The increasing demand for minimally processed food with high nutritional value is creating challenges for food manufacturers in terms of shelf life and in this series, FoodProductionDaily.com examines some current trends in relation to mild heat treatments, barrier coatings, light damage inhibition methods and predictive modelling that can ensure stability and often extension of shelf life for food and drink products.
An EU project is aiming to use active packaging to improve barrier properties and intelligent packaging to give consumers more product quality information.
Using citral is better than oregano essential oil (OEO) as an active agent on ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) coated polypropylene (PP) film at reducing microorganisms on salad, according to research.
Emco Packaging has filed a patent for an active oxygen scavenging system for use in the headspace of bottles, sachets and cartons for liquid foods and beverages.
Bringing a successful high pressure processing (HPP) product to market is much more than just buying a piece of equipment, according to Avure.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have created humidity regulating films incorporating salts that absorb water vapour leading to extended shelf life and better product appeal.
A research project in Pakistan has successfully extended the shelf life of different fruits by applying various types of edible coating materials.
German company Food Freshly has begun offering processors a bespoke formula wash for fresh foodstuffs that it claims will keep them germ free and extend their shelf life.
Dole Fresh Fruit has launched banana packaging that it claims can keep the fruit fresher for up to six days longer.
UK supermarket chain Asda hopes that its new 'traffic light' colour coded packaging system will ensure customers always pick avocadoes off retail shelves at the correct level of ripeness.
UK-based packaging manufacturer Sirane claims its bio-based food wrapping can double the shelf-life of ‘notoriously problematic’ brassicas.
Oplon has partnered with Reynolds Group to create antimicrobial coatings for their packaging which could extend shelf life of products by months and will be commercially available within the next two years.
Sonoco has unveiled a tray which is part of a system that they claim will increase the shelf life for fresh-cut produce.
Food safety and shelf-life enhancing products with no special processing requirements will be unveiled at trade-show IFT next month, according to the US-based developer.
Brazilian researchers have found that cassava starch-based edible coatings can boost shelf life in fresh strawberries from nine to 12 days.
APPE is targeting new application areas for its novel oxygen-scavenging barrier system marketed under the the ActivSeal brand, the company revealed to BeverageDaily.com in an exclusive interview at Brau Beviale 2011 in Germany.
KHS claims its new Innopro ECOStab beer stabilisation machine will help brewers of all sizes achieve longer shelf lives for beer, and reduce costs as well as processing times.
Spanish firm EDV Packaging claims its new 'high barrier' plastic cup for fruit spreads provides an alternative to glass for food firms, although it can't compete on price quite yet.
A patent-protected traffic-light style food freshness label is set to revolutionise the UK food industry on its retail launch in early 2012, and will help tackle the nation's £12bn food waste problem.
A ground-breaking new UK-led research project will investigate the potential for cryogenic and electromagnetic freezing and chilling technologies for food processing applications.
A Scottish entrepreneur claims that two top food manufacturers and a major supermarket have shown interest in licensing an innovative colour-changing label that tells consumers how fresh their food is, which could be used on products within 12 months.
Demand for shelf-life evaluation procedures such as challenge testing is on the up as food processors come under increasing regulatory and financial pressure to ensure safety and minimise waste, said Campden BRI.
The latest trends in beverage and dairy are forcing companies to consider the potentially damaging effects of light on product quality.
A breakthrough technology that coats polymer films with an ultra-thin clear barrier layer to enhance product shelf-life has been unveiled by the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) under pressure could rise to the top in terms of alternatives to conventional heat treatments for liquids but must be used in unison with stress inducers such as modified atmosphere packaging and lower pH to render microbes ineffective and extend shelf life, claim researchers.
Food processors are under increasing pressure not only to be leaner but also to be greener. In this series, we look at environmental management systems, how computer modelling can cut energy bills, ways to cut water usage by almost a third as well as the feasibility of recycling waste into energy.
O-I has expanded its strategic alliance with Emhart Glass to supply glass forming machines and parts to all their plants from Q2 this year.
Sealed Air has announced a program aimed at annual savings of $80m by the end of 2015 but said impact this year would be “minimal”.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is still emerging in food and beverage with growth expected as more firms take a holistic approach, according to the president of CIMdata.
Toppan Printing Co., is investing 27bn Yen (US$292m) in what it described as the “mother factory” in Japan in anticipation of flexible packaging growth overseas.
Ball Corporation is to close a food and aerosol packaging manufacturing facility with the loss of 245 jobs by the end of the year.
Nampak is to invest in equipment to boost its bottle and can producing business to meet growing market demand.
Netzsch has claimed that it offers an energy efficient chocolate production process as its grinding and liquid-conching processes run simultaneously in different equipment.
Crown Food Europe has launched a consultation process with staff at its Worcester, UK site due to declining food packaging sales.
Bühler Sortex has invested in the latest optical sorting technology as part of the facilities at the customer service centre it plans to open on February 25 in East London.
German beverage filling and packaging giant Krones has bought a 26% stake in German intralogistical supplier Klug, and says it will stop supplying such solutions through its loss-making in-house business.
Register now for free access to today's first ever online event devoted to Operational Efficiency in food and beverage processing, organized by FoodProductionDaily.com and William Reed Business Media.
Carla Fiford, of Radical Waters, tells Ben Bouckley at InterBev 2012 why Electro Chemical Activation (ECA) is a ‘breakthrough’ cleaning technology that brings beverage bottlers cost and sustainability benefits.
Cadbury UK and Kraft Foods R&D in the US have filed a patent application for an improved chocolate depositor that the companies claim allows manufacturers to better meet output demands and cope with new formulations.
Ardagh has invested €10m in a two piece drawn, walled and ironed (DWI) food can line in the Czech Republic.
Linpac Packaging is investing an extra €3m in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) extrusion and automation at Ritterhude, Bremen, on top of €6m in the past two years spent there and at Beeskow, Brandenburg.
Bakery firms can cut costs with a new system that reuses hot gases emitted from ovens to heat and make water for an entire production facility, head of WP Green says.
A ConAgra processing plant has been fined $1,625 for exceeding the limit for disposal of nitrate.
BASF is to shut two sites in Asia by the end of the year, citing overcapacity and low margins.
Dry Lube says that one barrier to de facto use of dry lubrication technology for glass packaging lines is wariness among site engineers following imperfect past trials using rival products.
Sonoco has lowered its earnings guidance for the third quarter of 2012 due to unscheduled downtime and lower than anticipated volumes.
Totally Green has partnered with York Plains Investment Corp. to support their aim of diverting food processing waste from landfill.
Tetra Pak has acquired a Brazilian control systems specialist to strengthen their manufacturing monitoring technology.
The Coca-Cola Company has developed and tested a ‘first of its kind’ beverage process water recovery system that it says could save up to 100bn litres per year if adopted across its bottling network.
Quail International was cited for 23 violations totalling more than US$92,000 (€75,000) by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Industry is focussing on current rather than new vendors and rebuilt packaging machinery, according to a report from the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI).
Spartech Corporation has announced it will upgrade its food packaging manufacturing facility in Indiana later this year but will close a plant in Canada by 2013.
FoodDrinkEurope has launched a report outlining its goals to move towards more sustainable food and drink production by 2030.
Relive the best of the action from day two of the major processing and packaging show ongoing in Cologne, Germany this week.
Tetra Pak has unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest carton filling machine – over 11 units per second – and says the concept was only realisable due to the launch of new eBeam non-contact and dry sterilisation technology.
Multivac has unveiled two stand-alone conveyor systems with adjustable lanes and speeds that can be retrofitted to thermoforming packaging machines.
Tetra Pak say a new production line at one its plants in China will boost output to 20bn liquid dairy cartons annually to ‘keep up with market demand’.
Lindhurst Engineering has successfully tested microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to help dairy processors dispose of waste streams and generate energy, and MD Martin Rigley told Dairy Reporter.com that an installation could cost 75% less than its anaerobic digestion equivalent.
Nampak claims that newly installed printing technology will reduce food packaging production costs and shorten delivery times by up to eight weeks.
The Coca-Cola Company says that it has opportunities to build sustainability in to its plants in the emerging markets such as Turkey, through integration of best practice and the latest, most efficient technology.
Food producers can cut costs and boost environmental credentials by recycling food waste at a new anaerobic digestion plant in Wiltshire, UK, according to the firm behind the facility.
Copper could usher in a food safety revolution within processing plants, according to the author of a new study that revealed the metal’s impressive ability to kill deadly E.coli pathogens.
The UK arm of Scandinavian based dairy giant Arla has installed a new ‘state of the art’ pipe cleaning technology at its creamery in Stourton that it says will help it reduce product waste and save water.
Ultrasonic cleaning machines for baking tins can produce better results faster and reduce long-term costs compared to high spray washing, according to UK based technology firm Caresonic.
Krones has launched what it describes as an ‘ultra compact’ single-end bottle washer designed specifically for beverage manufacturers with small to medium outputs.
German engineering giant Krones is at the forefront of IT solutions to allow close line performace analysis to help beverage manufacturers avoid downtime, and the firm’s IT solutions sales manager Timo Frankl told BeverageDaily.com and FoodProductionDaily.com that the company’s solutions ensured efficient production and a ‘win of money’.
Nestle UK has scooped an award for its use of methane trucks that has reduced CO2 emissions by 14% compared to diesel trucks with further potential to slash emissions in half.
Worldwide beverage industry uptake of effluent energy generation solutions depends on the cost of local power, while grid reliability problems are also encouraging uptake in the developing world.
KHS has launched a new filling system that it claims will increase product safety for consumers and effect cost reductions via simpler cleaning and maintenance.
Positive changes to the Finnish tax regime have encouraged a rapid transition from bottled to can beer in the country, according to consumer packaging giant Rexam.
Environmental management systems (EMS) can be a good tool for food processors looking to achieve the twin goals of improved productivity and corporate responsibility.
The financial and eco-benefits of investing in anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to generate energy from food waste is something that all processors should be considering, said InSource Energy.
Food and drink processors can achieve savings of up to 30 per cent on their water and effluent bills without even having to resort to major capital investments.
In the first part of a special edition on plant efficiency, we look at the results of a recently published Australian project, which found that a combination of computer modelling and dehydrator redesign can cut energy bills in half in dried fruit manufacture.
In this special series looking at potential routes for food and plant contaminants, FoodProductionDaily.com looks at the main causes of Listeria contamination in cheese plants as well as whole room disinfection methods, design errors that are resulting in equipment being vulnerable to pathogen attachment; and the impact of regulation on antimicrobial packaging.
Symphony Environmental Technologies has developed anti-bacterial and anti-fungal formulations which can be put into plastic products during manufacturing, claiming it will help prevent the spread of infection.
The Coca-Cola Company revealed yesterday that City of Atlanta regulatory authorities may seek monetary or other sanctions against it due to potential inaccuracies in wastewater reports submitted by its Atlanta syrup plant.
Canada is backing a CAD $600,000 project to map the genome of Listeria and develop faster testing methods that will allow the industry to respond more quickly to food safety investigations.
A hard-hitting government report says the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to publicise its food safety recall procedures, and that is unclear how accurate the agency’s food recall data is.
Anitmicrobial packaging can help food manufacturers in the battle against listeria in ready-to-eat meat products, according to a new scientific study.
A new EFSA report says that dietary exposure to dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals that accumulate in the food chain, has decreased across Europe in recent years.
North British Distillery has come out fighting after being cited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for alleged failures to adequately control the legionella risk posed by a cooling tower, as the executive investigates a deadly 'legion fever' outbreak in Edinburgh.
Sven Bodell, president, Food Radar Systems, told Ben Bouckley that the firm's unique microwave technology was the only show in town to detect previously invisible foreign bodies in pumpable foods, and that the system might also appeal to producers of beverages with pulp or other pieces in.
Relive the best of the action from day two of the major processing and packaging show ongoing in Cologne, Germany this week.
Lindhurst Engineering has successfully tested microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to help dairy processors dispose of waste streams and generate energy, and MD Martin Rigley told Dairy Reporter.com that an installation could cost 75% less than its anaerobic digestion equivalent.
The European Commission (EC) has released a scathing audit report on the Indian gelatine industry, and said its visit late last year revealed“very little progress" since the last mission in 2008 regarding improving substandard legislative and safety controls for exports.
Copper could usher in a food safety revolution within processing plants, according to the author of a new study that revealed the metal’s impressive ability to kill deadly E.coli pathogens.
The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Advisory Committee of the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) is seeking stakeholder views on its draft report relating to toxoplasma in the food chain.
Shares in China's largest dairy producer Mengniu Dairy Co.slumped at the end of last year, following a new scandal over milk tainted with a cancer-causing chemical and a violation of the firm's website by hackers who claimed it was "doing harm to its own people".
Researchers have developed technology using millimeter waves that could allow food manufacturers to examine finished products through packaging and give advantages over x-ray detection, the current preferred method.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insists its new maximum allowable levels for the chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in bottled water will not raise costs for consumers.
New active and intelligent packaging rules and guidelines introduced last year across Europe should bring much-needed clarity to the sector and pave the way for innovation, said one expert as he set out how the system could work in practice.
Misinterpretation of fundamental criteria for the hygienic design of equipment by designers is resulting in incorrect installation of parts such as valves and sensors at the initial design stage of new food processing equipment and leaves processors exposed to contaminant threats, claims the EHEDG.
New research from the UK shows that whole room disinfection techniques are more effective that traditional chemical fogging, and while take up by food processors is relatively low, suppliers claim demand will accelerate based on industry recognition of the need to innovate to tackle new microbe strains and other food safety challenges.
Cheese contamination has hit the headlines in recent weeks after Austrian authorities linked seven listerioisis deaths to Prolactal cheese. In light of this news, food safety expert Dr. Eleftherios H. Drosinos explains how risk of contamination from Listeria monocytogenes can be minimised in cheese processing.
FoodProductionDaily.com's four part series on sustainable packaging lifts the lid on topics such as the search for a global defintion of the term; a weighing up of the pros and cons of source materials and their impact on product integrity; we analyse whether downgauging has had its day, and we also figure out how influential 'green' packaging is on a consumer's purchasing choices.
Novelis has developed aluminium sheet with 90% recycled content enabling beverage can manufacturers the ability to have a product made of 70% recycled material.
Biome Bioplastics is leading a consortium investigating whether a waste product of the pulp and paper industry can be used in bioplastics.
A New Zealand-based biopolymers company is using by-products from the red meat and poultry industry to create bioplastics.
Ardagh Group says its new ‘ultra lightweight’ 275ml beer bottle produced for Anheuser Busch InBev brand Beck’s weighs 11% less than the original while retaining the same container strength.
Plastics Recyclers Europe has called for more polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to be collected to make use of industry resources.
An EU research project is aiming to ‘milk’ algae to develop polymers from algae sugars and hydrocarbons for use in end markets such as packaging.
Dow and Mitsui have postponed phase two of their joint venture to build a production unit to manufacture biopolymers for packaging from sugar cane-derived ethanol.
Public comments are being invited on a research proposal covering four types of paper and paper-based packaging aimed at maintaining and expanding the products’ markets.
Peter Wright from beverage dispensing expert Xylem tells Ben Bouckley at Brau Beviale why leading wine and beer brand owners such as Diageo increasingly favor on premise bag-in-box dispensing.
Procter and Gamble (P&G) has filed a patent for its invention of a flexible barrier package with a sealant that contains biobased content of about 85%.
GEA Procomac tells BeverageDaily.com why its new aseptic dual filling system to bottle still beverages with pulps, fibers, fruits or cereals benefits product taste and allows clients to use less PET than with hot filling machines.
The lights go up, the show floor starts buzzing...Relive the packaging thrills and spills from Pack Expo 2012 in Chicago, in pictures. Here are BeverageDaily.com's highlights, from city Chicago skyline to Sealed Air and KHS.
Luis De La Mora from Innovative Packaging Network (IPN) tells Ben Bouckley why he believes his firm’s new ‘non spill’ aseptic spout for beverage pouches, Clean Valve, can help the format steal share from cans, cartons and PET bottles.
Bill Sommer from Sonoco explains how food and beverage manufacturers can save money and offer sustainable packaging by using the firm’s new Ecotect paperboard, in this podcast recorded at Pack Expo in Chicago.
Researchers have found green additives can improve the environmental profile of thermoplastic packaging materials and reduce oxygen transmission.
Researchers in New Zealand have discovered potential anti-fungal properties in harakeke, or native flax, that could see the fibres used in food packaging but admitted more funding is need to continue the research.
Plastics producer and supplier FKuR has launched polyethylene (PE) biopolymers for manufacturers seeking a green alternative to traditional materials.
Solegear Bioplastic has partnered with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to develop new bioplastic technology and muted the first product will be commercialized by the first quarter of 2013.
A guidance document aimed at safeguarding communication along the bioplastic chain has been hailed as a ‘step in the right direction’ from two firms involved in the industry.
European Bioplastics have published a document today in response to what they describe as “widespread greenwashing” in the industry.
WikiCells, a food packaging technology that could eliminate the need for plastic containers, has secured a $10m investment to launch its product next year.
Researchers have found waste cooking oil could be used as a starting material in the production of bioplastics to produce a higher yield at a cheaper price.
Tetra Pak cartons hold the lowest appeal among all packaging formats for UK wine consumers, and face a tough fight to win significant market share from the likes of glass and PET.
Avery Dennison has launched its first range of wash-off labels for glass and PET bottles, designed to wash off at temperatures lower than the industry average and assist recycling.
The majority of Japanese consumers believe that the opening diameters of screw-top aluminium bottles are too small, a study has found, while also determining that 33mm is the optimum size for 'drinking ease'.
Zero Waste Scotland says it will continue to invest in firms that cut product and packaging waste, as it encourages SME’s in the country to apply for grants from its newly announced ₤100,000 fund.
European plastics giant Borealis is targeting the European sports drinks market with a new faster-drying polypropylene grade for hinge closures, BorPure RF490MO.
Beverage packaging giant APPE says work on a new Polish PET facility is on schedule and that commercial production is set to begin in December, ahead of full operation from January 2013.
Belgian printing company Verstraete claims there is a lot of interest from potential customers as it prepares to roll out its novel super-transparent label across Europe and North America.
A new paper-look film label will help premium wine and spirit producers keep bottles looking their best and reduce stock inventory, according to labelling giant Avery Dennison.
Despite media reports that a growing number of North American craft brewers are reaching for cans, glass packaging giant O-I insists this isn’t a major trend, nor is it at the expense of glass bottles.
The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has published a guidance document relating to environmental claims on plastic products.
Europe lags five to eight years behind Asia in its adoption of active and intelligent packaging (AIP) technologies, with consumer fear and legislation the biggest obstacles to implementation, according to the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA).
As You Sow, a US not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental and social responsibility, has urged food and beverage producers to take responsibility for post-consumer packaging and tackle the nation’s dismal recycling and recovery record.
A Canadian inventor tells BeverageDaily.com that he believes his patented ‘next generation’ swivelling beverage can tab could be a runaway success, as he confirms talks with major beverage companies.
Companies must work together to push the sustainability message, according to Sealed Air’s vice president of sustainability, Dr Ronald Cotterman.
UK supermarket chain Asda hopes that its new 'traffic light' colour coded packaging system will ensure customers always pick avocadoes off retail shelves at the correct level of ripeness.
A new Finnish study suggests that xylans and mannans, plant cell wall polysaccharides derived from agricultural and forestry sidestreams, could replace starch as a base material for biodegradable packaging.
UK-based packaging manufacturer Sirane claims its bio-based food wrapping can double the shelf-life of ‘notoriously problematic’ brassicas.
The bioplastics market is expected to change from being dominated by the US and Western Europe by 2015 as other regions in the world increase production, according to Freedonia.
A hoax video claiming that the Coca-Cola Company planned to launch a 'Coca-Cola Bag' worldwide has duped the world media, leading the company to rush out a statement yesterday clarifying it was not the author of the media that went viral on social networks.
Sealed Air and a manufacturer of eco-packaging have completed an agreement that will see the products manufactured for use in packaging.
UK packaging company GreenBottle has signed a deal with a major wine supplier to produce the world’s first paper wine ‘bottle’ for supermarket sale this year, and claims there is wider global interest within the beverage industry.
Coca-Cola, Heinz and Procter and Gamble are part of a newly-formed global initiative to accelerate the development of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) made entirely from plants.
Krones has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it has struck a deal to commission its first sustainable closed-loop PET recycling line for a German beverage firm, the sixth such line worldwide.
Tropicana has told BeverageDaily.com that its new clear PET flip-top container for Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice is ‘premium in look and function’ and unlike anything else in the juice aisle.
A US company has developed a food packaging technology that dissolves when exposed to water and said it is ready for commercial roll-out as soon as individual customers’ needs are satisfied.
Relive the best of the action from day two of the major processing and packaging show ongoing in Cologne, Germany this week.
Tetra Pak has unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest carton filling machine – over 11 units per second – and says the concept was only realisable due to the launch of new eBeam non-contact and dry sterilisation technology.
A joint venture between a packaging firm and a pouch creator will halve potential production time for manufacturers, claim the schemes founders.
An anti-bottled water agenda based on inaccurate and disingenuous claims is an easy sell to students legitimately concerned about environmental issues, according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) in the wake of a spate of US college bans on sales.
A plastic recycling firm has opened a new bottle-to-bottle plant in California aimed at ensuring all the state’s PET is processed locally instead of abroad.
A Spain-based food packaging supplier has signed an exclusive licence agreement to use a new technology in Europe - citing a reduction in product weight and sustainability as the main benefits.
Clear Lam Packaging said it has developed a 50% plant-based plastic food package that will reduce greenhouse gases and energy during manufacturing.
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has given a guarded reaction to a media enquiries regarding the planned launch a new 375ml bottle onto the UK market, despite its GB managing director informing journalists at a press conference that the firm intended to make this move.
US scientists have developed a food packaging technology that could eliminate the need for plastic containers, and the lead developer told FoodProductionDaily.com that it could hit the market inside 12 months.
An industry consortium has secured almost €2m of EU funding to develop processes and quality procedures to recycle for food contact applications, with the aim of helping small to medium-sized recyclers (SMEs) here reprocess waste and conform to European regulations.
Multinational food packaging company PFM has launched a new entry level milk bagging machine onto the UK market that it hopes will benefit from a perceived trend towards bagged milk on sustainability grounds.
Opportunities abound for glass as a premium beverage container in China, the world’s fastest growing packaging market, according to business research specialist the Freedonia Group.
Despite improvements to curbside carton recycling, lack of access for consumers is the major problem that the industry faces in upping recycling rates, according to the US Carton Council.
Despite progress towards achieving some waste reduction and recycling targets under the UK's Courtauld Commitment, a 2012 supply chain waste reduction target is proving a challenge for industry, with only a “marginal decrease” thus far, said WRAP CEO Liz Goodwin.
Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME) chairman Gerrit Heske told BeverageDaily.com that cans were thriving in Europe due to perceptions of 'convenience, taste and freshness', but that industry still had a fight on its hands to tell consumers the full sustainability story.
APPE is targeting new application areas for its novel oxygen-scavenging barrier system marketed under the the ActivSeal brand, the company revealed to BeverageDaily.com in an exclusive interview at Brau Beviale 2011 in Germany.
Symphony Environmental Technologies has hit out at Californian legislation that it says highlights the ‘absurdity’ whereby it cannot market its oxo-biodegradable plastic as biodegradable in the state.
At Brau Beviale 2011, we spoke to marketing manager Kinza Sutton - from leading European manufacturer of PET pre-forms and bottles APPE - who lamented the fact that brandowners and fillers expect cheaper prices for rPET products despite relatively high production costs.
We've collated some of the best images from the floor of beverage industry trade show Brau Beviale, which celebrated its 50th birthday last week in Nuremberg, Germany, and attracted almost 1,400 exhibitors and 31,500 guests.
Despite a market recovery following the 2008-9 recession, demand for European food and beverage packaging in specific areas is being hit by “structural changes” including the sustainability trend.
FoodProductionDaily.com gained an exclusive interview with Tetra Pak president and CEO Dennis Jönsson to discuss the demand for less packaging but improved product functionality, as he prepared to address delegates at the World Dairy Summit 2011 in Parma, Italy.
Tetra Pak claims that an ‘industry first’ combination of closure technologies will allow it to extend low-cost large openings into new ambient beverage categories with its new Tetra Brik Aseptic Edge 1000 carton.
Tetra Pak has pledged to accelerate green product innovation after an environmental report commissioned by the company showed that consumers want well-priced eco-friendly packaging.
Getting food and drink packaging right is vital in encouraging consumers to engage with a product or brand and to ensure food safety, but what is the public looking for, and how are trends changing?
Producers must ensure packaging is more sustainable as customers remain convinced that food packing is excessive and are altering their consumption patterns as a result, warns research from Datamonitor.
United Biscuits is aiming to switch to rPET for all its thermoformed trays by the end of 2010 in a bid to scale up the amount of recycled packaging in its range.
Lightweighting can be a win-win strategy, reducing the impact of packaging on both the environment and profit margins but food and drink companies are learning that it is not always the best way forward.
Sustainable packaging is a buzzword on the lips of consumers and industry players alike. But what is sustainable packaging and how far has the sector come in developing a road map towards this most elusive of goals?
Insiders claim the take up of robotic technology in the food sector is set to steadily increase as processors are forced to seek further efficiency gains and demand could challenge that of the automotive industry within a decade. In this series, we examine why the sector has been slow to embrace the technology and forecast what future take up trends could be.
A new packaging line engineering firm can make an “immediate impact” on the market, according to the firm’s president and managing director.
Adept has said food packing has continued to be one of the strongest markets for its robotic components, as part of its Q2 2013 results.
Cermex has introduced a robot palletizer which it claims offers fluidity, efficiency at the operator level and security in the cell.
Adept Technology has reached a deal to sell 14% of its business for $8m and said it believes it can tap into significant robotic automation markets.
Epson Robots has unveiled a range of washdown robots for the automation of unwrapped food transportation lines.
Researchers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a robot that can debone chicken and are trialing a first attempt to integrate all components into a single test to determine the yield of the cut this month.
Relive the best of the action from day two of the major processing and packaging show ongoing in Cologne, Germany this week.
UK food manufacturers have between just five to 10 years to adopt robotic technology or face terminal decline.
Greater hygiene, improved consistency of operation and greater productivity are all key advantages to be realised from using robotics in meat processing and packaging, said the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL).
In the third part of our special edition on robotics in the food industry we explore how robots are becoming a more common sight in the dairy and beverage sectors.
Robot-based product packaging and palletizing remain the areas for quick wins in the confectionery sector but robots, albeit in the leading EU based confectioners, are gradually taking on more tasks a step earlier at the processing stage.
Take up of robotic technology in the food sector is set to steadily increase as processors are forced to seek further efficiency gains and demand could challenge that of the automotive industry within a decade, said the head of a leading trade body.
This year has been noted for a return to buoyancy in the market for beverage processing machinery and technology and in this climate of renewed growth, FoodProductionDaily.com sticks its straw in the beer, soft drinks and aseptic juice categories to determine the current trends in beverage process control.
Register now for free access to today's first ever online event devoted to Operational Efficiency in food and beverage processing, organized by FoodProductionDaily.com and William Reed Business Media.
The lights go up, the show floor starts buzzing...Relive the packaging thrills and spills from Pack Expo 2012 in Chicago, in pictures. Here are BeverageDaily.com's highlights, from city Chicago skyline to Sealed Air and KHS.
Carla Fiford, of Radical Waters, tells Ben Bouckley at InterBev 2012 why Electro Chemical Activation (ECA) is a ‘breakthrough’ cleaning technology that brings beverage bottlers cost and sustainability benefits.
Husky Injection Molding Systems has updated its beverage closure operations with the first product to take advantage of the addition of closure moldmaker KTW.
Johnson Electric has unveiled a gear pump product line for beverage dispensing which they claim is twice the flow rate of traditional pumps.
The Coca-Cola Company has developed and tested a ‘first of its kind’ beverage process water recovery system that it says could save up to 100bn litres per year if adopted across its bottling network.
Sidel has told BeverageDaily.com that its new High Speed Combi Predis FMa filling system was designed meet the high volumes demanded by the single-serve PET beverage market in countries like China.
In this exclusive video shot at Anuga FoodTec 2012, Hans Hiendl from Krones explained the principles behind the firm's Twin-Flow concept launch to BeverageDaily.com, and identified an interesting new Asian mixed-drinks trend.
Sven Bodell, president, Food Radar Systems, told Ben Bouckley that the firm's unique microwave technology was the only show in town to detect previously invisible foreign bodies in pumpable foods, and that the system might also appeal to producers of beverages with pulp or other pieces in.
Relive the best of the action from day two of the major processing and packaging show ongoing in Cologne, Germany this week.
Tetra Pak has unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest carton filling machine – over 11 units per second – and says the concept was only realisable due to the launch of new eBeam non-contact and dry sterilisation technology.
German beverage machinery supplier Krones says that interest in premium juices and milk-based mixed drinks with natural fruit pieces is growing in key European markets, in the wake of its recent Twin-Flow concept launch.
Glass packaging giant Owens-Illinois (O-I) will appoint Sergio Galindo as president of their Asia Pacific region from 1 May.
SIG Combibloc says that beverages packaged aseptically in cartons and UHT treated are especially well suited to markets such as China that present long-distance transportation challenges.
Leading food processing machinery manufacturer SPX says it is 'encouraged' by recent successes within the dairy sector, and the firm's president, Food and Beverage Systems, Kenneth Rodi, told DairyReporter.com that the company anticipated strong product demand from emerging regions such as China and the Middle East.
German food machinery giant Krones has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it will launch new aseptic valves as the latest additions to its EvoGuard series at the Anuga FoodTec trade show in March.
The Coca-Cola Company says that it has opportunities to build sustainability in to its plants in the emerging markets such as Turkey, through integration of best practice and the latest, most efficient technology.
SIG Combibloc says the runaway Chinese success of its drinksplus technology is ‘going global’, with top food firms impressed by its premium beverage applications.
US machinery firm SPX Corp is commercialising patented cavitation mixing and dispersing technology for beverage and food sector use, and says it believes the equipment is unique within the marketplace.
Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box is poised to launch a new filling machine this week, which it claims breaks new ground in terms of its ability to fill both bag-in-box (BIB) and stand-up pouch (SUP) containers and includes a ‘next generation’ filling valve.
Krones has launched what it describes as an ‘ultra compact’ single-end bottle washer designed specifically for beverage manufacturers with small to medium outputs.
We've collated some of the best images from the floor of beverage industry trade show Brau Beviale, which celebrated its 50th birthday last week in Nuremberg, Germany, and attracted almost 1,400 exhibitors and 31,500 guests.
German engineering giant Krones is at the forefront of IT solutions to allow close line performace analysis to help beverage manufacturers avoid downtime, and the firm’s IT solutions sales manager Timo Frankl told BeverageDaily.com and FoodProductionDaily.com that the company’s solutions ensured efficient production and a ‘win of money’.
Despite flat earnings in the third quarter (Q3) and ‘madness’ on world stock markets, Krones chairman Volker Kronseder said his firm remains cautiously optimistic for the rest of 2011.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has opened two new blowfill lines costing AUS $35m at its Australian bottling facility in Adelaide, in a move that it said would significantly reduce its use of PET resin and energy.
Positive changes to the Finnish tax regime have encouraged a rapid transition from bottled to can beer in the country, according to consumer packaging giant Rexam.
The market for beverage processing machinery slumped last year but indications are that 2010 will mark a recovery as suspended or delayed projects are taken up again.
Factors such as faster filling speed and reduction of beer waste have accelerated the take up over the past 18 months of optical technology for oxygen measurement by leading breweries in the US and Europe over the well established amperometric systems, reports supplier Mettler Toledo.
Growing demand for natural and authentic products are the major drivers informing development of SIG Combibloc’s aseptic juice packaging and filling systems in the European market.
In the first part of a special edition on beverage processing, we explore the different water treatment requirements and options facing soft drink manufacturers.
Nanotechnology has been a buzz word in the food industry for years but that has done little to turn ideas in a lab into commercially viable innovations. FoodProductionDaily.com looks at barriers to investment, as well as developments from nano packaging enabling the use of lighter materials or boosting barrier properties to nano-coatings for the safety of processing equipment as well as the regulatory framework.
Nanomaterials and their use in food and packaging has been a constant source of debate which has intensified recently with a number of arguments on both sides put forward.
The possibility of a ‘Trojan Horse Effect’ of nanomaterials (NMs) needs more research, according to a study identifying knowledge gaps in the risk assessment of the substance.
Migration levels of nanosilver into PVC packaging are below conventional migrant limits but the effects of nanoscale particles remains unclear, according to a study.
Three German government agencies have developed a proposal for amending European chemical regulation for nanomaterials.
A US not-for-profit organisation has slammed the “murky issue” around potential risks of nanomaterial use and pledged to test products to assess their safety.
Two US agencies are working together in a research effort to assess the potential impact of nanomaterials on people’s health and the environment.
Europe lags five to eight years behind Asia in its adoption of active and intelligent packaging (AIP) technologies, with consumer fear and legislation the biggest obstacles to implementation, according to the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA).
The risk assessment framework for nanotechnology in Europe – like so much else connected to the technology – appears to be in its infancy but developing at a rapid pace.
The benefits for nano-packaging, showing how it can overcome current food and drink industry challenges in terms of shelf life, distribution or sustainability, need to become more apparent in order to ensure widespread commercial implementation, says an industry insider.
Nanocoatings on food processing equipment hold huge potential for boosting safety and performance but lingering doubts and cost concerns among industry players are hampering take up, said an expert
Nanotechnology has been a buzz word in the food industry for years but that has done little to turn ideas in a lab into commercially viable innovations.
FoodProductionDaily.com reported on the latest developments that emerged from Anuga FoodTec 2009 for the food processing and packaging industries.
Robotic technology, which featured largely at the recent Anuga FoodTec trade show, has untapped potential to improve productivity, increase product yield and bring greater flexibility to the food manufacturing production line, claims TM Robotics.
Bob Hogan, director of international sales and marketing at flexible packaging suppliers, Zip-Pak, spoke to FoodProductionDaily.com about some of the misperceptions surrounding the concept of sustainability and food and beverage packaging.
FoodProductionDaily.com caught up with Foss Product Manger Jens Borg to ask him how the company's analytical tool, MeatMaster, could optimise meat production.
A new way of sterilizing packaged foods that offers rapid results and less energy consumption has been the focus of a recent project undertaken by the German research group, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging.
FoodProductionDaily.com travelled to Germany to discuss the constraints involved in sealing equipment manufacture with Mecaplastic.
FoodProductionDaily.com caught up with Sweden-based manufacturer Ecolean as it unveiled its new lightweight aseptic packaging system for liquid food products in Cologne.
A technique to improve the drying process of dairy and other liquid products can lead to product innovation and a better bottom line for food manufacturers, claims GEA Niro.
FoodProductionDaily.com walked the floor at the recent Anuga FoodTec trade show to ascertain how the current economic climate is impacting on the food and beverage processing and packaging equipment manufacture sector.
A project is underway which aims to integrate a plasma technology-based system into existing machinery to enable fast continuous decontamination of flat packaging materials such as foils, films or lids.
A case packer has been designed to pack sensitive products and can incorporate a range of case formats including hood, tray and wraparound, claims the manufacturer.
Stephan Machinery claims that factors such as sustainable food production and energy efficiency are driving equipment development at the Germany based company.
A new feeder can cut cleaning and inspection time, enables high accuracy of dosing of powders to ensure recipe reliability, and is applicable to food manufacturers with frequent product changes, claims the Swiss manufacturer.
Serac says that simplifying the often-costly process of aseptic production for dairy goods by providing reliability and safety along with improved cost effectiveness remains key to its product development.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is generally succeeding in meeting German concerns regarding sustainable consumer packaging and should continue to increase in use until 2025, claim a group supplying the material.
More needs to be done to fully optimise production equipment and processes to guarantee the hygienic production of food as well as greater cost efficiencies, claims a food technology expert.
Nearly 60 per cent of consumers pay attention to the environmental friendliness of food and drink packaging material during their grocery shopping, claims a new survey released today at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne.
A new rotary stand up pouch filling system is targeted at small to medium sized companies seeking higher yield with minimum capital expenditure, says its UK developer.
S+S Separation and Sorting Technology has announced that it has further developed the design of its GLS tunnel metal detectors to ensure greater compliance with hygiene standards.
Dutch equipment supplier CFS has designed a new labelling concept that the company claims can mitigate the need for downtime when changing label reels or torn packing material.
The International Dairy Foods Association’s International Dairy Show 2013
Chicago / Conference and exhibition