< PreviousLouis Dreyfus Company and Instanta inaugurate freeze-dried instant coffee facility in Vietnam Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Instanta have inaugurated ILD Coffee Vietnam, a joint venture freeze-dried instant coffee facility located in Binh Duong province, Vietnam, with annual production capacity of 5,600 metric tons of freeze-dried instant coffee. The new facility was established to meet rising global demand for instant coffee, particularly more premium freeze-dried instant coffee. The facility’s product offering is tailored to meet the preferences of consumers across established markets, such as Europe, and emerging markets in Asia. “This venture with Instanta supports our global strategy to diversify through more value- added products, reflects our ongoing commitment to Vietnam as a key market for LDC, and complements our existing global Robusta green coffee business, expanding our product portfolio to meet customers’ needs,” said Ben Clarkson, LDC’s global head of coffee. “Leveraging our expertise in coffee sourcing in Vietnam and extensive global network, combined with Instanta’s leadership in the instant coffee business, ILD Coffee Vietnam is well positioned for success.” Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to make £31m investment at Wakefield manufacturing site Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the independent bottler of Coca-Cola, is making a new £31 million investment at its manufacturing site in Wakefield, Europe’s largest soft drinks plant by volume. The investment will help develop a new state-of-the-art canning line, which will be operational in 2024 and will be capable of producing 2,000 cans per minute. The new line will provide additional production capabilities for CCEP’s light-weight 330ml cans, and advanced technologies will be incorporated into the line to help minimise energy, water and CO2 consumption. Energy and water savings come from innovations such as air rinsing capabilities, dry lubrication on conveyors and an auto-sleep function on motors. Funding will also go towards infrastructure upgrades to optimise the factory for production and future innovations. This will include the construction and fit of a new raw materials storage warehouse, plus additional utilities storage and the expansion of other facilities on site. It also supports the recent implementation of attached cap production capabilities on two of the site’s lines, making it easier to recycle the entire plastic bottle with no cap left behind. 10 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net on line Chivas Brothers reveals plans for first Islay distillery Chivas Brothers, the Pernod Ricard business dedicated to Scotch whisky, has revealed plans for its first distillery on the isle of Islay. The new distillery marks the first time Chivas Brothers will introduce an Islay whisky to its Scotch portfolio, rounding out its offering of globally recognised malts and blends which include The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s. A leader in sustainable Scotch, Chivas Brothers has an ambitious goal to be carbon neutral in distillation across all of its sites by the end of 2026. In alignment with this target, design of the Islay project – and any future new-build distillery – will be carbon neutral in distillation from inception. Once operational, its production will focus on Islay single malt, celebrating the region’s distinctly smoky and peated profile. The land purchase signals Chivas Brothers’ long-term intent to become part of the fabric of Islay, as it has been for decades through Speyside and the surrounds. Arla Foods Ingredients invests for growth in Argentina Arla Foods Ingredients has invested in a major upgrade to its facility in Argentina, allowing it to meet growing demand for high- quality whey ingredients, both in Latin America and globally. The improvements to the company’s Porteña site include a new drying tower, which will more than double capacity for production of whey permeate powder. It has also taken the measures necessary to produce infant-formula- grade proteins in Latin America. Dairy technology provider RELCO, a Koch Separation Solutions Company, is due to begin building work on the tower once financial arrangements have been finalised. RELCO was selected for its global experience in permeate processing and drying, South American resources and commitment to the specific requirements of the project. The tower is scheduled to be completed and go live in 2026. Henrik Andersen, CEO of Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “We’ve been active in Argentina since 2000 and we’re pleased that Arla Foods Ingredients S.A. has achieved some very satisfactory results, allowing it to invest in further growth for the future. This major upgrade is an essential element of our strategy to meet the increasing demand for high-quality whey products – both in Latin America and globally.” © stock.adobe.com/ Avocado_studio © stock.adobe.com/ Pixel-Shot Burts cooks up £6m investment into Leicester factory Burts has invested £6m into its Leicester factory this year, doubling the site’s capacity to produce more hand-cooked chips and compression popped snacks to keep up with demand. The investment aligns with the company’s organic and strategic growth plan, creating new avenues for progression and opportunities for its employees. As part of the investment, installations include two new state-of-the-art fryers, one new bagging system and 14 compression poppers to create the brand’s popular Lentil Chips, along with doubling the potato storage capacity and updating handling operations. These improvements to the factory have created 16 new jobs at the Leicester location for frying and popping operatives. The premium snacks brand was acquired by European snack producer, Europe Snacks earlier this year. Burts continues to operate from its two manufacturing sites in Leicester, Plymouth and Devon. © stock.adobe.com/ thayra83Aunt Bessie’s gets festive with star shaped Yorkshire pudding This festive season, Aunt Bessie’s will be encouraging consumers to elevate their roast dinners with the launch of its Gloriously Festive Star Yorkshire puddings. Available from mid-October, the limited-edition product will offer a touch of fun to family roast dinners. As with all Aunt Bessie’s products, the Gloriously Festive Star Yorkshires are easy to prepare as they are ready to be cooked from frozen, and the brand’s new star comes with just a five-minute cook time. The Christmas period continually sees high demand for frozen food, with savoury frozen being the only category to see growth in the category over Christmas 2022, since it provides shoppers with fresh, great tasting meal components that have the added benefit of convenience. Out of all shoppers who bought frozen Roast Dinner items for Christmas 2022, 62% bought into Aunt Bessie’s - with over a quarter (27%) of these exclusively purchasing Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire Puddings. As the Yorkshire pudding category leaders, Aunt Bessie’s is well positioned to offer reassurance to retailers that this new product is essential to stock at Christmas. on the shelf Baileys Chocolate enters new category with launch of Nut Mix Irish chocolatier, Lir Chocolates, is expanding its Baileys Chocolate range, introducing its latest creation, the Baileys Chocolate Nut Mix, just in time for Christmas. The Baileys Chocolate Nut Mix combines roasted almonds coated in Baileys Chocolate with an indulgent mix of caramelised hazelnuts, cashews, almonds and peanuts, with a hint of Baileys, and crunchy salted caramel popcorn, available from Tesco RRP £3.50. Baileys Chocolate is bringing a new unique flavour mix to the nut category. This indulgent treat from Baileys Chocolate supports the demand for the category during the festive period, with data showing that there is usually a 35% uplift in sales of nuts in the 12-week run-up to Christmas. The premium Chocolate Nut Mix comes in a recyclable and resealable doy bag as Baileys Chocolate continues its journey towards reducing plastic in its packaging and providing more sustainable products for consumers to shop. The mix offers shoppers an affordable treat when they are willing to spend more during the festive period. Food & Drink International 11 www.fdiforum.net Embrace the taste of Colombia - Löfbergs launches at Waitrose Swedish sensation Löfbergs is not only adding a new Colombia coffee to their offering but is now also available in Waitrose stores nationwide. Extending its range of delectable coffees with its new Colombian flavour, exclusively available at Waitrose, Löfbergs’ Colombia coffee is a single origin ground blend that tastes fruity and sweet, with notes of berries and caramel. Colombia coffee is renowned by coffee fanatics for its superior smooth taste and aroma and, combined with Löfbergs’ expertise for producing exquisite kaffee, this new coffee is sure to be a firm favourite with all coffee lovers. Löfbergs’ launch into Waitrose also sees the brand unveil a new bold packaging design. The new packaging remains in-keeping with the bright colours the brand is recognisable for, but further celebrates Löfbergs’ Swedish heritage with clean, cool lines synonymous with Scandi design. Pact Coffee secures first retail listing with Waitrose UK speciality coffee roaster Pact Coffee has secured its first retail listing with Waitrose. Six lines are now available in Waitrose stores nationwide, including Pact Coffee’s award-winning Bourbon Cream Espresso, Fruit & Nut Espresso and Single Estate Microlot Filter. A dark roast that’s every bit as indulgent as the classic biscuit, Pact Coffee’s Bourbon Cream Espresso boasts creamy and chocolatey flavours. It will be available as ground coffee, wholebean and in pod form. The Fruit & Nut Espresso is also available ground and in pod form. It has a fuller body and a more caramelised flavour profile, with hints of milk chocolate, dried fruit and almonds - characteristics that naturally exist in the coffee. The Single Estate Microlot Filter is available as ground coffee only. All the lines are 100% speciality grade and ethically sourced directly from farmers. The Single Estate Microlot Filter has been sourced directly from Kibirizi Washing Station - a collective of 1,130 farmers that each have less than a hectare of land, on average. Warner’s Distillery launches world’s first dandelion-spiced rum Warner’s Distillery, famed for its innovative portfolio of award-winning gin and noted as the pioneers of the flavoured gin revolution, has launched its first rum - WARNER’S SPICED BOTANICAL RUM (40% ABV) - and in true Warner’s style, its key ingredient is the bee- friendly, farm-grown dandelion. Founders Tina and Tom Warner, and the Warner’s Distillery team are known for their market-leading spirits innovation via their farm- grown ingredients. The development of this unique rum evolved from a 2019 gin innovation project using only ingredients that were within a bee’s flight of the farm. Warner’s Spiced Botanical Rum uses a white Caribbean rum base distilled with roasted dandelion root, brown bananas too ripe to sell, discarded orange peel and spices including smoky black cardamom, cinnamon, and pink peppercorn. Post distillation, more roasted dandelion root is added alongside orange peel, cassia and sarsaparilla. This not only builds flavour, but it also gives the liquid its vibrant golden colour. 12 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT A decades long trade deficit, a desire to increase wealth, and data indicating an underutilisation of trade deals are pushing Jamaica’s government to ramp up and promote the benefits of exporting. The start of 2023 showed a continuation of imports outweighing exports in the country, as while the value of goods sold overseas grew to US$677.5 million for the first four months of the year (up 32% on the comparable period of 2022), imports reached $2.4 billion. A positive picture is painted for the food and drink sector, however, with agriculture industries a key driver of export growth, with earnings expanding to $27.3 million, mainly as a result of higher yam exports, which climbed by 32.6 per Looking to revitalise food exports to bolster its economy, Jamaica is expanding efforts to sell more products to the international market. exports RevitalisingFood & Drink International 13 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT © stock.adobe.com/irishmaster cent to $13.2 million. Meanwhile, where exports of manufactured products overall were down 3.1% from last year, the subcategory of food, beverages and tobacco fared well, generating 14.5% more earnings from export markets in comparison to last year, at $126.4 million. This was due primarily to the increased export of alcoholic beverages, rum, sauces and canned ackee. Key government members in Jamaica have been reiterating the importance of businesses producing with overseas markets in mind, as essential for improving the nation’s economy. Senator Aubyn Hill, Jamaica’s minister of industry, investment and commerce, for example has been clear in the need for the island to widen its export base and not simply sell to its small population of three million. As reported by the Jamaica Observer, Hill is leading numerous trade missions to connect the Jamaican business community with outside markets, and has called in particular for increased trading with the West African region, targeting 14 Á14 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT expanded relationships with countries including Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, as well as the Latin American market, making a concerted effort to build trade with Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Panama. Financial support and programmes to help businesses produce and export more goods are in place to facilitate this, such as Trade Board Limited’s ‘Step-Up Export with Trade Agreements’ initiative and ‘Export Academy’ plans, while, looking ahead, the government is aiming to urge smaller businesses to tap into the advantages of preferential trade agreements, make adjustments to existing trade agreements, but also look beyond long-standing arrangements, to multiple new strategies for export growth. Certain commodities are being focused on to bolster trade such as through the initiative ‘FACE of Food’, initially pitched in 2021 and relaunched this August by agriculture minister Floyd Green. With four pillars around food security, agribusiness development, climate smart technologies and export expansion, a spotlight is being placed on important export crops, including yam, ackee, breadfruit, sweet potato, and mango, as well as small ruminants and aquaculture. As reported by Our Today, Green noted in his launch of the initiative that the aspiration is to achieve a 10-25% increase in export across crops, culminating in a 10% boost in export earnings, and to create a nation that not only feeds itself but thrives on the global stage. It comes as Jamaica’s spice sector is set for revitalisation, thanks to a $20 million United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project. It is expected the Food for Progress Jamaica Spices (JaSPICE) initiative will increase the yield of ginger, turmeric and pimento by 50% and generate sales of $20.7 million, of which $14.5 million is anticipated to stem from exports. Putting into production 6,000 acres of turmeric, ginger, and pimento, climate-resilient farming systems are to be integrated in the initiative with improved planting material and management practices. Chief of Party for Food for Progress Jamaica Spices, Dr. Ronald Blake, shared with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) that the initiative will address the growing global spice demand for use in food, seasonings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals, and address challenges in Jamaica of lack of access to clean planting material, low © stock.adobe.com/CristianeFood & Drink International 15 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT production volumes and a fragmented farmer base that have led to high levels of unmet demand. The project will tackle challenges by improving the production and quality of the spices to meet international standards and expand export. The international competitiveness of Jamaica’s hot pepper sector is also ready for a boost, due to a partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The ‘Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica’ project is being implemented through the Standards and Trade Facility of the World Trade Organization, with aims to provide support to improve the institutional capacity for farmers to produce consistently high-quality peppers, such as the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet, while improving market access. As highlighted by JIS, Jamaica’s potential earnings from hot pepper exports are nowhere close to being realised at present, with current constraints including meeting the compliance and application of international food safety and phytosanitary standards, and producing sufficient quantities for a consistent supply of quality hot peppers. Looking to turn a new leaf and rebalance the import/export scale, an intriguing future awaits for Jamaica as initiatives to enhance trade unfold. D Davies Turner © stock.adobe.com/Mr. Bolota16 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT © stock.adobe.com/monticellllo Cold proof packaging Cold proof packaging Food & Drink International 17 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT C ertain ingredients or finished products which are high in moisture, or prone to bacterial contamination, need protection from cold temperatures. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs are highly perishable and the correct, consistent storage temperatures are needed to keep them as attractive, healthy and nutritious as when they were delivered to you. Other products such as dairy, meat, eggs and ready-to- eat meals can be the kinds of environments bacteria and moulds love, and so protection from fluctuating conditions is needed to prevent the rapid changes in temperature which can allow both to grow. As you can see, there’s a variety of specific foods and food types that need insulation even in the cold. While it might seem counterintuitive, insulation is not just about keeping items warm; it’s also about stabilising temperatures and maintaining the ideal environment for each product through to its final destination. Even fresh fruit juices, smoothies, and other beverages without preservatives are highly perishable under the wrong conditions, due to their high water content. These too need consistent storage temperatures to inhibit the growth of spoilage organisms and pathogens, extending their shelf life, and keeping them at their most delicious for consumers. Several types of packaging materials can be used for insulation to protect products from temperature fluctuations and maintain their desired temperature. The choices you make in your protective packaging will likely vary depending on factors such as the specific product, the duration of insulation required, and the environmental conditions. But provided you’ve done your homework on each of these variables, your familiarity with your product and its needs will go a long way to making the best choice. To help you on your way, let’s go Though maintaining the cold chain is of critical importance with certain foods – as we explore elsewhere in this issue – what’s to be done in the winter months for items that instead need protecting from the cold? 18 Á18 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT through some reliable, commonly used materials and solutions to get you started. Thermal insulated boxes and containers, which are typically made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polyurethane foam, provide excellent insulation as well as being lightweight. They’re ideal for shipping temperature- sensitive items in a controlled environment, when items can either be damaged by freezing, or diminished in quality by unstable temperatures. These come in various sizes and are often used in the food industry for their versatility and broad availability, as well as their high effectiveness over long distances. Additional temperature- controlled packaging materials including foil-lined foam, bubble wrap or other insulating layers can be used to line boxes and containers for individual food items. Providing adjustable protection to a fine level of detail, they’re often used for shipping high-value, temperature-sensitive foods like seafood and specialty meats. When packaging needs to be sturdier or hold bulky items securely in place, fibre insulation might be a better option than the basic shell a box provides. Fibreglass, mineral wool and other similar materials can offer reliable thermal resistance, and on top of that may also be layered for increased insulation to customise for any product’s fragility or base temperature. Insulated pallet covers and blankets can be brought in for the added protection of boxed or loose items, using reflective materials, foam, or bubble wrap enclosed in durable, water-resistant fabric to maintain consistent temperatures for bulk shipments. It’s also worth remembering that some pallet container designs have thermal qualities built in, as with thermal pallet shippers which feature thick insulating walls and a secure lid. Designed for air or ocean freight, thermal pallet shippers protect large quantities of food items by maintaining a consistent temperature, even during long international shipments. By now, you might have considered the fact that these solutions are variable in terms of their eco- friendliness. This key issue must be carefully considered by any responsible business, but thankfully there are sustainable solutions to insulated packaging. Recyclable and recycled, reusable and biodegradable packaging is readily available, in materials including cardboard for insulating layers, cornstarch based packing peanuts, recycled plastics and metals, © stock.adobe.com/polinalovesFood & Drink International 19 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT and even compostable mycelium. However, it’s important to note that packaging made from recycled materials isn’t all equally green. Without the impetus on a circular economy, recycled packaging can’t always recycle again. But sustainable packaging made from natural or easily recyclable materials are your best bet for planet- friendly transportation whenever possible. What you must also watch out for is that any biodegradable packaging you use is made from these sustainable base materials. Certain plastics are biodegradable, but are decidedly not planet friendly. Biodegradable plastics break down into microplastics, carried by air and water to contaminate animals and their habitats, the ocean and our own bodies. Compostable packaging is less difficult to judge in its eco-friendliness, as it will all be made from natural materials. These break down into their original components over time, meaning they can often be disposed of with food waste in a compost bin, and doesn’t have to be washed beforehand. The main drawback here is that compostable packaging products require specific conditions to break down fully. Biodegradable and compostable materials also share a weakness of barrier strength and can’t be vacuum sealed, making them susceptible both to damage and infiltration by contaminants. The good news is that many of these eco-friendly packaging materials are just as reliable for temperature control as any others, and can be combined with reusable ice packs. Their durable outer covers filled with gel that thaws and refreezes safely mean that they can be reused many times over, with some versions even equipped with covers made from recyclable or biodegradable materials. When your packaged products need to be held in storage, vacuum-insulated panels can also be Installed in the walls and ceilings of cold storage rooms to provide superior insulation, ensuring a stable, controlled environment for perishable food items. When it’s time for them to move, your products and their protective packaging can be loaded into trucks which are equally well insulated or refrigerated as needed. Safeguarded by all these layers of defence against changing temperatures – especially when they’re tagged with temperature-indicating labels or data loggers – you’ll never have to worry about moisture control or temperature shock to your precious products. © stock.adobe.com/GorodenkoffNext >