< Previous10 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCheese pack servesup a solution A convenient bespoke solution from RPCSuperfos is breathing new life into cheesepackaging for the latest high-end cheese fromSkånemejerier, the leading manufacturer ofmature cheese in Sweden. Used for the company’s new Allerum maturecheese, the wedge-shaped pack with oxygen-barrier label ensures that customers have noneed for a serving plate and hardly any finger-contact is required to serve the product.The solution features a wedge-shaped injection moulded polypropylene pack with an innerplastic seal and an oxygen barrier label. Part of the upper section is transparent, making thetempting yellow colour of the cheese visible as part of the overall artwork design. All consumers need to do is remove the base and the plastic seal, put the base back on,turn the container upside down, remove the top cover – and the cheese is ready to serve onits triangular plate base. To re-seal and store, they simply replace the top cover.on the shelfVivera launches‘world’s first’ 100%plant-based steakDutch alternative meat brand, Vivera, haslaunched what it claims is the world’s first 100%plant-based steak to the market.Tesco, will be the first to sell the product,stocking the steak in 400 stores across the UK,with a slew of supermarket chains in theNetherlands following in June. The latter half ofthe year will see Vivera roll out the steak acrossEurope, starting with Germany, France and Italy.Vivera’s Gert Jan Gombert said: “With thebreakthrough of its market introduction andlarge-scale production, a large group ofconsumers can enjoy this very tasty plant-basedproduct.“The smell, taste and bite can hardly bedistinguished from real steak and we areconvinced that this product will meet a largeneed of consumers.“It is very important that we eat less meat,both for our own health, animal welfare and forour planet. Innovative and high-quality plant-based products can make a significantcontribution here.”Botanical Brewer Lowlander Beer launchesthe world’s first I.P.A. GeneverAmsterdam-based brewer LowlanderBeer is launching a genever distilled fromtheir Lowlander I.P.A. at the end of May. In the 17th century, when ships full ofexotic herbs and spices were shipped toAmsterdam, the Dutch started to distilliqueurs and genever at a large-scale. Thisis also an important part of Dutch brewinghistory: the “Lowlanders” started to brewbeers with botanicals.So it is not surprising that LowlanderBeer joins hands with Wynand Fockink,the oldest, working liqueur and genever distillery in the Netherlands.The result is a unique I.P.A. genever; believed to be the very first ever. A typical Dutch ritualthe “kopstoot” is the most sophisticated way of enjoying a shot with a beer. The bartender fillsa tulip-shaped shot glass to the absolute brim with genever and pours a beer next to it. Thenyou bend over and slurp the top off the genever. That done, you follow with a sip of beer. Twinings launch cold waterinfusionsTwinings has launched its first ever cold water infusionsdesigned for use in a water bottle on-the-go and reflecting thechanging face of the tea market.Dubbed Cold In-fuse, the new product requires consumers todrop the bag in cold water, leave it before shaking.Made from all natural ingredients, the new range is available inthree flavours – watermelon, strawberry and mint; passion fruit,manga and blood orange, and blueberry, apple and blackcurrant.Beyond Meat hits internationalshelves with expansion plans Beyond Meat, the plant-based meat innovators, isramping up global expansionafter revealing plans to launchits Beyond Burger across sixcontinents this summer.The expansion, which thestart-up claims is a first in thebourgeoning plant-basedmeat category, follows growthin its domestic United States.Last year saw the companydoubles its sales and bolsterits distribution portfolio to over 27,000 grocery stores and restaurants.To facilitate its eyes for international expansion, Beyond Meat has partneredwith a select group of distributors to enter fifty countries – including: Mexico,Israel, UAE, Taiwan as well as Germany and the rest of Europe, among others.“Reflecting rapid demand growth in the United States and sustainedinterest from international markets, we’ve taken steps to significantly increaseour production capacity,” said Founder & CEO Ethan Brown. “These additionsmake it possible for us to support international launches, building upon thesuccessful 2017 introduction of the Beyond Burger in Hong Kong.”© Twinings © Viverva© Beyond Meat 04-11.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 12:04 Page 7Fusion Flexibles installs environmentalabatement system at Leicester facilityIn a move that could potentially help doubleprinting capacity and reduce its carbon footprint,Fusion Flexibles has invested some £300,000 in anew state-of-the-art environmental abatementsystem for its Leicester-based facility.The Durr Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser (RTO)from Air Protekt Limited, which replaces an oldersystem, was chosen for its design and build quality.It will reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs)from the company’s printing presses, in accordancewith the POLLUTION PREVENTION and CONTROLACT 1999 through the current Process GuidanceNotes 6/17 (11) – statutory guidance for printing of flexible packaging.In addition to causing localised odour problems, VOCs are implicated in a wide range ofenvironmentally damaging processes, including the generation of low-level ozone and smog.Legislation was introduced setting very low emission limits for VOCs in process exhaust gases.Lawrence Hopwood from Fusion Flexibles said: “As well as reducing our carbon footprint, itwill also potentially enable us to double printing capacity in the future.”on lineFood & Drink International 11www.fdiforum.netKey Technologyexpandsmanufacturing in theNetherlandsKey Technology, a member of the Duravantfamily of operating companies, has completedits facility expansion in Beusichem, theNetherlands. The upgrade increases Key’s productioncapacity at this location by 50% and featureslarger cranes with greater lifting capabilities, athoroughly refurbished working environment,enhanced customer visitor experience andmore. Together with its state-of-the-art Innovationand Solutions Center in Hasselt, Belgium, theNetherlands facility speeds delivery of Key’soptical sorters and vibratory conveying solutionsto food processors in Europe, the Middle East,India, Africa (EMEIA) and elsewhere.“Our ongoing investments in Europe reflectour commitment to delivering the greatestvalue to food processors throughout theregion. By manufacturing our VERYX® sortersand Iso-Flo® conveyors in Europe as well asthe U.S., we serve our customers more quicklyand effectively,” said Jack Ehren, President andCEO of Key Technology. Lancaster Brewing Co. buys WaveGrip’slatest G1 applicator WaveGrip, manufacturer of innovativebeverage multi-packing solutions, has sold itsG1 applicator to Lancaster Brewing Co. whowill be taking delivery of the new machinedirect from the CBC show in Nashville. Lancaster Brewing Co. was founded in 1995and unites an obsessive commitment to qualityingredients with equal measures of creativity,skill and experience, to brew consistently greatbeer that is seeing an increasing demand forthe brewery’s 12 oz cans.“WaveGrip’s G1 applicator ticked all theboxes for our multi-packing beer can requirements,” explains Pete Keares, Founder of LancasterBrewing Co. “Its small manufacturing foot-print and cost-effectiveness per application,combined with the WaveGrip carriers’ sustainable benefits, delivered us an unbeatable solution.”All WaveGrip carriers benefit from being lightweight and use less material than any other multi-packing solution. Together with their 100% recyclability and the option to use up to 50% recycledmaterial, WaveGrip is the most environmentally sustainable flexible carrier on the market. Nestlé to sell Starbucks coffeeafter signing $7bn dealNestlé has signed a $7.15billion deal to sell Starbucksconsumer and foodserviceproducts globally.In particular, Nestlé willaccelerate its out-of-homechannels and will workalongside Starbucks oninnovation and go-to-marketstrategies to bring morecoffee and consumers together.“This global coffee alliance will bring the Starbucks experience to thehomes of millions more around the world through the reach and reputationof Nestlé,” said Kevin Johnson, President and CEO of Starbucks.“This historic deal is part of our ongoing efforts to focus and evolveour business to meet the changing consumer needs, and we are proudto work alongside a company that is committed to our shared values.”Mark Schneider, CEO of Nestlé, added: “With Starbucks, Nescafé andNespresso we bring together three iconic brands in the world of coffee.”As part of this transaction, Starbucks will receive an up-front cashpayment of $7.15 billion for a business which generated annual sales of$2 billion.Tesco removing ‘Best Before’dates to reduce food wasteTesco is removing‘Best Before’ dates fromalmost seventy productsacross its fruit andvegetable line as part ofits latest efforts toreduce food waste.It follows a recentcampaign by theNational Federation ofWomen’s Institutes (NFWI) into causes of food waste which foundthat less than half of respondents understood the meaning of bestbefore dates.However, more than 70% of people polled correctly identified themeaning of use by labels which have to be put on all foods wherethere is a safety risk if they are eaten after that date.“We have made this change to fruit and vegetable packaging asthey are among the most wasted foods,” said Mark Little, Tesco’sHead of Food Waste.“Many customers have told us that they assess their fruit andvegetables by the look of the product rather than the ‘Best Before’date code on the packaging.”© Starbucks© Tesco04-11.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 12:05 Page 812 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.net© Shutterstock/artjazzThe state of thingsWith under a year left until Britain officially leaves the European Union,Food and Drink International explores some of the outcomes and theeffect they could have the UK’s food import and export market. 12-15.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:52 Page 1IMPORT AND EXPORTFood & Drink International 13www.fdiforum.netBrexit has brought with it mixedfortunes for the British food industry.While the long-term fallout from losingmigrant workers has yet to trulymanifest, British companies arestrengthening their sales overseas. Aswe reported in our March issue, industryefforts have been paying off, with 2017seeing sales of UK food and drink top£22 billion. These figures have largelyrelied on the strength of the Britishbrand in international markets, but nowdoubt has been cast over the longevityand reach of that appeal. Food and beverages produced in theUK fall under the wider umbrella of thegreat British brand. These culturaltouchstones are recognised the worldover, but there are fears thatinternational awareness of UK food islacking, making breaking into newmarkets challenging. As the UKcontinues to cast a wider net on theexport market, it’s crucial that there is aglobal hunger for British goods in place.It can be a costly endeavour to first runa marketing campaign extolling themany virtues of British produce andcuisine ahead of any potential productlaunch. The Agriculture & HorticultureDevelopment Board (AHDB) hasrecently reported on the results of astudy across nine countries – includingChina and India – which found that 34per cent of consumers have neverbought British food products. The studyfurther found that 43 per cent ofrespondents didn’t have any specificassociations with British food. Perhapsmost surprising of all was that only afifth of respondents had a positiveperception of British food. This despiteUK cheese exportstops £615m markExports of cheese from the UK have risen 23% on 2016to surpass the £615 million mark last year, according tofigures from HMRC.The data shows volumes of exported cheese rose byfive per cent from the previous year – reaching just over170,000 tonnes.While cheddar continues to dominate exports, freshcheeses – and, in particular, mozzarella – saw strongexport growth in the year.The lion’s share was shipped to European markets withIreland, France and the Netherlands remaining the mostimportant destinations. Shipments to Germany have beendeclining, although they have been replaced by increasedsales to Denmark and Poland.Figures also show an increase in cheese exports toAsia, mainly to the Philippines, with volumes up 27% year-on-year. The relatively high increase in average prices inthese markets meant the value of cheddar exports roseby 57% over the year.© Shutterstock/picturepartners15 Á12-15.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:52 Page 2© Ron Ellis/Shutterstock.com12-15.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:52 Page 3IMPORT AND EXPORTFood & Drink International 15www.fdiforum.netPrime Minister Theresa May’s efforts tostrengthen the British brand in China,where Government trade visits hasyielded a slew of major deals. “Britain has a great story to tell, withthe Union flag, Big Ben and the Londonbus well recognised across the world,”says Christine Watts, ChiefCommunications and MarketDevelopment Officer at the AHDB. “Butwhile these iconic images can form partof a powerful brand for the promotionof inbound tourism, they are notenough to sell our food and farmingproducts overseas.”The results arrive at a period ofsignificant change and upheaval for theBritish food industry, particularly wherethe export market is concerned. ThoughBrexit undoubtedly carried with it asubtext of isolationism, the future of theUK is global. The continued existenceand strength of its key industries –engineering, aerospace, agriculture etc.– relies on the ability to secure newtrade and forge links overseas. Thepresent, however, remains stubbornlymurky as negotiations persist and it’sstill unclear as to what Britain’s traderelations with the European Union willbe. Yet even a “best-case scenario”Brexit is unlikely to bring with it the kindof benefits in kind that had beenpreviously expected. In fact, food bills will likelysignificantly rise in the event of a nofree trade deal with the EU. This is thestark message from the Lords EUEnvironment Committee who said thatit was highly improbable that therewould be no impact at all on producefrom the EU – which makes up 30 percent of the UK’s food imports. Thoughthe UK Government is, of course,banking on a trade agreement allowingfor tariff-free and “frictionless” foodimports, it’s unwise to assume any suchdeal will materialise. Even in the event of a “best casescenario”, in which there are no tariffsand few customs barriers, theCommittee still said that internationalrules would require the UK to conductmore customs and borders checks thatare currently observed. If an agreementcannot be brokered by the time the UKleaves the EU – slated for 29 March2019 – then the increase tariffs couldlead to significant price rises forcustomers. Worse still, the additionalcustoms workload could very wellchoke the UK’s ports and airports andsignificantly disrupt food deliveries. While some quarters have claimedthat an antidote to these issues is tosimply bolster domestic food supply,the Committee found that replacing thefood imported over from the EU couldnot be easily replaced by producingmore here in the UK or by importingmore from non-EU countries. As far asthe former is concerned, self-sufficiencyin the UK has been waning for the pastthirty years and would be difficult toreverse with any expediency. Speed islikewise the issue for the latter, asquickly making up a food import deficitof 30 per cent is no small undertakingand could lead to a dearth of food onsupermarket shelves. Lord Teverson, Chairman of the Sub-Committee, says: “We are calling on theGovernment to set out what checksthey do intend to carry out on foodimports, to allow the food industry andcustoms authorities time to prepare andto reassure consumers that standardswill be upheld. And we would urge theGovernment to consider the impact thatBrexit may have on food inequality inthe UK: will we have a situation wherehigh quality, local produce is availablefor those who can afford it, withcheaper food imported for those onlower incomes? The UK needs acomprehensive food policy, to tacklethese complex issues, and we urge theGovernment to produce one with someurgency.”For good or for ill, Brexit is one of themost significant changes to the politicalstatus quo in the UK for decades. Thefuture of the country and, for thepurposes of this article, the fate ofBritain’s food import export market, isintimately wrapped up in the outcomesof negotiations in Brussels. There is asilver lining to be found, certainly, butthere are dark clouds hovering overBritain’s future. 12-15.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:52 Page 416 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netWAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTIONThough the manufacture of food anddrink products typically occurs in fixedlocations, the supply chain is one ofconstant motion. Linking these chainstogether is warehousing and distributionwhich, one could argue, acts as theindustry’s lifeblood. For years the model of the warehousehas remained much the same. Of coursethere have been advancements,especially where forklifts, loading baysand palletising are concerned, butthere’s been little in the way of a majoroverhaul. In recent years, however, theso-called “smart warehouse” has comealong in leaps and bounds. The idea of a smart warehouse is partof the same forward-thinking rhetoric asthe Internet of Things which, simply put,is an interconnected network of objectslinked via mobile networks and/orbroadband. The other half of the smartwarehouse equation belongs to theburgeoning notion of Industry 4.0. Forthose in the dark, this industrybuzzword refers to the next industrialepoch we’re entering where artificialintelligence and smart solutions are ascommonplace as coal, smoke andhardship was during the industrialrevolution almost two centuries before.Already we’re seeing this evolution inaction with the widespread adoption ofautomation and robotic solutions. A visitto the PPMA Show reveals the sheerlevels of innovation taking place in theindustry. The rise of e-commerce – both forcommodities and with the homedelivery of food products – has radicallytransformed the built environment.Warehousing and distribution space is© Shutterstock/Zapp2PhotoSmartsolutionsSmart technologies and automation are radicallychanging warehouses and distribution. Food andDrink International explores some of these solutionsand the effect they’re having on the industry. 16-19.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:56 Page 1Food & Drink International 17www.fdiforum.netWAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTIONNew Multitank™ saves space and reducesyour carbon footprint Goplasticpallets.comhas introduced the newMultitank™ 400 litreIBC — which has beendesigned to sustainablyimprove the packaging,storing andtransporting of foodand non-food productsin bulk.What’s more, the Multitank’s unique conical design and robust construction means it’s acost-effective reusable packaging system that can save 75% of storage space thanks to itsstacking and nesting abilities.The Multitank™ comes with a main lid and a secondary, smaller removable lid and aninnovative way of sealing which assure maximum safety and offers an excellent watertightand airtight performance. It can be stacked up without the use of strapping as the lid has special locatorsdesigned to hold the feet of the next box in place. It has a maximum stacking capacity of1.350kg (3x Multitank™ when full). The rigid HDPE Multitank™ comes in a dimension of1000mm x 800mm x 960mm and has a max load per box of 450kg.For more information, visit www.goplasticpallets.com.now dominating towns, cities and out-of-town facilities where once they’dbeen offices and retail parks. With theadvent of new warehousing space, olderexisting facilities have had to evolve andadapt in order to remain competitive ina rapidly changing supply chain. Some of the smart technologies thathave already profoundly changed theface of warehouses as we know themare intelligent warehouse management© Shutterstock/Alex Marakhovets18 Á16-19.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:56 Page 2WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION18 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netsoftware and logistics track, trace andmanagement software and telematics.Ultimately optimisation is the end resultof any new technology and thesesolutions are boosting efficiency andreducing downtime. Other solutions have been slower tocatch on at large, be that for budgetaryreasons, regulatory or simply a lack ofproof of concept. Among them isdriverless technology. While there havebeen several successes with testingfleets of driverless trucks, there havealso been controversies, with peoplekilled during tests of driverlesstechnologies. The efficiency gains froma completely automated distributionprocess would be nothing short ofprofound and so research anddevelopment continues. One area of the logistics chain that ishaving commercial success is electricvehicles. With the industry’s effect onthe environment at the top of theagenda, companies are having torevaluate their processes and supplychains and adapt accordingly. One ofthe ways in which this can beaccomplished is by switching one’sowned fleets – or changing theirlogistics provider – to electric. Theelectric truck, for example, could verywell be a game-changer. Last year, forexample, PepsiCo placed an order for100 of Tesla’s electric semi-trucks.Elsewhere, Anheuser-Busch is havingsuccesses with electric trucks andothers are jumping on the electric bandwagon too. Inside the warehouse themselves,automated forklifts are becoming amore common sight. As are robots,which can carrying massive loads –certainly more than their humancounterparts – and move around themassive floor space without ever tiringor needing a break. It’s no coincidencethat’s Amazon’s fulfilment centresemploy thousands of robots in order totransport and shift heavy loads. Drone technology is likewisebecoming more commonplace acrossthe food industry. Though much of theattention has been on the effect thatdrones are having on agribusiness, theyhave a great many benefits when itcomes to warehousing. Drones providevisualisation like never before, able tohover, fly and perform quick aerialmanoeuvres. With their high-definitioncameras and lightweight frames, theymean warehouse managers can haveeyes everywhere. While this is a boonfor inspections, it can also provide othercost- and time-saving solutions. Other technologies are entering theconversation that can provide a greatmany benefits. Take, for example,windows that can provide auto-shading.As well as the obvious benefits tohuman workers – sun in the eyes of aforklift operator is hardly conducive to asafe workplace – this also helps toprotect food and drink productsthemselves. The purpose of the smartwarehousing and distribution is toaugment and strengthen the supplychain; doing so can lead to massiveefficiency and cost-savings, whilst alsohelping to lessen the stress, fatigue andthreat of injury on human workers.Warehouses could very well lookdifferent to us than what we’re familiarwith now, but that’s no bad thing. It’s inthe nature of the industry to evolve andembrace new technologies. © Shutterstock/Zapp2Photo16-19.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:56 Page 3The essential returnable, reusable bulk containerIntroducing the Multitank™ container, a 400 litre IBC container designed to package, store and transport food products and liquids in bulk without the need of an extra liner bag.goplasticpallets.com+44 (0)1323 744057 Returnable – durable design, can be used repeatedly Watertight & Airtight – 3 different lids, exceptional sealing Stackable – saves 75% storage space Nestable when empty – increases vehicle fill Sustainable – eliminates packaging waste WINNER Sustainable PackagingFood & Drink International 19www.fdiforum.netWAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTIONJoloda lead the way in automationIn the ultra-competitive logistics environment, Joloda International provides worldclass solutions for truck loading. Joloda design, manufacture and install automatictruck-loading systems from factories in the UK, Netherlands and USA.There are many reasons why customers have chosen to use automatic loading,most being cost driven. Using automatic loading dock eradicates the need forforktrucks and drivers where the highest cost saving comes from. The system is alsoa one-man operation. With less forktrucks and people in the loading bay area, it alsocreates a safer working environment.Conventional truck loading with forktrucks takes around 30 minutes, whereas usinga Joloda automatic system reduces the process to approx. two minutes so theloading process is greatly speeded up. Faster loading means quick turnaround so thisresults in fewer vehicles needed in the supply chain.As the system is totally controlled and loaded in one go, there is little or nodamage to the product. For more information, visit www.joloda.com.16-19.qxp_Layout 1 29/05/2018 10:56 Page 4Next >