< Previous40 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTRACEABILITY© Shutterstock/chase4conceptTRACEDTracing problems down a supply line can help identify flashpoints, but thereis more to traceability than pointing out mistakes. 40-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:04 Page 1Food & Drink International 41www.fdiforum.netTRACEABILITYProblem-free coding for luxuryfree-from brand Booja-BoojaRotech’s RF Lite with iJet TIJ (thermalinkjet) printer has transformed codingoperations for Booja-Booja’s luxurydairy-, soy- and gluten-free chocolatetruffles. Booja-Booja’s packaging is designedto reflect the high-quality of its products,but the old coding process for trufflesinvolved sticking data labels to the outersleeves using a label gun, which wasextremely time consuming andsometimes resulted in less-than-perfectpositioning. “For traceability, we need to have bestbefore dates on our truffles but doing itmanually was inefficient from both atime and cost perspective. Also, havingan old-fashioned sticker on the packdidn’t really chime with our beautifulpackaging,” says Production ManagerTim Morgan.With truffle production sometimesreaching over 1,000 cases per day, theselabelling issues were only going to become more time-consuming as the company continues toexpand. Realising that Booja-Booja might be better off switching to an automated coding system,Mr Morgan called in Rotech.The RF Lite takes flat cardboard sleeves from a hopper, feeds them through an inkjet printer sothey can be date-coded, then stacks them again ready for use. It can handle a variety of sleeveshapes and sizes and only takes seconds to swap between sizes without special tools or training.This was an important factor for the truffle-maker, because the company currently uses fivedifferent sleeve sizes. A typical run for Booja-Booja’s truffle sleeves is currently 700 or 800 at atime taking under one hour. Mr Morgan says it took just one month from approaching Rotech to having the new system upand running. Rotech engineers help with the hardware installation and Booja-Booja downloadedthe software. For more information, visit www.rotechmachines.com.Traceability has become somethingof a buzzword in the food and drinkindustry, a means for which the originsof a product can be traced backthrough the supply chain, be it todiscover who canned the product in afactory or what supplier or even farmthe ingredients came from. This pushhas come from almost three directionsat once, first from the manufacturers,who see traceability as a safety netagainst product recalls, allowing themto provide retailers with information onwhere the product went wrong(hopefully not on their end). Thesecond force are Governing andGovernment bodies, who want to beable to know how and where they needto react in the event of a foodcontamination outbreak, with memoriesgoing back to BSE or Foot and MouthDisease. Finally, consumers play another partin the demand for traceability, alongwith those looking to market goods toconsumers. Apart from the health andsafety benefits, traceability offers acertain guarantee of freshness – or aperceived one. By letting a consumerknow from where the ingredients weresourced, providing they are well-knownquality locations, the product gainsperceived value. This is especiallyprevalent with “local produce”, with theUK working on the “Best of British”tags seen on many meats andvegetables in UK supermarkets. With so many factors in place, onewould think that traceability would bewidespread through the food and drinkindustry, and while it is, there are stillmany who do not have a rigid systemin place. In the event of a food scare orrecall in a retailer, most largesupermarkets will give a strict deadlineon when they need full traceabilitydetails by. After all, they need to releasepress releases to explain what wentwrong, and to decide how much theyneed to pull from their shelves. Thisdeadline could be as little as 72 hours,but it could be less depending on theindividual supermarket and theirbargaining power. In a recent survey, avast number of food and drinkmanufacturers admitted that they42 Á40-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:04 Page 242 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netwould be unable to meet such adeadline, and that they had no systemsin place to react that quickly, a faultwhich could – if the scenario provedtrue – cost them contracts with the bigsupermarkets.When it comes to traceabilitysystems, much of it comes down tosoftware. Databases and trackingsystems will help monitor and followsupplies through the manufacturing,supply and retail chain, so long as it isupdated regularly and kept maintained.Backups of data should be kept forsome time in case of future problems,but much of it is bookkeeping. Theproblem typically comes from thesensors and scanners used in suchsystems, because more often than not,this is where the human element isintroduced.Labels, barcodes and codes need tobe scanned and logged, andingredients brought in from onedestination need to be checked toensure they are logged as such. Insome cases, like on an automated line,the sensors can do this without humanintervention, but since research showsthat 72% of manufacturing tasks arestill done by humans, this will onlyfactor in a quarter of the time. Moreoften than not, it’s going to be humanoperators using handheld devices toscan batch codes, and this is whereerror comes into play. Be it a rush job,negligence or even an operatordeciding that a deadline is moreimportant than protocol, manyproducts go unscanned, and thus arepushed through the manufacturingplant or supply chain without beingaccurately logged. Nine tenths of thetime, this leads to no problems asrecalls are rare things, but it only needsto go wrong once to cost a companydearly.Discipline is one solution to theproblem, but it is a short term one.Education and understanding areperhaps better, utilising training to helpemployees understand just howtraceability helps the company operate,and just how important it is. Manyemployees see traceability as a lack oftrust in them, an employer vetting theirmistakes and trying to land them introuble by pointing any flak back downthe line. By showing employees thattraceability serves more purposes thansimply locating mistakes, operators aremore likely to respect the need for suchprocesses and put more effort intomaintaining them. Ultimately, any traceability system isgoing to need an inclusive approach,incorporating not just technology,sensors and labelling machines, butalso training for staff who will have tooperate and maintain them. It is notsomething that can be introducedwithout thought or care.© Shutterstock/aurielaki40-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:04 Page 3TRACEABILITYFood & Drink International 43www.fdiforum.netModular traceability systemgives customers flexibility inimplementation and cost Stevens Traceability Systems, a UK-based weighing andtraceability firm, has launched a modularised traceability system sothat food manufacturers can choose system functionality that suitstheir current business needs. Having provided weighing equipment, traceability and recipeformulation systems to food manufacturers for 160 years, a changein management has driven a customer-focused system, wherebymanufacturers can choose to implement a full end-to-endtraceability system as one project, or they can implement a systemmodule by module, to suit their requirements. The modularised traceability system has already been welcomedby leading shortbread manufacturer, Paterson Arran. Stevens’worked in partnership with Paterson Arran to develop a traceabilitysystem which improved their processes and finished products, and the end-to-end traceability system was implemented in stages, module bymodule, to meet with Paterson Arran’s business needs. Tom Dignan, Business Systems Specialist at Paterson Arran, said: “Stevens is an integral part of our manufacturing process with controlover stock, raw materials, traceability, finished goods, and H&S mandatory checks. The overall design and user interface of the system is user-friendly, and without the support and knowledge of the Steven’s team working alongside us we would not have achieved all of the above anda paperless site.” Mike Wynburg, Managing Director of Stevens Traceability Systems, added: “Not everyone wants or needs a full end-to-end traceabilitysystem or has the capital to invest in a system in one go. It’s for this reason we have created a modularised traceability system to givemanufacturers the flexibility to improve their processes in stages, not having to invest in a full end-to-end system which they may not utiliseinitially.” For more information, visit www.stevenstraceability.com. © Shutterstock/Bacho40-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:04 Page 444 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEPICOR Q&AWhy are we experiencingincreasing levels of food recalls?In the last ten years or so, the worldhas become more health- and safety-conscious, with a much greater focuson the nutritional and allergen contentof our food. There are also cultural,religious, lifestyle, and dietary drivers ofchange.As a result, legislation on traceabilityand product labelling has had to adaptand expand, becoming more complexand onerous. Failure to comply withthese regulations could have a drasticeffect on food producers, not onlyregarding the risk to human life, butalso to the viability of their businesses.One product recall alone can result insupermarket fines, revenue reductions,reputational damage, and potentialexclusions from future range reviews.Most food producers operate on lowmargins, so any recalls or replacementscan result in significant losses or evenbusiness failures.Recently, there was a fatal allergicreaction due to a lack of accuratelabelling at Pret a Manger. Also, honeyand oat biscuits being sold in major UKsupermarkets had not been labelled ascontaining gluten, sparking an urgentrecall. Preparation is key. It is almost certainthat food producers will face a recall atsome point—sometimes because ofcircumstances that may be beyondtheir control—so preparation is vital. Noorganisation would run a businesswithout backing up their data, andQ&ADuncan Moir, Product Director at Epicor We sat down with Duncan Moir, Product Director at Epicor, to discuss theminutia of food recalls and what the food processing industry can do to geton top of the issue. recall preparation is arguably asimportant to the viability of thebusiness.Why can’t food manufacturersget it right?Sometimes it’s impossible.In the highly complex foodprocessing world, there are manyreasons why, through no fault of theirown, food manufacturers willexperience the need for a food recall—no matter the precautions they take.If lettuce from one farm iscontaminated with E. coli and getsshipped together with greens fromother farms, all can get contaminated. Ifprocessed with other items, the issueexpands further.More food is getting mass producedtoday, so the likelihood for large-scalerecalls will grow. Sadly, fruits andvegetable, the very things we shouldeat, can create the greatest risk.Contaminated processed foods that areusually heated up, are often safer, sincethe process kills off those bacteria.Machine breakdown can be anothercause of unforeseen contaminants,either in the processing company, orfurther down the supply chain.If you then add into the mix humanerror, malicious behaviour, poorlymaintained machinery, lax processesand safety, relaxed labelling protocols,and a lack of transparency, we canunderstand why this is so challenging toget right.Why is it so difficult to instigatea food recall?A safety issue is identified in themarket. It could come from either yourcustomer chain, or your supplier chain,or the worst-case scenario—the media.The multiparty investigation starts—the source of the infection must beidentified quickly.In an ideal situation, once you receivethe necessary information, your robustenterprise resource planning (ERP)system will quickly identify thebatch(es) of goods that were directlyaffected by the ingredient or issue. Youcan then quickly and accurately44-45.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:32 Page 1Food & Drink International 45www.fdiforum.netEPICOR Q&Acommunicate the affected batchnumbers along the supply chain, evendown to delivery schedules andlocations. Job done—well at leastfrom your side.Now, here’s the real issue. Not allERP solutions can quickly identifywhere in the supply chain theaffected issue started. There are manyareas to consider—batch recording ofstorage, warehousing, integration withother ingredients, manufacturingprocess, transport, location questions,and so much more.If your ERP solution cannot bringtogether all your processes and giveyou the accurate information youneed, then you have to expand yourcoverage. This means involving otherbatches that perhaps “might” beinvolved—just to make sure—andthat’s expensive for you and anyoneelse within your supply chain. If it is only a small batch, whyare we seeing large expensivefood recalls?The food processing industry isoften based on a complex and longsupply chain. This makes it verydifficult to identify the actual sourceof any problem, particularly the batch.One recent example was the widelycovered news that 200 tonnes offrozen chicken from USA-basedWayne Farms LLC, were recalled forpotentially containing bits of metal.Chicken products that had been soldacross America were affected. Whenall this goes into ongoing foodprocessing, you can start to see thesize of the problem. Not only is thelarge quantity of chicken recalled, butso would every other subsequentproduct be recalled. To make mattersworse, if there is uncertainty that somechicken might have been in otherproducts, the scope of the issue growsyet further.For these reasons, traceability andcompliance must remain top of theagenda in the boardrooms of all foodbusinesses.How can the food processingindustry get on top of thisissue?Recalls are going to happen, so thegoal is to minimise their frequency,impact, and cost. Consider an ITanalogy—whatever IT securityprotection you implement, yoursystems can still be infected. What youmust do is have the systems andprocesses in place to limit and mitigatethe potential risk—should it ever occur.The objective is to catch thecontaminating cause early, andaccurately identify the cause andimpact on other processes.1. Be more involved with suppliers tounderstand the risks involved inmaterials purchased. This will becomemore important should Britain beexcluded from the Rapid Alert Systems(RAPEX and RASFF) following its exitfrom the European Union.2. Perform quality checks throughouteach process to help identify any out-of-specification materials—from goods-in to despatch—before they affect acustomer.3. Bar code all materials andproducts to enable real-time trackingthrough bar code scanning. This helpsidentify cross-contamination issues,and is vital for accurate traceability.4. Make traceability a part ofstandard automated processes.Eliminate paper-based recording orseparate tracking to remove any re-keying errors, and ensure thattraceability information is accurate andcan be accessed quickly.5. Simulate recalls regularly to testthe process and readiness to prepareproducers in the event of a genuineissue.6. Perform regular audits, in additionto those imposed by customers andother agencies, to help food producersfind issues before consumers do. Thishelps companies both minimise theimpact of these events and maintainbrand confidence.The key to successfully navigating aproduct recall is to implement robuststandard procedures. These need to besupported by fully integrated computersystems, which minimise the cost ofcapturing traceability information andcan help pinpoint those impacted bythe problem in seconds.The earlier a problem is identified, thefaster it can be addressed to minimisethe risk to life and the impact onreputation. Embracing traceability as anintegral part of the business process willremove significant risk and support amore profitable business.A modern, industry-specificenterprise resource planning (ERP)system embedded across allpurchasing, production, and despatchactivities can provide foodmanufacturers with real-time datainsights that enable improved qualitymanagement and traceability. Theseinsights can help prevent, or at leastminimise, the impact of recall—allowingmanufacturers to focus their efforts ongetting fit for future business growth.At Epicor we’re experts on traceability. For more information on this and related topics visit our website www.epicor.com/uk/tropos-fdi, or contact us via duncan.moir@epicor.com or telephone 0 1344 468 397. 44-45.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:32 Page 2also explore food fraud around the globeand ways of minimising risk in the supplychain. For more information, visitwww.brcglobalstandards.com/events/food-safety-europe-2019.12 – 13 February 2019Food ProcessingExpo Sacramento Convention Centre,USA With more than 280 exhibitors and2,600 attendees, Food Processing Expo isthe largest trade show in Californiadevoted exclusively to food processing. Itbrings the industry together by offering atrade show floor with exhibits featuringmachinery, equipment, supplies, servicesand other vendors with innovativeindustry products. It also boastsinformative topical educational sessions,dynamic speakers and networking events.For more information, visit www.clfp.com.13 – 16 February 2019Biofach 2019Exhibition Centre Nuremberg,Germany Biofach is the world’s leading trade fairfor organic food – combined withVIVANESS, International Trade Fair for11 DecemberADBA NationalConference One Great George Street,London The ADBA National Conference returnsat a time of major shifts both in the UK andabroad. Climate change, Brexit, the end ofthe Common Agriculture Policy in andother economic and environmentalchanges present in the UK anaerobicdigestion industry offer both opportunitiesand threats for the future. The conferencewill discuss how we can build a strong,resilient and adaptable AD sector that willoperate to the highest standards and thrivein the face of domestic and globalchallenges. For more information, visitwww.adbioresources.org/events/adba-national-conference-2018.12 February 2019Food Safety Europe2018Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square,LondonAimed at food safety professionals, thisevent will allow delegates to keep abreastof changes to the industry and how macrochanges are impacting food safety. It will6 – 8 February 2019Fruit Logistica Messe Berlin, Germany Fruit Logistica covers every singlesector of the fresh produce businessand provides a complete picture ofthe latest innovations, products andservices at every link in theinternational supply chain. Thismakes it ideally suited to providenetworking and contactopportunities to the key decisionmakers in every sector of theindustry. For more information, visitwww.fruitlogistica.de/en.27 – 30 January 2019ProSweets Cologne Koelnmesse, Germany ProSweets Cologne is the only trade fair of itskind in the world offering, as it does, thecomplete range of supplies for the sweets andsnacks industry – from innovative ingredients topioneering packaging solutions, right through tooptimised production techniques. For moreinformation, visit www.prosweets.com.46 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netNatural and Organic Personal Care. Everyyear, the exhibition gathers representativesfrom across the worlds of politics,associations and NGOs, as well as VIPsand other opinion formers and figures, todiscuss organic matters concerning thefuture of the market. For more information,visit www.biofach.de/en.EventsFood & Drink© Shutterstock/Christian Mueller46-47.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:07 Page 119 – 22 February 2019Beviale Moscow Crocus Expo InternationalExhibition Centre, Russia The fourth Beviale Moscow willcontinue to cement the highly anticipatedevent as a central platform for thebeverage industry in Eastern Europe.With an extensive supporting programmeaccompanying the main event – with itspresentations, seminars and competitions– Beviale Moscow is the place to be. Formore information, visit www.beviale-moscow.com/en.27-28 February 2019Empack 2019Birmingham NECHosted alongside PackagingInnovations, Contrack Pack, EcopackLabel&Print and, new for this year,Industrial Pack, Empack 2019 is the UK’spremier event for all things packagingtechnology, equipment and machinery.Here delegates can discover new ways to17 – 21 February 2019GulfoodDubai World Trade Centre Gulfood, the world’s largest annualfood and beverages trade show,returns in February, bringing with itextensive insight into consumer trends,innovation, an unveiling ofopportunities and a real battle offlavours. The forthcoming edition isexpecting to net 98,000 visitors and5,000 exhibitors. For more information,visit www.gulfood.com.(IFE), you’ll discover emerging trends bymeeting face to face with thousands offuture-focussed producers. Journeythrough your senses as you see, smelland touch revolutionary products, plusyou can broaden your network bymeeting your peers and witnessthought-provoking content. The event isco-located with Pro2Pac, the food anddrink processing and packaging event.For more information, visitwww.ife.co.uk.Food & Drink International 47upgrade packaging machinery andimprove the capacity, reliability andefficiency of their product lines. For moreinformation, visit www.easyfairs.com.17 – 20 March 2019The InternationalFood & Drink EventExCeL LondonAt The International Food & Drink Eventwww.fdiforum.net© Shutterstock/alex737046-47.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 10:07 Page 2FEATURESHealth, Safety &Hygiene SpotlightCartoning & SleevingConveyingSieves & SeparatorsFlavouring & ColouringSnack FoodsImport & Export EXHIBITIONSProSweets/ISM Fruit Logistica Gulfood Beviale Moscow Next month inJanuary 2019 - Deadline 5th December INTERNATIONALFood&DrinkFood&DrinkVisit us atwww.fdiforum.netwhere you’ll find thelatest news as it breaks – and why not subscribe to ournewsletters so you can have thelatest news emailed to yourinbox, in between printed issues?48.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 08:58 Page 1Often imitated……never equalledYou can feature your company in our hugely popularOnline Directory with a description, contact details and a hyperlinkIf you would like further informationplease contact Sam Trott on +44 [0] 1472 310310 or email s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk or visit www.fdiforum.net/directoryFrom field to fork, Food & Drink Internationalis the voice of the industry.ClassifiedFood & Drink International 49www.fdiforum.netDepositorsTel: 01282 440040enquiries@riggsautopack.co.ukwww.riggsautopack.co.ukManufacturers of depositors & fillingmachines for thefood production industryLabelsTel: 01482 506560 sales@datamarkuk.comwww.datamarkuk.com•Self adhesive Labels•Lasersheets•Fanfolded Labels•Thermal Transfer Ribbons•Barcode LabelsINDEXAudio VisualCommunicationsDepositorsLabelsVendingTo advertise yourservices on theclassified pagescontact us on 01472 310302www.fdiforum.netsecure, hygienic and simplemelaphonemelaphonevisaudioMelaphone is designed for use in food areas where hygiene and security are essential. T : 00 44 (0)1359 233191E : info@melaphone.co.ukW: www.melaphone.co.ukMade in the UKAudio Visual CommunicationsVendingFor the very latestdesigns in “BeanTo Cup” coffeemachines andchilled waterdispensers.Call us for a free survey and information.Tel: 01724 874400or email:info@abcvending.co.uk49.qxp_Layout 1 19/11/2018 08:59 Page 1Next >