PROCESSING Constant evolution PACKAGING Packaging for the future TEMPERATURE CONTROL Chill out PROCESSING Constant evolution PACKAGING Packaging for the future TEMPERATURE CONTROL Chill out INTERNATIONAL Food&Drink Food &Drink YOUR ESSENTIAL SUPPLIERS GUIDE INTERNATIONAL YOUR ESSENTIAL SUPPLIERS GUIDE 01.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:11 Page 1PIONEERS OF SPACE For more information get in touch today W: teknomek.co.uk T: 01603 788 833 For every room, there’s a Teknomek solution. Manage risk and meet the strict compliance standards demanded by your industry with our high-quality, hygienic furniture and equipment. 02.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:39 Page 1Group Editor: Steve Fisher (s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) • Editor: Michael Fisher (m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Editor’s PA: Angela Sharman (a.sharman@blmgroup.co.uk) Assistant Editor: Dominic Cuthbert (d.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.uk) • Journalist: Tess Egginton (t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk) Sales Director: Teri Cooper (t.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk) Sales: Vicky Hunt (v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk) • Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk) Editorial: Tel: +44 (0) 1472 310305 • Email: fdi@blmgroup.co.uk • Editorial: Tel: +44 (0) 1472 310302 Accounts & Subscriptions: John Downes (j.downes@blmgroup.co.uk) Design & Production: Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson (studio@blmgroup.co.uk) Part of the Business Link Magazine Group: Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N E Lincs DN31 2QE England All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. Processing4 Digital technologies and advanced automation are changing the face of food processing. Packaging10 Convenience, hygiene, and the environmental agenda are together driving change in the packaging industry – from design to manufacturer, Health, safety and hygiene 14 In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health, hygiene and safety in the food and drink supply chain has never been more important. NPD and ingredients 18 The food and drink industry continues to develop and launch healthier, better-for-you products amid pressure from governments and campaign groups and chasing consumer tastes. Supply chain22 Consumer demand means the supply chain must move more efficiently than ever before to ensure food and beverage products, ingredients and produce are as fresh as possible. That would be fairly simple to operate, without the seemingly contradictory requirement to also ensure the supply chain is safe and secure, so customers can be ensured of the very highest standards. Temperature control26 It’s no exaggeration to say that the food and drink industry is dependent on the cold chain, therefore companies cannot afford to cut corners and opt for subpar solutions. Environmental management30 Reducing environmental impact has never been more pressing for food and drink companies. From recycling wastewater to electric fleets, and responsible sourcing, there’s a myriad of ways for companies to make their supply chains greener. Contents 10 22 4 FoodandDrinkInternational @fdiforumwww.fdiforum.net company/fdiforum Cover photo courtesy of: Shutterstock/Rimma Bondarenko 03.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:47 Page 1www.fdiforum.net PROCESSING 4 Constant evolution Digital technologies and advanced automation are changing the face of food processing. © Shutterstock / Scharfsinn 04-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 1www.fdiforum.net PROCESSING 5 Industry 4.0 uses technology to form a more connected, efficient industry between customers, product and process. Components include data exchange and automation, alongside advance robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, cloud computing, machine learning, and sensors. There are myriad manufacturing facilities that are decades old working with legacy equipment, but to be able to fulfil the requirements of today’s consumers and to be compliant with new, ever more stringent legislation, investing in new elements of smart factory technology is often essential. With the advent of this advanced technology, what can be accomplished in processing plants has changed, and greater control is available 06 Á 04-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 2www.fdiforum.net PROCESSING 6 over every step. Automation is a major facet of any smart processing plant, and it is key in helping processing facilities reach peak efficiency, streamline processes, and minimise costs. It is becoming the prime way to satiate increasing food demand, with the food automation industry predicted to be worth $2.5 billion by 2022. Some firms, however, still rely on human employees for many processes that can and, often, should be automated. Many avoid the switch because of the perception that automation is not economical. Indeed, the more one chooses to automate a processing facility in one instance, the higher the upfront install cost will be, but, in actuality, the automatisation of a facility can be gradually scaled up. Moreover, in the long run, the results of investing in this equipment saves money – one can enhance productivity by increasing uptime as automated machines require little rest, and one can prevent all two common and costly human errors and human contamination threats. By implementing automation, one can also address the sector’s worker shortage and reduce spend on labour. This does not mean, however, that masses of employees have to be let go, rather it presents an opportunity to retrain employees into new positions such as running machinery. In addition, by automating roles from weighing, to cutting, to sorting with robots, a facility can reach higher levels of accuracy and consistency that humans are simply not capable of, which can also ensure a higher throughput. Taking a closer look at the optimisation of sorting in processing facilities, by automating this task, one can be rid of the less accurate and limited process of relying on the human eye and, also, potentially reduce waste. Without human input, automated sensor-based optical sorters, for example, © Shutterstock / Aliaksandr Bukatsich 8 Á 04-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 304-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 4www.fdiforum.net PROCESSING 8 can determine food quality by colour and work to remove unwanted raw materials and food products such as those with rot, contaminates, damage or defects to offer a safer and higher quality product that meets standards. Advances in automated sorting have even seen technology hit the market that can re-route materials that may not be suitable for one product, but can be used for another. Robots are also capable of filling other highly useful roles that boost the safety and quality of goods such as detecting microscopic bacteria and foreign materials that don’t appeal in metal detectors or X-rays, and label verifying, where they can accurately check two hundred labels a minute! While automation is not new to the food and drink industry, when implemented with the wide technology available in Industry 4.0, one can push past what traditional automation in individual tasks achieve, to benefit from a fully connected system where machines with the right communication protocols and sensors are now capable of sharing information across process lines and providing a continuous flow of data that can be used to adapt operations to create a more efficient system and to adjust a system as needs be; for instance, slowing down sections when necessary. With wireless sensors, one can monitor a variety of processes and equipment. For instance, one can install IoT-enabled sensors on equipment – from pumps to motors – which can then send real-time data on its performance to software that can be used to analyse it. with this information, one can gain deep insights on the quality, performance and availability on a piece of equipment, and predict when it will break down and, thus, when it will need to be repaired. Facilities can then ensure replacement parts are on-site and maintenance can be scheduled in a way that minimised downtime and can be completed before the failure of a machine halts production and causes the waste of perishable products and the resulting loss of revenue from missed shipments. This is known as a predictive maintenance system. © Shutterstock / i viewfinder 04-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 5www.fdiforum.net PROCESSING 9 esesalvalvFFVV FittingsiiFittings +44 (0)177 Pr di 72 323 529 roducts k ope.coneurdix co.uk Sensors are also useful for tracking process and keeping an eye on conditions to make sure they are maintained as goods are being processed – from cooking temperature, to carbon dioxide levels. This is particularly useful as food processors are being asked to keep ever more detailed records of the products they supply. In a time when the number of food and drink product recalls in Europe have quadrupled since 2008, retailers, consumers and regulators are demanding better traceability. Food manufacturers must now make sure they can track not only where their raw materials come from, but every step and hand a product passes through as it is processed. With sensor data and digital records, end-to-end traceability is enabled, and processing facilities can react quicker in an emergency or recall situation and find precisely where a problem may have occurred. This end-to-end traceability also gives managers greater oversight to see where the processing line can be improved and allows them to remove any bottlenecks. 04-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/07/2021 11:50 Page 6Next >