< Previous20www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTestablished a dedicated company inPoland. APPE is investing in excess of€15 million in a new factory inKatowice in South Poland, and thenew APPE Polska will serve emergingEastern European markets as part ofthe company’s continuing ambitiousgrowth and development strategy. Thecompany says that APPE Polska will beable to deliver a more localised supplyfor existing customers while alsomaximising new sales opportunitiesthroughout Eastern Europe from bothlocal and multinational businesses.A growing middle class in Russiaand Eastern Europe is also offeringrewards for businesses. Hence, lastyear, Italy’s Macfrut InternationalOffice took part in World FoodMoscow to strengthen businessrelations between Russia and theMediterranean basin, and in return theMacfrut fresh produce exhibition inItaly was attended by the largest everdelegation of representatives of theleading retail chains in Moscow, StPetersburg and other areas of theRussian Federation. Eastern European businessesthemselves are looking towards newmarkets. Unsurprisingly, alcoholicbeverages remain a particularly vibrantsector for Russian exports and at theend of last year the first MoscowInternational Wine Expo took place toillustrate the increasing diversity of thesector. High-quality Russian wineshave been gaining popularity ininternational competitions in recentyears and Russia is becomingestablished among the world’s leadingwine-producing regions. The emphasison quality is of particular importancefor Russia as they wish to encourage aculture of drinking in moderation.Russian alcohol brands are becomingfixtures internationally. Baltika No. 7,the flagship beer of Russia’s leadingBaltika brewery, has been added to thebeer list of all 846 pubs andrestaurants in the UK’s JDWetherspoon chain, including LloydsNo. 1 bars. Baltika Breweries, theRussian arm of global brewing giantCarlsberg, is taking advantage of thegrowth in popularity of world beers,which in the UK is currently enjoying14% growth against a declining marketof -1%. Baltika is also innovating interms of packaging, with Europe’s first75cl can now available in Russian andEastern European markets. The can,created in conjunction with Baltika andmade in Rexam’s Naro-Fominsk plantin Russia, is mainly designed for thebeer market, although it’s also suitablefor other drinks.A survey carried out by VitafoodsEurope to coincide with their recentevent suggested that the regulatorybodies in Russia are trade barriers toexpansion. Opportunities do exist,however, and companies that do theirhomework can enjoy huge benefits.Baltika No. 7, the flagship beerof Russia’s leading Baltikabrewery, has been added to thebeer list of 846 pubs andrestaurants in the UKRussia’s industry is developing hugely and to illustrate this an independent brewery in Russia has placed an orderfor new lightweight, recyclable beverage containers made by Petainer. Petainer Kegs manufactured in PET arebeing supplied to Lipetsk Pivo’s brewery19-20:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:00 Page 2RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENTwww.fdiforum.net2122 It used to be that energy efficiency,water-saving solutions and environmentalservices were luxuries for businesses,many seeing them as simply unnecessaryfaff that companies only introduced forpublicity reasons. Yet nowadays thebenefits available are proving highlyvaluable – not least because customersand consumers alike now specificallydemand a greener supply chain.The food and drink industry is clearlyat the forefront of the move towardsenvironmental excellence thanks to thehuge amount of waste that can begenerated both in the manufacturingstage and via packaging. This explainswhy many businesses are reviewing theirprocesses and introducing newsustainable approaches that can end upnot just saving money but also providingadditional revenue.Certainly the idea of recycling is verymuch in the mainstream. This month’sOlympic Games have placedsustainability and recycling very much onthe agenda and branded recycling binswill be a familiar sight across the venues.Indeed the Games have coincided withthe launch of the new ContinuumRecycling facility at Hemswell Cliff inLincolnshire, a partnership betweenCoca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics.This is the biggest plastic bottlereprocessing facility in Western Europeand the claim is that a bottle placed inthe recycling bin during the Olympicswill be back on the shelves as a newbottle during the Paralympics a fewweeks later.Companies such as Stamford Products,through their Mailbox Mouldingsdivision, are allowing businesses to get ontop of their recycling responsibilities byproviding a wide range of food gradetrucks, trolleys and boxes that can ensureeffective and efficient recycling at everystep of the supply chain.Waging war on wasteWaste management now plays a vital role in the effectiveness of a business – and can oftengenerate valuable extra cashFood and Drink iNet adviser StevieJackson, Pankaj Pancholi, managingdirector of Just Egg, and Professor AndyAbbott, professor of physical chemistry atthe University of Leicester are involved in anew project involving recycling egg shells21-23:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:02 Page 122www.fdiforum.netRECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENTIn addition to the traditional recyclingmethods, anaerobic digestion is becomingparticularly widespread in the dairyindustry, making good use of thenumerous waste products that areproduced. The slurry that is produced bya herd of cows has regularly been reusedas agricultural fertiliser but manybusinesses are looking towards AD toconvert it to biofuel that can power thewhole of a plant.Edinburgh Napier’s Biofuel ResearchCentre have launched their BiofuelBusiness Programme to enable businessesto introduce the concept into theirpremises, with companies such asMackie’s of Scotland, who have a 400-strong herd of cows, among thosebenefitting. They are considering thedevelopment of a 250KW AD facility attheir Aberdeenshire plant which, it’sestimated, will help the firm save up to£300,000 in fuel costs.The major benefit in this kind ofdevelopment would be an on-demandrenewable energy source available toproduce electricity when needed –complementing existing renewable energysources such as solar panels and windturbines. The Biofuel Research Centresuggest that this would be enough toensure the plant becomes totally self-sufficient, even at periods of very highdemand where previously there may havebeen the need to return to the NationalGrid.As Professor Martin Tangney,Director of the BfRC, points out,“Scotland leads the way in seekingalternative energy sources, withambitious self-imposed targets. Key toachieving these goals will be adoption ofrenewable energy technologies byScottish companies and our objective atthe Biofuel Research Centre is to assistwherever possible in introducingsustainable biofuels and bioenergy fromrenewable resources.”A similar project is being supported bythe UK’s Food and Drink iNet which isaiming to harness the energy from foodproduction waste using microbial fuel celltechnology. The technology has alreadybeen proved to work with dairy effluent,but now Lindhurst Engineering,researchers at The University ofNottingham, and dairy products co-operative Arla Foods are workingtogether to see if the system could also beused on food waste. The project wasshowcased this month at a special eventin the hope of finding volunteercompanies to help trial the idea.Food and Drink iNet director RichardWorrall says, “Waste removal is achallenge in the food and drink industry.As consumer demand for sustainableproducts and processes increases,companies must strive to gain thecompetitive edge in waste management.Businesses usually associate waste withadditional cost and resources, but thereare ways of reducing this.”Other waste management principlesare being introduced across the food anddrink industry. The importance of savingwater took on increased importance insome parts of Europe earlier this yearwith the threat of drought and, even if itdidn’t end up as dry as was anticipated, itundoubtedly helped to concentrateminds.This has led to some manufacturingbusinesses making use of ionised air usedinstead of water to rinse pre-blownSpecialist plastics packagingtechnology business Petainerhas developed its new bottlemanufactured using morethan 25% post-consumer‘one-way’ recycled PETJim Petrie of Mackie’s of Scotland, whichis aiming to install a plant that willtransform the slurry from its 400-strongherd of cows into biofuel21-23:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:02 Page 2RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENTwww.fdiforum.net23bottles and cans in their machinery andon production lines, and introducingrainwater harvesting which can have ahuge impact on the amount of water usedin a plant. A number of companies thathave introduced an onsite wastewatertreatment plant to neutralise its acidityand remove solids or oils before returningit to the municipal water treatment plant.Wastewater treatment is particularlyvaluable as new analysis by the CarbonTrust has revealed that heating and hotwater accounts for over a third oforganisations’ energy consumption andup to 60% of the carbon emissions fromsome industrial processes where demandfor steam or hot water is high – of whichfood production is an obvious example.New technology such as reverseosmosis is now becoming commonplace.The reverse osmosis technology uses amembrane to remove 99% of residualCOD, dissolved salts and bacteria fromthe treated wastewater, producing waterof quality at least equal to the mainssupply. This process can be seen inaction at a number of large companies.Facilities producing about 400m3/day ofprocess wastewater, previously treatedand then discharged to the local rhynecan find that under these newtechnologies, half of that is recovered byreverse osmosis and recycled for use infood production. Because the operatingcost is low, the recovered water can oftencost less than mains water and sopayback on the system is particularlyspeedy.Concepts such as these are being rolledout in industries of all kinds but there areadditional projects that can meet thespecific needs of the food and drinksector. One interesting project aims tomake use of egg shells, for example – anobvious by-product that until now couldnot be recycled and hence sent straight tolandfill. However new research beingcarried out by the University of Leicesterare hoping to identify ways to use eggshells as fillers which could be used to‘bulk up’ different grades of plastic, withthe potential to be used in numerousapplications from ready meal food traysto shop fittings.Scientists who specialise insustainability are also looking at how toextract glycosaminoglycans, the proteinswhich are found in the egg shells. GAGsare used in numerous biomedicalapplications and could prove useful inthe pharmaceutical industry. Theultimate goal, though, is to use the eggshells in packaging to protect brand newegg products – a genuine case ofrecycling, in essence using the same shellto protect two different eggs.This month’s UK AD and BiogasShow should illustrate the huge interestin waste management in the food anddrink industry – indeed anaerobicdigestion can generate an income streamin itself, offset energy costs, reduce wastetreatment and transport costs and reducegreenhouse gas emissions. It’s clear to seethat, in the past decade or so, effectivewaste management have progressed frombeing something of a burden to a vitalcontributor to a business’ success.Events such as the UK ADand Biogas show illustratethe huge interest in wastemanagement21-23:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:02 Page 3Visit us onstand 3224:Layout 1 5/7/12 14:18 Page 1FOOD SAFETY & HYGIENEwww.fdiforum.net25The overarching principal behindmaintaining food safety and hygienestandards across the industry seems to beretaining a quality product. Just onemistake could render the reputation apreviously successful product besmirchedin no time at all.Underlining this were the conclusionsdrawn at a recent symposium held for thefood and drink industry organised by theScottish Food and Drink Federation, theInstitute of Food Science and Technologyand Royal Environment Health Institute.Representatives from government,industry, health, education andregulatory bodies met to discusschallenges relating to regulation, auditsand industry standards and implicationsfor consumers and businesses alike.Cooperation was shown to be essential todrive improvements in the area, with allstakeholders required to play a part.Speakers at the event were united intheir belief that better regulation, notmore regulation was needed to addresssocial or environmental needs whilesupporting business growth.The challenges for international tradehighlighted in the event programmeincluded the complexities of exportcertification and difficultiesunderstanding global regulatoryrequirements in national and globalcontexts. Regional variations in26 The importanceof health andsafety cannever beunderestimatedand theindustry shouldlook carefully attheir proceduresor face theconsequences.The importance of improvingefficiencies has been highlighted ina new white paperPHOTO: METTLER TOLEDOSPREADING THEsafety messagesafety messageSpray nozzle technology, Sanitisation and Cleaning in Place equipmentTel : +44 (0) 1244 371167 www.icsindustrialservices.co.uk25-28:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:04 Page 126www.fdiforum.netFOOD SAFETY & HYGIENErequirements for labelling, traceability documentation and qualityand safety statements, for example, often act as significantbarriers to UK food businesses looking to do business beyondEurope.Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and theEnvironment in the Scottish government says, “High qualityregulation and industry standards underpin Scotland’s reputation.Quality is the mark of the hard work, passion and commitment ofall those involved in Scotland’s food and drink industry to deliverwhat the consumer wants. After consuming our products, theworld wants more. The work done by our enforcement bodies isvital. But it is important that we in Government balance thebenefits and burdens of regulation and standards.”In Mainz, Germany, a similar conference took place, focusing onthe agricultural safety of food production and farming methods.The tenth annual Fresenius Conference, took pesticide residues infood as its main topic.Remaining residues often find their way into the food chain andcontaminated feed and foods are the result. In many cases, theeffects of the absorbed substances on the human organism are stillunclear. Experts discussed the risk assessment of pesticideresidues, with Kathrin Gottlob of the Federal Institute for RiskAssessment speaking about the evaluation of biocides and transferof biocide residues. There are two different ways for biocides to reach the foodchain. Either contaminated cattle feed and biocide containingdisinfectants for the cleaning of stables would cause residues inA new lab facility hasbeen set up by FERAand Waters Corp totry and address foodsafety globally25-28:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:04 Page 2FOOD SAFETY & HYGIENEwww.fdiforum.net27farm animals or traces of biocides canalso be transferred into food duringprocessing and storage. Disinfected worksurfaces in kitchens or biocide-containingpackaging materials can also lead tocontaminated food. Guidelines for riskassessment for both transmissionmethods are currently being developed. Elsewhere at the conference, Ragnar ELöfstedt of King’s College, London,provided an overview of the riskperception and communication fieldswith a focus on the food sector. Hestressed the importance of understandingthe various risk perception variables andhighlighted how the media amplifiessome risks and attenuates others. This isa valid point to raise, often outbreaks ofhighly-dangerous infections or diseasesare reported on globally as soon as theystrike, but other regular and sometimesvery harmful health problems gounreported elsewhere. Public perceptionof disease seems to be at a low, soperhaps now is the time for healthauthorities and governments worldwideto recognise the problem that needsaddressing.Safety within technology?Advances in technology are allowingfood manufacturers to improve plantproductivity, product quality andconsumer safety through computerisingtheir formulation and weighing processesfor full ingredient traceability andproduction tracking. A new white paperhas just been produced to address theseconcerns.The white paper discusses key driversfor and benefits of the computerisation offormulation and weighing processes,including growing internationalregulatory pressure on food producerswhich is emphasising the need fortraceability. At the same time,increasingly sophisticated centralisedsystems can help manufacturers improvetheir bottom line and maintainprofitability by improving dataconsistency, speed of data analysis andrecall management compared with paper-based systems. If a customer event occurs,investigation into production shouldobviously be undertaken quickly, withdefective batches identified and measurestaken to ensure future product qualityand safety is maintained. Safety andreliability are also enhanced withadvanced computerised systems thatleave no room for confusion withbarcodes and scanners, further ensured28 E.coli bactieria is a headline-friendly storywhen it breaks out, but does the mediafocus too much on more immediate foodand drink infections?Self-cleaning filters are anew innovation that isself-explanatory and cansave companies incredibleamounts of money.PHOTO: RUSSELL25-28:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:04 Page 328www.fdiforum.netFOOD SAFETY & HYGIENEby allowing operators to only managematerials according to the user rightsconfigured to their processor status.Time to safeguard your product?With food safety being so crucial tosuccess within this sector, somecompanies are taking safety and hygieneto new heights. Recent news ofcompanies employing ‘zero defect’policies shows the issue of quality isbeing taken very seriously. Usingmultiple-strand checklists that ensure fulltraceability and on-going security has ledto Tate & Lyle’s Sucralose plant inSingapore to attain awards from theAgri-Food and Vetinary Authority ofSingapore. The plant was awarded thetop A-grade recently for the fourth yearin a row. Plant Manager Jim Cornelissen says,“Grade A status acknowledges our team’stotal commitment to industry excellenceand we are proud to have achieved thehighest grade every year since our firstaudit. The A grading reflects ourcontinuously improving qualityprocedures and recognises our exemplaryproduction methods.”Using machinery that is self-cleaningcan help operations, and recentinnovations mean that hygiene filters areavailable that do just that. This enablescontinuous removal of oversizecontamination as fine as 10 microns,achieved by continuously cleaning theapertures of the filter element. This kindof filter can save you money bysuccessfully removing oversize productsand ensures minimal loss of saleableproducts. Unlike the traditional bag or cartridgefilters, the filters use a reusable andreduced crevice filter element whicheliminates cost and environmentalimplications associated with replacementfilter media. Looking into something aslucrative as this is important forcompanies looking to provide a greatproduct, particularly if they want toexpand within their particular niche.Safeguarding further by investing inmetal detection can also help. Machineryis available that removes the tiniestshards, either through strongelectromagnetic fields or via alerts.Using the latest cleaning methods andspot-testing is also a great habit to getinto, many companies will already haveaction plans for keeping standards high,but new initiatives appear constantly.For example, the Food and EnvironmentResearch Agency and US-based WatersCorp have just announced the openingof a new lab-based training facility. Thefacility will combine their respectiveregulatory, scientific, and industryexpertise to help solve the global foodsafety challenge.The Fera International Food SafetyTraining Laboratory will teach the bestavailable techniques for testing for foodcontamination and the different foodsafety regulatory standards around theworld. This will help testingorganisations to better detectcontaminated food at farms, ports, andmanufacturing plants and increasecompliance with food regulations,ensuring food is safe before it reaches thetable. The UK training facility willprimarily train those concerned withexporting foods to Europe.At the Fera laboratory, Fera scientistswill lead training programs on EU-recommended testing methods fordetecting possible contaminants in foodusing the latest technology andequipment. Courses will focus onpreparing and testing samples accordingto fit-for-purpose methods to allowscientists to validate and use results tomake the right decisions about whetherfood is safe.Waters Corp. Executive Vice PresidentArt Caputo says, “We are very pleased topartner with Fera in establishing this labnear York. We believe that thiscollaboration will lead to better scienceand technology, and this in turn will helpus raise the bar on food safety. We knowthe scale of this challenge requires us toaddress it globally, which is why we areexcited to expand the IFSTL network.” The message food and drink companiesshould take from this is surely one of aserious approach to food safety. Ifgovernment agencies are investing inhard economic times in this area, perhapsit is time the rest of the industry followedsuit.Keeping surfaces and food equipment clean is aconstant struggle for food companies often turningover vast amounts of product. When harmful bacteriais a risk, it becomes even more important.M.D.S.Ltd.METAL DETECTION SERVICESwww.mds.org.ukIndustrial Metal Detection and authorised dealer of world leading Ceia SPA.25-28:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:04 Page 4FOOD SAFETY & HYGIENEwww.fdiforum.net29Aseptic designplatform load cellmeets EHEDGguidelinesHBM has launched the only platform load cell on the market –the PW27 – to meet the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering& Design Group) guidelines for applications in the food sector. Hygiene is increasingly important in the food industry because ofheightened consumer awareness and demand for the freshestpossible foodstuffs without preservatives. One critical aspect is the ability to easily clean plants and allcomponents used. To meet these demands the PW27 platform loadcell features a cylindrical design and is manufactured in stainlesssteel without any corners or edges. The measuring element andstrain gauges are hermetically sealed in the housing to give a robustcomponent that resists attacks from all cleaning and disinfectionagents currently used in the food industry. The PW27 platform load cell also meets the standards for bothIP68 and IP69K degrees of protection. It is initially available with amaximum capacity of 20 kg and is fitted with an integratedoverload stop to prevent damage from excessive loads. A 10 kg loadcell will be available in the near future. Suitable applications include filling and packaging machines, instatic scales or in multi-head combination weighers. The EHEDG is an association of manufacturers, food producersand research institutes that works to produce specific guidelines forensuring optimum hygienic conditions are maintained during foodproduction. For more information, visit www.hbm.com.Disinfectant Wet WipesPal Internationalprovides hygienesolutionsMicrobiologicalcontamination of surfacescontinues to be of risingconcern to the Food StandardsAgency with a reported 281incidents in the UK food industryin 2011. Pal International is aprovider of hygiene solutionsto the food industry and theleading UK manufacturerof food surfacedisinfectant wipes. In response toindustry demands forbetter performing wipeswith a lower cost in use,Pal International havedeveloped the Pal TX range– the first food surfacedisinfectant wipes toinclude Pal TRITEXnonwoven technology. PalTRITEX is manufacturedusing advanced spunbondtechnology to create a wet wipe material offering a range ofbenefits unlike any other.Pal TX wipes are completely alcohol free with a highspecification dual active disinfectant formulation ensuringsurfaces in food and beverage processing and manufacturingenvironments are kept free from harmful microorganisms thatcause food-borne infections and illnesses. They are proven as food safe and are independently testedagainst a wide spectrum of bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, mouldsand spores. For more information, contact Pal International on 01455 555730, email info@palinternational.com or visit www.palinternational.com.29:Layout 1 22/6/12 12:05 Page 1Next >