< Previous10 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net Just Egg’s oval poached eggs wins ‘Food Innovation of the Year’ The oval version of Just Egg Chilled Foods’ free-range poached egg is already proving to be a winner. Launched earlier this year, the egg took the award for ‘Food Innovation of the Year’ at the recent National Egg & Poultry Awards in London. The first British manufactured product of its kind, the new oval poached egg is made with free-range British Lion eggs and prepared and packed to ensure optimum freshness and to preserve flavour, following the same remit as its round counterpart. Judges were bowled over by the consistent high-quality of the egg and the simplicity and ease of the level of preparation involved in presenting the product as part of a dish. Gary Ford, Chief poultry adviser for the NFU, joined host, England rugby legend, Ben Kay, onstage to present the award to Just Egg Managing Director, Pankaj Pancholi. Mr Pancholi was delighted to receive such an accolade within so soon after the product launch. Kicking back against plastic with vacuum bottles With the on-going global crusade to banish and replace all single use plastic bottles from our daily lives, TheMagicTouch has introduced its unique image transfer process to decorate and personalise the latest global craze of vacuum bottles. Using the latest in white-toner printer technology full colour durable designs can be applied quickly, easily and cost-effectively with the advantage of a minimum order of one. The unique bottle design incorporates an insulated food grade stainless steel layer with an insulated liner that enables to keep both hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for up to 12 hours. The bottles themselves are available from most trade promotional suppliers, online providers and even high street retailers in the UK such as Wilko.com. The average cost for the full colour decoration is less than 25p per bottle and takes less than 2 minutes to produce. The company also offer a range of coloured enamel mugs printed using the same process. Seasonings go GF in centenary upgrade To celebrate a century of service to the British food industry, leading flavours and seasonings supplier, Unbar Rothon, has upgraded its top- selling products and added an important convenience element to them all. Detailed laboratory work by a team of scientists and taste specialists has enabled the Essex-based company to present these gluten-free products as also now free of MSG. The same scientific team guarantees that all the upgraded products precisely replicate the taste and performance characteristics of the originals. “This improvement is our centenary gift to the food industry and is yet another development which has been welcomed by customers,” said Unbar Rothon Director, Richard Rothon. In addition to the standard Butchers Pride range of gourmet, low salt and clean label varieties, Unbar Rothon has upgraded its celebration, festivities, seasonal, pies, haggis and several other top-selling product groups. The company has thus added a new dimension to the sausage, burger, meatballs, haggis and meat pies sectors of the market. on the shelf Glasgow design agency creates sustainable gin branding identity Glasgow-based creative agency, Offshoot Design, has worked with Beinn An Tuirc Distillers to develop its brand since the distillery’s inception in 2016. “Offshoot have assisted us over the last three years, initially in the creation of our branding and various marketing assets,” said Su Black, Head Distiller at Beinn An Tuirc. “As we grow, more recent work has included the creation of branded gift boxes, label designs and a range of first class product images. They have always delivered on time and to the highest quality on every occasion.” The hard work is paying off with Beinn An Tuirc Distillers being nominated for 6 categories, including ‘Excellence in Branding’, at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019. This follows the start-up’s success at last year’s event where they picked up the award for ‘Best Newcomer’. Single serve sized shrink sleeves for award-winning gin Market leading pre-cut lid and shrink sleeve manufacturer, Chadwicks of Bury (part of the Clondalkin Group), has developed a new shrink sleeve for the award-winning Silent Pool Gin. The shrink sleeve has been specially developed to brand a new single-serve bottle from Silent Pool Distillers developed in response to growing consumer demand. The smaller format bottle will open new sales channels for Silent Pool Gin and allow consumers to sample its product without committing to a multi-serve bottle. Silent Pool Gin is a unique and highly desirable brand and packaging design and maintaining brand consistency on the miniature sized bottle was crucial. “I am pleased to say that shrink sleeving has provided us with the ideal packaging solution and allowed us to replicate the high end, quality feel that we required,” said Ian McCulloch, CEO Silent Pool Distillers. “We have been very impressed by Chadwicks’ technical expertise and quality of the finished product.” 04-12.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:38 Page 7Food & Drink International 11 www.fdiforum.net Nestlé develops chocolate made entirely from cocoa fruit A unique chocolate has been created at Nestlé using only the beans and pulp of the cocoa fruit and bypassing the need for any refined sugar. The food giant is planning to launch the first product using this new approach in Japan this autumn through its KitKat Chocolatory. Next year will see a wider rollout with some of Nestlé’s most popular confectionery brands made using the same recipe. Nestlé has developed a natural approach, which allows it to extract the pulp and use it in chocolate with “no compromise on taste, texture and quality”. Until now chocolate has been made with the addition of refined sugars. This patented innovation delivers a great tasting chocolate using only one ingredient – the cocoa fruit. Patrice Bula, Head of Strategic Business Units, Marketing and Sales at Nestlé, said: “This is a real innovation which uses the natural sweetness of the cocoa pulp to provide a pure, novel chocolate experience.” UK steps up crusade on problematic plastics Eight problematic or unnecessary single- use plastics have been published by WRAP that members of The UK Plastics Pack are expected to remove from shelf by the end of 2020. These eight core items include disposable plastic cutlery, plastic stirrers, plastic draws, all polystyrene packaging, disposable plastic plates and bowls, PVC packaging, oxo- degradables that break down creating microplastics, and cotton buds with plastic stems. They are accompanied by a second list of nineteen plastic items which are to be prioritised for action to tackle problems associated with them by 2025. These include pouches, plastic bags, PVC cling film and teabags, among others. In doing so, WRAP said there will be a reduction in the amount of plastic on the shelves, a reduction in demand for virgin plastic and avoiding up to 1 tonne of Co2 per tonne that is recycled. Continuously cooked product in just 60 seconds Interfood Technology is offering the versatile Power Heater system which can reduce traditional processing and cooking costs for higher value meat products as well as upgrade meat trim. The same system also offers flexible opportunities to enter the vegetarian and/or vegan markets. The Power Heater system is manufactured in Denmark by Source Technology and is available in the UK and Ireland from Interfood. The patented system will add fibre and texture to both meat and vegetarian emulsion or ground product. It will generate a continuous cooked product in a 60 second cook cycle at up to 1.4 tons per hour. The simple but unique processing method takes ambient product into the Power Heater system where it is cooked before exiting at 85°C (with the potential for higher or lower temperatures depending on the product being produced) after which the power heater cutter will continuously produce to the desired product shape. Australia opening world’s first beef boning automation R&D room Australia is opening the world’s first beef boning automation R&D room as the red meat industry looks to slash processing costs and increase boning room yield efficiency. MLA Donor Company (MDC) will invest up to $32.4 million over five years enabling Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), in collaboration with beef processor, Teys Australia, and solution providers, to develop beef boning automation technology. The move towards beef boning automation will see the R&D room developed, enabled by CT and DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) objective carcase measurement technology and referred to as Leap4Beef. The program will not utilise any producer or processor levies, with Teys Australia co-funding the beef boning automation R&D room at its facility in Rockhampton in Queensland, with matching R&D contributions to come from the federal government. MLA Managing Director Jason Strong said with Australia reportedly having one of the world’s most expensive processing sectors, automating beef boning would reduce per head operating costs for the benefit of the entire Australian industry. Government seeking views on fortifying flour with folic acid Public views are being sought by health departments across the UK on the government’s proposal to fortify flour with folic acid. The 12-week public consultation will explore what kinds of products should be included. Folic acid is essential to the development of a healthy baby during early pregnancy. Not having enough of it can lead to babies being born with brain, spine and spinal cord problems known as ‘neural tube defects’. UK wheat flour millers already have to add thiamine, niacin and iron to restore what is lost in the milling process and calcium for health benefits. “The simple measure of adding folic acid to flour would help spare hundreds of families from such a life-changing event,” said Public Health Minister, Seema Kennedy. “Women from the poorest areas are less likely to take folic acid supplements and it is right that we do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in society.” The consultation closes on 9 September. on line © Shutterstock/HelloRF Zcool © Shutterstock/Shebeko © Nestlé © Shutterstock/Marina Onokhina 04-12.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:38 Page 8Filtration leader expands in Southern and Eastern Europe Porvair Filtration Group has announced the appointment of two new Business Development Managers in Europe. In response to increased demand, Porvair’s New Milton Division has employed local experts to manage and support its sales channels, offering performance-driven filtration equipment the process and industrial sectors. Fabio Nicolodi, who has over 18 years’ experience in filtration, will drive growth by developing new and existing customers in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Malta. Petr Straka, who has over 11 years’ experience, is responsible for developing new and existing customers in Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slavic regions. He will also support Russia as opportunities develop. Divisional Sales Manager Nish Thakrar said: “We’re delighted to welcome both Fabio and Petr on board. Appointing them as our Business Development Managers is part of our strategy to expand our capabilities within Europe. Their proven track record, market knowledge and fresh ideas will help to establish and strengthen our activities in the region.” Rigid Containers appoints new Managing Director Rigid Containers, part of the VPK Group, has appointed David Richardson as its new Group Managing Director. Mr Richardson joins from DS Smith where he worked for over 25 years, latterly as Sector Director Retail South, responsible for five sites and over 1,000 employees. He will replace Richard Coward who, having led the business for over a decade, is retiring. “Having had the privilege of being at the helm of Rigid Containers for over a decade, and as a team having achieved much of what we set out to do, now is the appropriate time to stand down and let someone else have the opportunity to take the business to the next level,” said Mr Coward. “David’s excellent reputation proceeds him and it is clear that his personality and style will be well suited to Rigid and continue our transformation into one of the key players in the corrugated industry.” Don’t forget you can now read Food & Drink International Digital Editions now available on iPad & iPhone www.fdiforum.net Ideal for those who spend time away from the office o n t h e g o ! To advertise your services on the news pages contact us on 01472 310302 12 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net Fabio NicolodiPetr Straka 04-12.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:38 Page 9Food & Drink International 13 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT C hina has made its latest move in an ongoing game of political chess, effectively putting Canada in check, after suspending imports of beef and pork from the North American country. The suspension comes after Chinese authorities discovered the presence of ractopamine residues in a batch of pork products recently imported from Canada. Banned in 160 countries, ractopamine is a feed additive used to promote leanness in animals reared for meat. As the additive is concentrated in the gastro-intestinal systems of animals, and pork offal is common in the Chinese diet, the country banned the additive in 2014 to preserve public health. It wasn’t only the presence of the controversial additive that led to the decision from Chinese authorities. The ensuring investigation found up to 188 forged health certificates attached to exports of pork from Canada to China. In the wake of this discovery, China urged its trading partner to take effective measures to ensure the safety of its food exports. Canada, in turn, launched its own investigation to explore whether tainted pork shipped along with false health certificates actually came from domestic producers. The official stance in Ottawa Strained relations © Shutterstock/ DD Images 14 Á Trade relations between China and Canada have become increasingly fraught over the last few months as tensions between the two nations tighten. With issues arising over food imports, pressure continues to mount. 13-15.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:41 Page 114 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT appears to be that the incident occurred because of an outside influence or adulteration. A stance backed up by International Trade Minister Jim Carr, who stated that “Somebody is trying to use the Canadian brand to move product into the Chinese market”. It’s advantageous for Canada to resolve the issue without antagonising China, a lucrative market that it would doubtless like to keep. Between January and April 2016, China brought £186 million worth of Canadian pork – making it Canada’s third largest market for pork – and £38 million of Canadian beef. The move to embargo pork imports from Canada isn’t without precedent. Earlier this year, China blocked imports of Canadian canola seed, citing quality concerns that, unsurprisingly, have been disputed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). However, in April, an anonymous agriculture ministry official claimed that the incident was a “misunderstanding” and had not “escalated”. That’s good news for the Canadian economy, with the Canola Council reporting that China accounted for around forty per cent of the nation’s canola seed, oil and meal exports. In any case, it all adds to mounting political tensions between the two nations that extend beyond the food sector. Back in December 2018, Meng Wanhou, Chief Financial Officer of telecommunications equipment company Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver for allegedly breaking US sanctions on Iran. Wanhou, who is also the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, now faces extradition to the US. She has since filed a civil claim against Canada’s government, border agency and police for what she describes as “serious breaches” of her civil rights. Controversies over the import of food products have occurred at the ports of both countries. A list compiled by the CFIA recently released to the public via access-to-information law revealed that, over the last two years, officials flagged up almost nine hundred food items with problems. These problems, which included faulty labels, undeclared allergens and harmful contaminates including glass © Shutterstock/ RossHelen © Shutterstock/ Slawomir Fajer 13-15.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:41 Page 2Food & Drink International 15 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT and metal, all occurred between 2017 and early 2019, before the aforementioned pork embargo. Despite the hundreds of problem products identified by officials, only four food shipments were refused entry into Canada over the specified two-year period, CFIA reports show. Trade relations between the two nations have unsurprisingly become a political hot topic. Prime Minister Trudeau has been recently called out by Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party, to step up inspections on all products imported from China. He also called for the PM to consider putting tariffs on imports. As has been demonstrated with China’s ongoing trade war with the US (see FDI February 2019), slapping tariffs on Chinese imports may just spiral into a full-blown trade war with Canada and exacerbate the already strained trade relations – a fate that surely neither nation wants. UK welcomes Mexican delegation pursuing pork deal In a bid to promote UK pork to the Mexican market, a delegation from the nation’s livestock industry recently visited the UK to learn more about the sector. During the six-day trade mission – organised by AHDB with support from Mexico’s Department for International Trade – delegates toured farms, processors, supermarkets and a pig farming and genetics specialist. AHDB Senior Export Manager Susana Morris said the visit presents an incredible opportunity to showcase UK pork to influential industry experts in the Mexican market. “Mexico is a significant market for our pork trade and we are in progressive discussions with the Mexican authorities regarding market access for pork,” she said. “Last year, the country imported almost a million tonnes of pig meat, excluding offal – with the lion’s share coming from the US.” British summer sports see strawberries & cream exports surge Britain is expected to enjoy an upsurge in exports of strawberries and cream as producers capitalise on Wimbledon. HMRC figures reveal that the UK exported a record £3.9 million strawberries around the globe in 2018. £663,000 were exported in the first four months of 2019 alone. As year-round production grows, exports of the fruit were up by 56.3% last year. 1,208 tonnes of fresh strawberries were exported from the UK last year to markets including Iceland, Ireland and even Spain where, despite the warm climate, the country still imported £379,371 worth of strawberries grown in Britain. Meanwhile, exports of cream were worth £70 million last year. International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said that “with the GREAT British Summer of Sport in full swing, I am delighted that Britain’s exporters are serving up a treat, with more people than ever before enjoying classic British strawberries and cream.” British public say no to imports of sub-standard food A new survey has found that 86% of the British public believe that future trade deals must ensure imported food is produced to the same standards as in the UK. OnePoll surveyed 2,000 adults and found that 69% of the public now had a favourable view of UK farmers in 2019, equally a record high. Following these findings, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is asking why the government hasn’t yet laid out its plans on how it will maintain British farming’s high standards in any future trade deal. “Food security and domestic food production should not be jeopardised or off-shored. It is strategically important for a country to have the ability to feed its people,” said NFU President Minette Batters. “A no-deal Brexit or a bad trade deal puts all that in danger and I urge the Government to recognise this as we enter the pivotal months ahead.” 13-15.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:41 Page 3Organised by Register for your free pass at www.imhx.net • Visit the largest logistics event in the UK • Attend hundreds of product launches and live demonstrations • Gain insight from free-to-attend seminars • Network with thousands of logistics and supply chain professionals Don’t delay! Register now for IMHX 2019 16-21.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:44 Page 1Food & Drink International 17 www.fdiforum.net MATERIALS HANDLING M aterials handling equipment is essential for the quick movement of products, whether that be ensuring orders are loaded into vehicles and sent out on time or getting perishables to the shelf without spoiling. Whether one is considering trolleys, conveyors or forklifts, materials handling equipment is continuously evolving to enable greater levels of safety, efficiency, and flexibility while promising to save costs in the long term. The range of scenarios requiring materials handling that arise within the food industry are vast, from raw materials handling to stacking containers, and each task has the potential to damage the muscles and joints of one’s workforce. Data from the HSE’s ‘Moving Food & Drink’ shows that a third of reportable injuries in the food industry are acute injuries caused by handling and lifting – primarily stacking/unstacking containers, pushing wheeled racks, packing, handling drinks containers – with over half of these involving lifting heavy © Shutterstock/ Monkey Business Images Improving efficiency and avoiding injury Materials handling equipment continues to evolve on minor and major levels, from improved forklift design to reduce musculoskeletal injuries to the automation of trucks to help make up for the sector’s labour shortage. 18 Á 16-21.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:44 Page 218 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MATERIALS HANDLING objects. Further, studies show that three quarters of these injuries are preventable. As these injuries cost money from resulting absences, high staff turnover, retraining, compensation cases and loss of production, it is key that equipment is used to adapt jobs to better serve the health and safety of employees, ultimately boosting satisfaction and reducing fatigue levels as this is implemented, resulting in increased productivity. To boost health and safety in materials handling, check that work areas and equipment used are ergonomically designed to reduce, and minimise the strains associated with, bending, twisting, excessive stretching, pulling and pushing. One common piece of materials handling equipment that can be improved with ergonomics is the humble forklift, whose operators commonly develop repetitive strain and musculoskeletal injuries. Seats with lumbar support, adjustable arm rests and suspension can reduce vibration that frequently leads to musculoskeletal disorders and fatigue. Adjusting vehicles like forklifts to your workplace is also key to prevent injury, for instance using the right wheel materials for the floor surface as well as shock- absorbing casters to reduce vibration. Boosting visibility has also improved forklifts for their operators, with cameras improving vision at forks to allow for increased accuracy and less neck straining to see, especially when navigating in increasingly narrow aisles as warehouses and distribution centres aim to hold as much product as possible to meet demand. Fortunately when improving the ergonomics of operations, productivity also receives a boost. Much like the wider food and drink industry, perhaps the main innovative trend impacting the materials handling © Shutterstock/ Slavko Sereda 20 Á 16-21.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:44 Page 3Food & Drink International 19 www.fdiforum.net A sweet solution for Belgium Chocolate Due to high growth in consumer demand, Chocolate World’s manufacturing and warehousing capacities were pushed to the limit. To make Chocolate World fit for the future, its manufacturing and warehousing was optimised to increase efficient order picking and maximise productivity by using the LR 35 Vertical Buffer Module from Kardex Remstar. Hans Bruyndonx, buyer at Chocolate World, is delighted with the solution: “We were looking for a system where we could store our 1,500 items in boxes and precisely pick 300 order lines per day. “The two LR 35 Vertical Buffer Modules handle up to 500 orders and store 2,736 customised boxes. Our expectations were truly exceeded!” LR35 solution did not require intensive training and meant less staff were required. Chocolate World has increased productivity with the same number of employees. If you want to know more about the LR35 from Kardex, visit www.kardex-remstar.co.uk. 16-21.qxp_Layout 1 23/07/2019 11:44 Page 4Next >