80% cans to 20% kegs, the G1 is more thanmeeting the needs for Down The Road; with their output of 30,000 cans a week. With its lightweight construction and 100% recyclability, WaveGrip is the mostenvironmentally sustainable flexible carrier on the market.Brazilian coconutwater taps UKstoresBrazil is bringing its fastest-growingcoconut water brand to the UK withObrigado hitting shelves nationwide inthe next few months.Produced from fresh, young, greencoconuts, the natural drink isharvested and produced on thebrand’s very own sustainable farms inBahia, Brazil.Obrigado promises to “shake-up”the lucrative coconut water category,citing its patented extraction methodwhich, it says, creates the purestproduct possible.In only two and a half years on the Brazilian market, Obrigadoreached 12.5% market share at its peak in 2017, having sold more than12 million litres of coconut water. This launched Obrigado into the topfour coconut water brands in Brazil, making it one of the mostsuccessful brand stories in the country’s recent history.Obrigado, which is also available in the US, is looking to replicatethis success with its launch in the UK, the third biggest market.Prewett’s launch gluten freeMini’s Chunky Choc Chip CookiesPrewett’s, thegluten-free biscuitspecialist, haslaunched Mini’sChunky Choc ChipCookies – thesecond addition totheir new Mini’srange.Packed full offlavoursome milkchocolate chips,these delicious bite-sized cookies are ideal as a lunchbox snack or ‘on-the-go’ treat andprovide a neat complement to Prewett’s Mini’s cheese biscuits whichwere launched earlier this year.Available as five mini bags in a larger 140g bag, Mini’s Chunky ChocChip Cookies are currently available in Asda with more stockistsanticipated to follow later.David Wood, Business Improvement Director for Northumbrian FineFoods, who own Prewett’s, said: “These great-tasting mini choc chipcookies are ideal for gluten-free consumers looking for a delicious andconvenient snack.”© Obrigado © Nestlé UK 04-12.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:38 Page 7Tate & Lyle expand foodapplication lab in MexicoTate & Lyle, a provider of speciality foodingredients and solutions, has expanded its foodapplication laboratory and customer-facing facilitiesin Mexico City.The newly located and expanded laboratory, withits pilot-scale capabilities and on-site applicationexpertise, will enable manufacturers to design, trialand benchmark different recipe formulations acrossa range of categories.Other services range from ultra-high temperature processing (UHT) used for sterilisation, tophysico-chemical analysis, which helps manufacturers to understand how ingredients andprocesses affect their finished products.The new lab is part of a regional network of four Tate & Lyle labs located in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.Renata Cassar, Senior Research Scientist, Latin America, Tate & Lyle, said: “Although the need and demand for healthier options is clear, we knowthat consumers will not compromise on taste and it’s this challenge – making healthy food tastier, and tasty food healthier – that our food scientistsand application experts are helping food businesses overcome.”on lineFood & Drink International 11www.fdiforum.netTaste of the future asMaple Leaf invests inedible cricket producerCanadian packaged goods giant Maple LeafFoods has invested in Entomo Farms, NorthAmerica’s largest insect farm for humanconsumption, as part of a Series A fundinground.Founded in 2014 by brothers Jarrod, Darren,and Ryan Goldin, Entomo Farms is providing anutritious and sustainable alternative totraditional meat protein with its cricket andmealworm powders and whole roasted insects.Michael McCain, President and CEO of MapleLeaf Foods, said: “Our minority ventureinvestment in Entomo is consistent with ourvision to be the most sustainable proteincompany on earth.“Entomo Farms and Maple Leaf’s productswill be separate, but we are excited to helpfoster their continued leadership in insectprotein and aspiration to become the largestinsect protein supplier in the world.“We see a long-term role in this form ofsustainable protein delivery, both for animaland human consumption, as it is elsewhere inthe world.”Key Technology introduces VERYX® withSort-to-Grade™ for potato stripsKey Technology, a member of the Duravantfamily of operating companies, introducesVERYX® digital sorters equipped with theirpatented Sort-to-Grade™ (STG) software forboth wet and frozen potato strips. While VERYX targets all foreign material forremoval, STG recognises and categorises everysurface defect and the dimensionalcharacteristics of every individual strip andmakes each accept/reject decision based onhow it will impact the aggregate ‘in the bag’grade as defined by the processor. Marco Azzaretti, Advanced InspectionSystems Product Manager at Key, said: “Like ‘cruise control’ on a vehicle, STG automatesadjustments to dynamically maintain a consistent outcome despite constant variations inincoming product quality characteristics. Our powerful STG algorithms far surpass a human’sability to manage the sorter.”By controlling the output for defect types that must be managed to a particular grade or“spec,” VERYX with STG accurately maintains the most complex final product specificationswithout operator intervention while increasing yields by 1-3%.Mondelēz opens $90m biscuitfactory in BahrainMondelēzInternational hasinaugurated its$90 millionbiscuitmanufacturingplant in Bahrainwhere it willproduce Oreo Cookies and Barni soft cakes to meet growing demand.The so-called “Factory of the Future” will also serve as an exporthub to the Gulf region, the Levant and Africa. Mondelēz said this willreduce delivery costs and improve product freshness.The 250,000 square meter manufacturing facility is about the sizeof 30 soccer fields with production capacity of nearly 45,000 tonsper year.It is located alongside Mondelēz International’s existingmanufacturing site, which has been producing Kraft cheese and Tangpowdered beverages since 2008.“The Middle East and Africa are priority markets for us, and we’reconfident in our selection of Bahrain as the preferred location for ourplant,” said Maurizio Brusadelli, EVP & President, Asia Pacific, MiddleEast and Africa, Mondelēz International.Cargill invests $20m expandingMinnesota egg processing facilityCargill is investing$20 million inexpanding its Big Lakeegg processing facilityin Minnesota to meetincreasing demand fora greater variety ofcooked egg products.The expansionincludes capabilities to pasteurise, mix and cook a number of additionalegg products for foodservice and protein ingredient customers.It will double the facility’s annual requirement for eggs from familyfarms in the area to 170 million.Construction begins in May, with the new capabilities expected tobecome operational in January 2019.The expansion is part of nearly $900 million of investments Cargillhas made in the past two years to grow its traditional protein businessin North America.“We continue to invest in the traditional protein space to provide ourfoodservice and food ingredient customers innovative, high-qualitycooked egg products to meet growing consumer demand,” said JaredJohnson, Big Lake plant General Manager.© Shutterstock/Marc Bruxelle© Shutterstock/Kevin Shine© Tate & Lyle© Shutterstock/janon kas04-12.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:38 Page 812 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netappointmentsMark Harris joins the Buntingsales teamBuntingMagnetics Europehas restructuredand expanded itsUK sales team withthe appointmentof Sales Engineer,Mark Harris. Hejoins following aperiod of sustainedsales growth and arestructuring ofthe Bunting andMaster Magnetssales team.Mr Harrisassumes the role of External Sales Engineer for the South, with TomHigginbottom focusing on supporting customers in the North.He brings over 30 years of engineering and sales experience. Havingqualified as a Mechanical Engineer in 1983, he has worked for leadingBritish manufacturing companies including Loctite, NSK Bearings andCygnus Instruments.Mr Harris will be managing projects for Magnetic Separators andMetal Detectors. Magnetic Separators are widely used in the processand recycling sectors to capture or recover metal. Metal Detectors arecommonly found in the food, plastics, and pharmaceutical industrieswhere they detect metal contamination. “This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a growing UK-basedengineering and manufacturing business,” he said. New COO for Campbell SoupCompany Campbell Soup Company has named Luca Mignini as its new ChiefOperating Officer as part of a strategic reorganisation. The company said the reorganisation will better position it to“capitalise on the rapidly changing food industry landscape”.This sees Campbell’s core business operations—including its soup,simple meals and shelf-stable beverages portfolios and its powerfulsnacks portfolio—under the leadership of Mignini.Mignini joined Campbell in 2013 as President, CampbellInternational. Previously, he spent more than two years as the CEO ofthe Findus Italy division of IGLO Group, Europe’s largest frozen foodbusiness. Before that, Mignini worked at SC Johnson for more than 20years.Denise Morrison, Campbell’s President and CEO, said: “Since joiningCampbell, Luca has proven himself a superb strategist and strongexecutor with a keen understanding of the critical details of all ourbusinesses.”Don’t forgetyou can now readFood & Drink International Digital Editionsnow available on iPad & iPhonewww.fdiforum.netIdeal for those who spendtime away fromthe officeonthego!04-12.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:38 Page 9Food & Drink International 13www.fdiforum.netSUPPLY CHAIN SPOTLIGHTAs the cut-throat competitionbetween the large supermarket brandsand new foreign alternatives continuesto fester, the pressure often falls ontothose who work within the supply chainindustry to become increasingly moreefficient, whatever the cost. At thesame time, the supply chain faces itsown challenges. Costs are ever-increasing, and with fresh demandsfrom customers the investment cannotstop yet. On top of this, warehousespace is at an all-time low, pinching anindustry which is already under a lot ofstrain. With the issues of cost and efficiencyunder the spotlight like never before,multimodal solutions are becomingmore and more attractive to supplychain managers. It’s certainly the casethat many companies aren’t followingroutes that could be more effective –for example, while 63% of containersarrive in the UK through ports in theSouth East of England, only 10% oflarge distribution warehousing isactually based there. The vast majorityof the items therefore have to travelacross the country in trucks that willinevitably ramp up the carbonemissions.The introduction of morewarehousing in the right areas willmake a difference, as too will the co-operative logistics schemes wherebynumerous companies can worktogether to fill up one lorry with anumber of products rather than havedozens travel around half-empty.However companies can make a hugedifference with the introduction of amore multimodal approach. Oneexample is the service provided by PDPorts to Asda, which includes ashipping service between their twofacilities at Felixstowe and Teesport,providing added convenience andensuring products get closer, faster, totheir intended destination.Those in the industry are also havingto look within the warehouse as well, intheir never-ending efforts to squeezeevery last drop of efficiency from thechain. Effective warehousemanagement has made a majordifference to the smooth running of asupply chain – and can help companiesmeet the stringent traceability andsecurity requirements of the majorretailers. But the question soonbecomes, for how long can this14 ÁBehindthe scenes © Shutterstock/PressmasterAs the demands of retailers increase, those in the supply chain who can adapt to thechallenges may find themselves reaping the rewards.13-15.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:52 Page 1SUPPLY CHAIN SPOTLIGHT14 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netJoloda boost efficiency forLanchester Wines Lanchester Wines has replaced eight standard trailers in itscommercial vehicle fleet with two new purpose-built curtainsidersfrom Tiger Trailers – a move made possible thanks to the inclusion ofthe super-efficient loading system from Joloda. Joloda’s innovative conveyor system features a moving slipchainfloor built into the loading bay which extends into the trailer itself,creating a seamless transition between the two. The system iscapable of loading or unloading up to 24 pallets of wine in as little as80 seconds, a process that previously took 40 minutes.Joloda says: “Our innovative loading solutions have been usedacross a number of industries for more than 20 years, with theHydraroll system installed at close to 500 companies worldwide. “Joloda works with some of the largest food and beveragecompanies in the world, but it’s really great to see our system make a real difference to a growing independent business like Lanchester Wines.” For more information, visit www.joloda.com.continue? Is there a limit to how farwarehouses can be pushed, before theindustry reaches some form of criticalmass – where the demands ofcustomers will simply be impossible? If there is, then we have not reachedit yet, as there is still room forimprovement. One such example is thepossibility of moving to part – or maybeeven full – automation. Repetitive, time-consuming tasks that were traditionallycarried out by warehouse workers cannow be completed quickly andefficiently by machines. As such, supplychain automation makes it much easierto meet deadlines for throughput. Thishas always come with an associatedinvestment cost however, and when itcomes to large-scale warehouses, theROI was something that was a little toodifficult to stomach.The good news for companies is thatautomated solutions are becomingcheaper and more flexible by the day.From robotic pickers, to conveyor belts– but also including automated palletwrappers – companies like KitePackaging are doing what they can tomeet the demand. An added benefit of such concepts isalso the increased levels of workersafety, partly through the possibility ofremoving workers from the equationaltogether. But more realisticallybecause it is the complex anddangerous jobs, that automatedprocesses typically replace. It is actuallysomewhat of a misconception that anautomated line removes workers,though it can certainly do so. In manycases staff are still kept on board, butassigned to other areas – improvingefficiency across the whole board. Retailers who operate their ownsupply chain facilities are also lookingto improve efficiency, and many areseeking to incorporate aspects of thesupply chain into the retail environment.Go back ten years and it would havebeen anathema to see a pallet on thesupermarket floor, but nowadays it’snot unusual to see produce stacked ona pallet itself. That said, these shouldnever be wooden due to the risk ofsplinters or injuries. Typically they areplastic pallets, such as Go PlasticPallet’s new SF 800H Retail Pallet,which is designed for retailers to be© Shutterstock/fuyu liu13-15.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:52 Page 2SUPPLY CHAIN SPOTLIGHTFood & Drink International 15www.fdiforum.netBlue Cube fulfils order for nine blastfreezers from Rick Bestwick Rick Bestwick – part of the Magnavale Group – has recently installedthree blast freezers from Blue Cube Portable Cold Stores at its state-of-the-art Warrington and Scunthorpe facilities. Representing an order of nine blast freezers in total, the contract packerand cold storage specialist chose the high performance 28-pallet 62kWand 115kW units for their energy saving, cost and efficiency benefits.Blue Cube’s blast freezers are available in cross or end flow designs andin 7, 19 and 28 pallet capacities. The systems offer blast freeze, chill andtemper functionality and can be ground based or elevated.Each blast freezer is fitted with impact bars, lockable doors and lockingdoor bars whilst emergency lighting, externally mounted audible and visibleman trap and temperature alarms provide all the necessary safety features.In addition, side doors, ramps, dock level platforms and racking areavailable as optional features. For more information, visit www.bluecubepcs.co.uk.able to transfer goods easily from stockto shop floor. Plastic pallets come with a raft ofbenefits over their conventionalcounterparts, from health and safety –to lesser clean-up costs shouldsomething go wrong. There has neverbeen anything more frustrating thanattempting to clean up a shatteredwooden pallet, which tend to explodewith incredible force when crushed. Ontop of this, plastic pallets are far morelightweight and like the SF 800H, canbe easily stacked and moved by aworker, without the aid of materialshandling equipment. Materials handling remains, of course,a major factor in the supply chain, withthe human element predictably beingthe one with the greatest potential forloss of efficiency. Forklifts, for instance,are a staple of the materials handlingindustry, with almost every warehouseor distribution centre in the countryoperating a few at least. What cancause confusion, however, is the widearray of forklifts available on themarket, and what roles they might bestbe suitable towards. Industrial reachforklifts are best suited to taller rackingsystems, very common within the foodand drink industry due to the sheerquantity of stock that is kept in awarehouse, often necessitating thatoperators stack their products tall aswell as wide. If your warehouse hasunusually thin aisles, possibly becauseof even higher levels of stock, then a 3-wheel forklift can offer moremanoeuvrability, allowing it to operatein these thinner aisles. What a company needs can dependon a hundred different factors, from thewidth of the aisles, the height of thestacking, weight of palletised goods, oreven how far back on a rack they arestacked. Almost all forklifts will comewith health and safety precautions suchas shielded roofs as standard, but theremight also need to be considerations interms of user accessibility, or evenergonomics. While many may scoff at the ideathat ergonomic design should warrant amore expensive forklift system, oneshould remember that in an averageday an operator might move their armover a thousand times an hour, andtheir head twice that number. While thismay lead to injury in time, even in theshort term it is going to lead topeople’s muscles becoming stiff –increasing the amount of downtimethey take, or how often they aredistracted. Improving efficiency in distributioncentres can be a daunting task for anycompany, but those who are able tokeep ahead of the competition may findthemselves reaping benefits. One thingis for sure, the demands of retailers arenot – and will not decrease in thecoming years. Those who can’t cater tothem, will likely find their work going tocompetitors who can! 13-15.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:52 Page 316 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTAs geopolitical tensions continue toheat up with the United States, Russiacontinues to sure-up its food andagriculture supply chains, reducing itsreliance on exports of feed, produceand commodities. The turning point is this resurgencegoes back to 2014, where Russiaannexed Crimea from Ukraine, lightingthe touch paper of a geopolitical hotpotato that remains unabated fouryears later. In response, Russia was metwith a number of sanctions from itswestern trading partners. Russiaretaliated with its own trade embargoeson imports from the European Union,many of which remain in place to thisday. According to the state agriculturewatchdog, the Russian authorities havedestroyed more than 16,600 tonnes offood from countries that fall undersanctions over the past two years alone. Many producers are chagrined withthe continuing sanctions, citing a loss oftrade. But with Russian leader VladimirPutin this March securing another sixyears in office, sanctions from bothsides are likely to continue for theforeseeable future. The European porkindustry feels particularly aggrieved bythe current state of affairs, claimingsanctions are costing the industry €1.4billion a year.After significantly reducing its foodimports, Russia was left with no otherchoice than to scale-up and strengthendomestic production. It was part ofPresident Putin’s intention to create amore self-sufficient country, one whichhad the potential to become a leadingglobal supplier of organic food. Turningits fortunes around as a major exporterof food and agri products on the worldstage was no mean feat, but it’s oneRussia is accomplishing. Such is the strength of Russia’sdomestic agri-industrial sector thatPrime Minister Dmitry Medvedevrecently announced the expansion ofagricultural exports. This turn-aroundfollows concerted efforts to reduce itsprevious dependence on exports.Domestic production is now booming,with the latest figures revealing the2017 grain harvest exceeded 135 milliontonnes. According to Medvedev, all farmtypes have enjoyed a 20 per centagricultural production increase since2012, something he put down to“unprecedented state support”.Speaking to the State Duma, MedvedevRussia’s exportrenaissanceRussia has reinforced its food supply chain, bolstering domestic agriculturalproduction and lessoning its reliance on imports. This has led to a veritablerenaissance in its food, beverage and agri sectors as the country lays thegroundwork to become a major food exporter. 18 Á16-19.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:57 Page 1Food & Drink International 17www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORT© Shutterstock/Reidl16-19.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:57 Page 218 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTsaid that more than 1.2 trillion rubleshad been allocated from the federalbudget into the agro-industrialcomplex. On the export front, Russia is in goodhealth, having become the world leaderin wheat exports two years ago.President Putin revealed in March thisyear that Russian exports of agricultureproducts and foodstuffs were upsixteen-fold since 2000. And now, Putinhas said that Russia will soon be sellingmore produce abroad than it imports. Inorder to achieve this, authorities willfurther develop infrastructure, broadenthe railway network and increase thecapacity of seaports and storageterminals. It’s interesting to note that Russia isemploying outside help in order toleverage its own self-sufficiency. Thisincludes boosting agricultural output byacquiring outside expertise andequipment. It’s exactly this approachthat has allowed the country to becomea leading force in grain exports. Nodoubt it will yield similar results forother agricultural products andfoodstuffs. In an apt metaphor for the country’scurrent approach to domesticagribusiness, Russia is importing appletrees to reduce its need to importapples. Local varieties of apple spoilfaster in Russia than those grown inEurope or China, and shoppers typicallyprefer the taste of imported fruit. It’smeant that Russia is the world’s singlebiggest importer of apples, somethingthat doesn’t line up with Putin andMedvedev’s vision for the country. So in2015, almost 150,000 apple trees were16-19.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:57 Page 3US and Bahrainsign food exportagreement Food & Drink International 19www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTshipped over to Russia where they’llproduce tonnes of Gala, Red Deliciousand Granny Smith varieties. Despite geopolitical tensions andincreasingly aggressive relations withNorth America, Russia has made goodon its claims to become a majorexporter of food and agriculturalproducts. As domestic productioncontinues to increase and the stateinvests further into expandinginfrastructure and distribution facilities,doubtless Russia’s food export sectorwill continue to flourish. © Shutterstock/Shchipkova ElenaDefra mulls ban on live animalexportsUK EnvironmentalSecretary Michael Goveis calling for evidence ona potential ban on thelive export of animals forslaughter after Brexit.The call, which willalso explore higherwelfare standards for liveanimal movements, ispart of the Government’swider reforms to cementthe UK’s position as aglobal leader in animalwelfare.The Farm AnimalWelfare Committee hasalso launched a review into the existing welfare standards for animals during transport. Environment Secretary Gove said: “This call for evidence begins to deliver on ourmanifesto commitment which aims to control the export of live animals for slaughteronce we leave the European Union.“With all options being considered, I am keen to hear from industry, the devolvedauthorities and charities on all possible options and evidence on this vital issue.”A potential ban on the live export of animals for slaughter is among the optionsbeing considered. Trade officials have signed a memorandum of understanding ensuring food andagricultural exports from the United States to Bahrain. Farmers and agriculture groups in the US have been very vocal in opposing PresidentDonald Trump’s aggressive stance with the nation’s major trading partners. This follows the recent 10% import duty placed on alumni in Bahrain which, farmersargue, could damage trade relations, thereby negatively impacting US food exports. “I am very pleased to support America’s farmers and ranchers by concluding andsigning this memorandum of understanding that clarifies requirements for US food andagricultural exports to Bahrain,” said Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish ina statement.In 2017, US agricultural and fishery exports to Bahrain were worth $76 million. © Shutterstock/trabantos© Shutterstock/melnikof16-19.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 09:57 Page 4Next >