Food & Drink Manufacturing UK - January 2024

January 2024

TECHNOLOGY

FINDING VALUE IN THE FOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

fdm-uk.co.uk

FIRST CHOICE MACHINERY

YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR USED MACHINERY. PAGE 19

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CONTENTS 24

04 Editor Paul Attwood editor@fdm-uk.co.uk Editorial Assistant Anna Startin editorial@fdm-uk.co.uk

26

40 53

04 Emblematic red meat brands are “pillars of future Welsh industry prosperity” 24 Improving consumer liking: By Marleen Chambault, Campden BRI 26

Rodda’s invests in la crème de la crème of equipment

40 Efficiency key as juice producers squeezed 53

Leading brewer’s got some bottle after embracing industrial technology solutions

Features Editor Henry Peters editorial@fdm-uk.co.uk Production/Design Laura Whitehead laura@lapthornmedia.co.uk Sales Manager Holly Jones sales@fdm-uk.co.uk Sales Executive Alex Costa alex@fdm-uk.co.uk Publishing Director Maria Lapthorn maria@lapthornmedia.co.uk

Editors Note Welcome to the latest issue of Food & Drink Manufacturing UK Magazine.

In this edition we hear from Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director at HRS Heat Exchangers. He tells us all about continuous processing being more efficient than dealing with batches.

Paul Attwood Editor

We also hear from Ralph Howes, Cold Store Major Accounts Manager at ICS Cool Energy. Ralph explains how cold storage units are a popular option for companies and the reasons why.

Lapthorn Media Ltd 5-7 Ozengell Place, Eurokent Business Park, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 6PB

We hope you enjoy this issue and as always, if you have any news that you would like to feature, please email details to editorial@fdm-uk.co.uk.

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03

Latest News

Emblematic red meat brands are “pillars of future Welsh industry prosperity” - HCC Chair Welsh red meat’s brand reputation is building globally and will help to boost sales and “futureproof our way of life, protect our farms and defend our livelihoods,” the Chair of Hybu Cig Cymru-Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) told industry delegates attending the HCC annual conference in Builth Wells on November 9.

“We meet with a new positivity; we are moving from strength to strength,” Catherine Smith reported. “Our emblematic brands encompass and reflect the honesty, integrity and wholesomeness of our production process and of our natural food.

They are the solid pillars of our future prosperity.”

She said the Welsh industry’s sustainability credentials, like its great premium meats, were world-leaders. “Our lamb exports are buoyant; domestic interest is growing. We’re making great progress. With your help and HCC’s team and resourcefulness, our movement is unstoppable.”

Catherine Smith stated the Welsh industry was in a strong position because stakeholder levy was linked to inflation, protected against further annual erosion and being spent effectively and wisely. The current lamb campaign mixed traditional TV advertising work with nimble, innovative and multi-platform communications.

HCC’s beef campaign - Naturally Local - was also up

Resilience in Frozen Food Sales Amidst Seasonal Shifts and Inflationary Pressures For the first time in 2023, frozen food volume sales have declined, according to new Kantar data from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF). Figures for the 12 weeks to the 3rd of September show that volume has declined by 1.2% (5,943,000 tonnes), compared to the same period last year.

This data, covering the months of June, July and August, follows market trends seen in previous years. Frozen food sales typically drop during the summer months. This year, the UK

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saw 6% more sunshine than average in the summer season and was 0.8°C warmer than previous years, being the 8th warmest summer on record. As a result, sales of foods such as ready meals and meat and poultry declined, by 1.7% and 2.5% respectively.

The fresh and chilled market has also seen volume sales decline, at a greater rate than frozen food. In the 12 weeks to the 3rd of September, fresh and chilled sales dropped by 2.4% (136,870,000 tonnes), compared

to the same period last year. This comes as shoppers continue to swap pricier fresh foods for more budgetfriendly options during the cost of living crisis.

However, it’s not all bad news. There are some encouraging figures which show that not all frozen categories have seen demand drop. Frozen fish, for example, has seen volume grow by 3.2%, and vegetables by an impressive 5.3%. This is likely associated with consumers becoming increasingly more health conscious.

Latest News and running and will crank up approaching the festive season.

Combined, they are expected to reach four million people.

“And they are working. On the marketing front, it’s gratifying that we’ve already had an unprecedented response to this dramatically different, contemporary approach,” she said.

“Last month, at the global showcase Anuga in Cologne, the HCC team reported their busiest show ever with interest from scores of buyers from across Europe, North America and the Far East.

“We are also seeing more demand from UK consumers for high-quality and homeproduced beef and for the first eight months of this year, UK sheepmeat export volumes increased year-on-year by twelve per cent from January to August, with product from Wales accounting for a significant proportion of this.”

Catherine said that the HCC conference speakers were brilliant industry advocates. “Our keynote speaker, Professor Dr Peer Ederer, is the cofounder of a powerful new group that seeks to help us right the wrongs that have been blighting our industry - the imbalanced narrative of a small, but well-funded, minority who make disproportionate, unrepresentative and inaccurate claims about our work.”

The value of frozen food sales remains in growth, up 12.5% (£218,423,000) in the 12 weeks to the 3rd of September, compared to the same period last year. This continues to be, for the most part, a reflection of inflation affecting the entire food industry. While inflation did slow down to 13.6% in August and further to 12.2% in September, food prices remain high and are continuing to strain household budgets.

She cautioned that to defeat this disinformation, the industry in Wales must also fire many effective slingshots of its own. “Our information must be impeccable to support our case. Years of ground-breaking research and months of evidencebuilding went into making our branding work robust, persuasive and resilient. But of course, it all rests on the brilliance of our farmers and their unrivalled sustainability credentials that truly authenticate HCC’s “the Welsh Way” of production.

Our emblematic brands encompass and reflect the honesty, integrity and wholesomeness of our production process and of our natural food.

- Catherine Smith

Sage Derby comes back home to Derbyshire!

Derbyshire cheesemaker Hartington Creamery has acquired Fowlers Sage Derby, and the making of their famous regional cheese has transferred to Hartington’s Pikehall Farm site.

The acquisition of the Fowlers Sage Derby brand has brought their iconic cheese back to being made in Derbyshire for the first time in over 125 years.

The Fowler family can trace their history of cheese-making back fourteen generations to 1670, when they made cheese in the village of Alstonefield near Ashbourne. The family created Sage Derby Cheese,

specially made for harvest and Christmas celebrations when Sage was considered medicinal.

The family moved away from Derbyshire to Warwickshire in the late 1800s, still making their now legendary regional cheese. Robert Gosling, Farmer and Hartington’s Managing Director, has brought this long-lost county cheese variety back home to Derbyshire.

BELOW: Adrian Fowler is handing over the reins and recipes for his family’s Sage Derby Cheese to our Head Cheesemaker, Diana Alcock.

“We have seen for the first time this year that volume sales of frozen food have suffered a modest decline.

Historical trends do show a seasonal wane in frozen food sales and so we expect volume to pick up again during the next quarter. The Christmas season is fast approaching, and frozen food is ideal for buffets and sharing boards at festive parties.” said Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the British Frozen Food Federation.

05

Automation

The Food and Beverage industry must answer the “what’s in it for me” question in order to unlock business value and make digital transformation work

2023 has seen food inflation skyrocket with prices rising by 19.2% in early 2023, the highest level of inflation for 45 years. These are testing times for the food and beverage industry, which has also had to endure surges in the cost of energy, transport, and raw materials. A lack of skilled workers and geopolitical issues have only added to the ongoing logistical headache for many businesses. The digital transformation race is on as businesses look to secure a competitive edge in their value chains.

Here, Andrew Newton, Business Central Consultant at Columbus UK, explains how food manufacturers must realign their strategies for change with business values and not change for change’s sake – all while reducing waste, supply chain risk, and costs.

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A recent report from The Manufacturer, found that 63% of manufacturers are focusing on increasing business agility over the next 12-24 months with the help of advanced technologies. Yet despite this rise, only 30% of these digital transformation projects are actually successful. Many manufacturers struggle with digital transformation, with a third of manufacturers (33%) saying their ability to manage change is one of the main obstacles to achieving their business goals over the next two years.

Understanding business value One key factor that stands out among organisations that are successful however, is that they have clear views on the value they want to gain from the project. It’s important for food manufacturers to have a ‘value-first’ attitude and align the whole organisation with the values that they are going to earn from digitising their processes.

Next, businesses must pair this strategy with a holistic approach with the human side of the transformation process at the centre, not the technology.

Automation Automation can replace and take away monotonous jobs that may take employees longer to do and allow them to instead focus on more businesscritical tasks, which can boost efficiency.

- Andrew Newton

So, what exactly is business value?

Putting value first means addressing many business issues including the “what’s in it for me?” question. It must never be change for change’s sake.

There are many different forms of value which can benefit businesses in both financial and non-financial ways, essentially, it’s anything that can be seen as an improvement for internal and external stakeholders. It can differ dependent on the stakeholder group, for example improving a certain process could be a value-add to one group but another group may see value as increased revenue. ‘New value’ is all about finding value in areas that the business currently doesn’t enable.

The three P’s of digital transformation: People, Priorities, and Project

Putting people first means having a change management plan Food manufacturers that have a change management plan in place before starting a digital transformation project can ensure success from the get-go. Putting value first, such as addressing that “what’s in it for me?” question, ensures that organisations address employees’ initial concerns and that business values are aligned with employee priorities. This unmissable step can increase the chances of buy-in, transformation success, and ROI.

Automate monotonous tasks to free-up employee capacity According to a recent report, 59% of UK manufacturers are currently experiencing supply chain challenges, of which human error plays a part.

Automation can turn the tide here and help food manufacturers minimise supply chain delays and defects. For instance, lot tracking technology tracks a product in real-time from raw ingredients to final product, which can reduce product recalls by between 50% and 95%, according to the International Trade Centre.

Automation can replace and take away monotonous jobs that may take employees longer to do and allow them to instead focus on more businesscritical tasks, which can boost efficiency.

In the food industry, where time is money, businesses that automate monotonous tasks traditionally performed by humans can also reduce the time that food spends on the

production line. This strategy will only be successful if food manufacturers have a change management plan to inform the employees whose jobs are being subsidised by autonomous machines about the value it will bring to them and the business.

Automation can also bring value to health and safety procedures. For instance, automating certain processes along the supply chain can remove employees from working with or manning dangerous machinery, which has been the cause for over 30% of fatal injuries in the food and drinking industry in 2023 alone.

Lots of data but getting answers is not always easy During this period of economic uncertainty, finding ways to reduce operational cost is paramount to protecting profit – and good data hygiene can be key to address this concern. Many traditional food manufacturers rely on several separate business systems and can get caught up in spending too much time gathering, analysing, and processing customer data. These systems often don’t work in parallel with each other, resulting in many forms of similar data being scattered across networks.

Continued >>>

Employees are one of the most valuable stakeholders within a food manufacturing organisation, yet over 77% of food and drink manufacturers are struggling with staff shortages, especially when it comes to skilled work. So, finding ways to retain employees and attract a more digital workforce can help to address some labour concerns – but there’s still a catch.

People are often, in fact usually, the first make or break factor when businesses implement digital transformation projects. This is because change usually means employees must learn new processes, techniques, and systems, which can cause disruption and confusion. So how can businesses avoid this outcome?

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Automation

This makes it harder for manufacturers to determine the most relevant, up-todate, or even correct data, which can have costly implications – so how can a digital shift resolve this?

The integration of a food-specific ERP can be the most invaluable piece of technology for many manufacturing companies due to the system’s ability to unify processes and operations in one location. For instance, if customer data is modified in one subsystem, it’s automatically updated for all other systems, saving employees valuable time and effort.

To take this one step further, businesses that can connect data and actions will be able to drive smarter decisions that improve the accuracy, efficiency, and speed of food production along the supply chain. But the benefits don’t end there!

An advanced ERP can also improve backoffice efficiency by accurately tracking sales, purchases, and inventory, which can help businesses reveal sources of waste and make better buying decisions.

Lean into advanced processes to reduce food waste It is estimated that the UK wastes around 9.52 million tonnes of food every year

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and the food manufacturing industry alone accounts for 16% (1.5 million tonnes) of this waste. With the UK Government aiming to reduce food wastage by 20% by 2025, food manufacturers need to find ways to reduce their waste percentage but still add value to the business.

Time is a crucial factor in the food industry and there is not a lot of it when dealing with perishable goods as products need to be delivered within specific timeframes. Lean manufacturing techniques can trim processes that add little value to operations but can significantly help to save time and reduce costs by up to 50%. The changes introduced by lean manufacturing will impact each level of the business so every employee must be educated as part of the change management plan.

Keep your digital finger on the business pulse with advanced analytics Advanced analytics have become integral to the inventory management and planning stages. In the produce industry for instance, planning can be difficult because most items have a

short shelf life. This is especially true when you take into consideration the impact of weather and yields. Industry experts plan to the best of their ability to forecast and meet demand, but often have to resort to spot market purchases to reconcile the difference between product availability and actual supply and demand.

Now with advanced analytics, food manufacturers can model processes and automate decisions along the product line to increase efficiency and help reduce production failures and refine the process, no matter the product – reducing downtime and boosting the bottom line!

The transformational staircase to digital excellence Food manufactures that take this value-first approach to digital transformation will be the ones to feel the long-term impact across the entire organisation. It’s crucial from the start to inform everyone within the organisation of the changes and the value it will bring to their work life.

Then food manufacturers can look to implement the new technologies to start seeing the true value of digital transformation – one step at a time!

Robotic solutions for the food industry Robots are a simple and effective way to reduce labour and ensure consistency for many applications in low care, high care or the more tradional end of line packing applications.

Versatile solutions to pack products into plastic trays, cardboard boxes or in-line pick and place to feed into another process. Depending on your requirements we can offer a single robot or up to ten robots operating from one vision system.

In addition to our standard stainless steel model utilising the latest superfast carbon fibre delta robots, we offer a fully hygienic design option with stainless wash-down delta robots. Boost productivity with intelligent robot software – the easy way to coordinate and control multiple robots. Specially developed for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market segment.

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Automation

Fortress puts its weight behind portion control with new INLINE checkweigher Contaminant detection and food checkweighing specialist Fortress Technology Europe continues to add to its user-friendly and waste-saving portfolio of machinery with the addition of a new upstream in-line food processing checkweigher.

Designed for automated raw ingredient processing lines, the launch of the hygienic Raptor Inline Checkweigher gives bakery, meat, seafood and prepared food manufacturers an efficient, in-motion weighing system that connects to upstream portion control equipment. Simple to integrate into existing production lines, including alongside sausage stuffers, meat and plant-based burger forming and portioning lines, cheese cutters, as well as bread, pizza and cake dough dividers, the Raptor Inline Checkweigher guarantees uniform portion weights at rates exceeding 9,000 units per hour.

Engineered originally for high speed bakeries, this new addition to the Fortress Raptor Checkweighing series gives European food processors the tools to switch out their manual weight checking processes and maintain weight compliance while simultaneously savings thousands of pounds in daily product giveaway.

Capable of weighing items as light as a garlic dough ball up to a 6kg cheese block, and everything in between, the new Raptor Inline Checkweigher automatically rejects product units under or over-weight by as little as 0.5 grams. Simultaneously, the machine’s advanced fibre optic controlled software communicates back to upstream portion control equipment in real time to adjust the position of cutting blades. Helping to ensure the entire batch isn’t off-spec.

Catch before the batch

Given the focus on manufacturing waste, identifying and actioning under or over weight products before the energy intensive process of baking or placing into expensive packaging is more imperative than ever, highlights Fortress Europe’s Applications Engineer Daniel Shail. “Leaving the weight check until the end of the process is one of the most wasteful activities as it could result in an entire consignment of baked or packaged products being recalled, not to mention the many hours wasted in production and workforce salaries.”

A large number of food processors continue to check units within batches randomly by hand. Not only is this labour intensive, but it can also lead to significant variations in product quality, cautions Daniel.

Automated inline checkweighing allows for individual pieces that are off target weight to be removed and reworked, as well as providing corrective feedback to the upstream portioning equipment.

Daniel continues: “Weighing raw product on the conveyor line without removing it to place on a separate scale is the most efficient method. It also mitigates against potential human contaminants. For products with a number of processing variables, such as different densities, lean-to-fat ratios and even live raw bread dough, these different weight variations all need to be factored in.”

The Raptor Inline Checkweigher’s ultra-hygienic washdown design with a Clean-in-Place (CIP) mode, has been engineered for easy and deep sanitation to prevent cross contact contamination.

Specifically, the tight-fitting conveyor and Fortress Technology’s unique ‘no-tool’ conveyor removal innovation overcomes the longstanding industry challenge of loosening belt tension during cleaning and maintenance. In just seconds, operators can unclip and disconnect the conveyor motor and lift

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Automation out the entire conveyor assembly. This allows for the belt support frame to be fully-sanitised too, reducing the buildup of loose product. Belt tension and alignment are instantly restored when clipped back into place.

To keep the Raptor Inline Checkweigher compact, Fortress Europe engineered the reject unit to sit beneath the conveyor within the body of the machine. If the checkweigher identifies products that don’t meet the target weight specifications, the conveyor dips, dropping products into an equally hygienic and lockable BRC-approved reject bin. Enabling line operatives at regular interviews to open, remove and place the product back upstream for re-portioning.

Addressing the potential issue of airflow negatively influencing weighing accuracy or airborne contaminants landing on raw ingredients, the Raptor Inline Checkweigher also features an interlocked conveyor cover with special engineered cut outs.

Demanding data Data gathered via the Raptor’s management control system can also help to track uptime and address line inefficiencies. Using the swipe touchscreen, processors can select the statistical parameters most relevant to their operation, including giveaway by weight and percentage, portions per minute, rejected product numbers etc.

The easy to use graphical display automatically logs and reports Reject Integrity compliance tests. This intuitive digital interface also helps to significantly reduce set up time between each batch.

Weighing raw product on the conveyor line without removing it to place on a separate scale is the most efficient method.

For enhanced traceability, reports configured by time, date or product code - can be downloaded and easily converted to common management reporting and software applications.

Secure remote and authorised access levels ensure processors have all the tools needed to troubleshoot, diagnose and resolve equipment issues on the spot and minimise system downtime.

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People On The Move Kallik appoints Avinash Voodi to drive entry into food and beverage market Kallik, a leader in global artwork and labelling management software, has appointed Avinash Voodi to its team. With over 15 years’ experience in marketing and sales, Avinash will play a pivotal role in Kallik’s expansion into the food and beverage markets.

the adoption of innovative marketing and sales strategies, embracing web enablement and facilitating digital transformations. His leadership has consistently led teams to achieve remarkable growth and contribute significantly to cumulative revenue within exceptionally short timeframes.

Avinash is a growth-focused leader and a Software as a Service (SaaS) marketing enthusiast, with expertise in the global packaging technology space.

In his new role as vice president of commercial growth within the food and beverage market, Avinash will spearhead Kallik’s new logo growth in the food and beverage industry. He will work alongside the established sales and marketing teams, to focus on messaging and lead generation.

Over the last six years, Avinash has crafted packaging artwork solutions for organisations in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and retail sectors. He has also been a driving force behind

Commenting on his new role, Avinash, said: “Kallik’s commitment to bringing

integrity, traceability and transparency to the global labelling process is a mission close to my heart. I eagerly anticipate Kallik’s potential as a transformative force, empowering organisations to redefine their labelling standards and achieve compliance and consistency at a whole new level.”

Oscar Mayer announces new senior management appointments Oscar Mayer Limited, a leading UK manufacturer of own-brand packaged ready-meals and longstanding partner to many of the UK’s supermarket chains, is delighted to welcome Nigel Hebron as Chief Financial Officer, Gordon Walsh as Chief Commercial Officer and Amanda Wright, as Group Procurement Director.

Each have been chosen following an extensive search across the food manufacturing industry, for bright, energetic and experienced talent to help Oscar Mayer achieve its relationship development plans - putting its customers and supplier partners at the heart of its operations.

These senior appointments come four months after Ian Toal’s arrival as Chief Executive Officer in June of this year, and under Clive Sharpe’s chairmanship.

Nigel, Gordon and Amanda all report directly to Ian. Nigel Hebron has extensive strategic and operational experience in fast-

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moving complex organisations, with a record of delivering results in growth, revenue, operational improvements, and profitability.

He has worked at VION UK, Intersnack UK, Calbee UK, Kinnerton Confectionary Ltd, Natures Way Foods and latterly at the Wellbeing Group.

Gordon Walsh has worked in the food industry for over 19 years, and has a wealth of experience. He has spent 10 years working with Ornua, in a period where they moved all their customer relationships to true long-term partnerships and delivered significant growth to the business.

During the last 18 months Gordon has been working with Sainsburys and several other businesses similarly focusing on delivering partnerships.

Finally, Amanda Wright has a strong pedigree in procurement in the food sector, having held senior roles with Zertus UK, Amazon, Bakkavor, 2 Sisters Food Group and Northern Foods.

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Events & Awards News

Pioneering vertical farm is a winner in prestigious consortium awards GrowUp Farms wins the Climate Award in the fresh product trade association’s annual awards 2023 Pioneering vertical farm, GrowUp Farms, has won the Climate Award (a Sustainability Excellence Award) in this year’s Fresh Produce ConsortiumFresh Awards. The Fresh Produce Consortium Fresh Awards features a range of categories that recognise and celebrate all aspects of fresh produce, honouring the industry’s best.

The judges said: “The GrowUp Team has worked ambitiously over the last 10 years; making great progress to produce quality food without harming the environment.”

GrowUp Farms, which is the first vertical farm to launch branded salads into major UK supermarket groups and has the Unbeleafable salad range in Tesco stores nationwide, was announced as a winner in a glittering awards ceremony in London on 29 September.

This is the first major award won by the company, which is up for a total of 9 other awards to be announced between now and the end of the year.

GrowUp Farms was one of 14 contenders for the three awards up for grabs in the Sustainability Excellence category. The Climate Award is presented to a business that is “driven to preserve, protect and enhance our living environment, halting or reversing land degradation, understanding ecosystem services or adopting water optimisation techniques”.

Kate Hofman, who co-founded GrowUp Farms ten years ago, said: “We are over the moon to win the Climate Award in these prestigious awards, and this win reflects the hard work, passion and dedication of the entire GrowUp Farms team, both at Pepperness in Kent and also at our R&D facility, the LeafLab in Cambridge.

FEG Global Awarded Contract for International Sustainable Factory Design with WhatIF Foods North-East based Engineering Project Management company FEG Global has won the WhatIF contract for the concept design and feasibility phase of a new, sustainable factory in Tamale, Africa.

A co-production facility, the site is as innovative as it is sustainable, using a self-sufficient model that co-generates its own energy through the pyrolysis process and use of agri-waste to create Biochar.

As well as the sophisticated energy recovery operations, the site brings further positive environmental impact through acting as a community hub in its local town near Tamale, creating hundreds of jobs for direct employees and support services.

The WhatIF factory will produce various food products through the processing of bamnuts, including milk, milk powder and noodles. The discarded bamnut shells will go directly into the energy-production process of the plant to produce some 39GWh per annum by 2030 and become an entirely self-powering facility.

Key to the awarding of the contract was an understanding of how to design a site that could maintain the varying balance between food production and energy requirements within the daily processes, something that the engineering team at FEG Global were happy to work on with many years of both food production design and heat recovery under their belts.

Work has already commenced on the design phase of the project and FEG are confident of continuing the partnership throughout the project.

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Chilled & Frozen Food

Cold Storage Unit Hire Guide

By Ralph Howes, Cold Store Major Accounts Manager, ICS Cool Energy

Playing an important role in the cold supply chain, cold storage units are a very popular solution for organisations wanting the same thing - To help store their goods safely at a precise temperature, that can be positioned quickly with minimum disruption to site.

Cold stores can be used in many different applications, frozen or perishable food and beverage products, or pharmaceutical goods.

Prototype or New Product Development such as automotive manufacturers and engineering companies, may use the units for product endurance testing in extreme hot or cold conditions to replicate global climate conditions. This can remove the need for shipping prototype products around the world.

A cold storage unit, also known as a refrigerated container, is based on a shipping container that has an integrated refrigeration system.

Along with high quality insulation and intelligent controls, cold stores can maintain the temperature, humidity and atmosphere at a constant value.

Designed to be easily transported, they are typically 10 ft, 20 ft, or 40 ft in length and well-designed units should make it simple and easy to organise products, with the ability to fit pallets or racking systems inside.

Why hire a cold storage unit?

Hiring, rather than buying, is the go to option for most organisations.

If your business is expanding, you’ll want a solution that can grow with you, without the risk of investing capital.

The fast installation process and modular nature of a cold storage unit means you can easily add more into your site as your needs increase.

Hiring means you’ll have access to engineering specialists who can help you set up and manage your unit.

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The engineers will optimise the cold store for your specific requirements, which will help lower energy costs.

The temperature control technology in the most advanced cold storage units is developing all the time.

By hiring a unit, you’ll be able to easily swap to the latest tech should you need a more efficient or lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) alternative.

Whilst cold storage hire may be simpler than boiler or chiller hire, there are several requirements you should look for when choosing who to partner with.

Along with outlining what to look for in a unit, in this article we talk through what needs to be considered during the installation process.

Requirements of a cold storage unit Not all cold store units are built the same, and most older models won’t have the technology needed to maintain optimal temperature and maximise efficiency.

Temperature: Temperature control is why you want a cold storage unit and should be central to your hiring process. Check if the unit is capable of reaching your required temperature or temperature range needed to store your products.

The standard range you’ll find on the market is -25°C to +25°C. At ICS Cool Energy our units have a range of -40°C to +30°C. If you need to go to a low

temperature very quickly, there are ‘blast freezers’ or ‘super freezers’ that can reach -70°C. These are mostly used for blood plasma storage, valuable pharmaceuticals, or food products such as sushi-grade fish.

Fast pull down mode: Units that have a superior cooling capacity will have more power to reach your specified temperature much faster. Whilst you may not need freezing to -40°C, the fast pull down ability will cool your product quicker to help maintain freshness and the product’s life.

Ventilation: If your products are being chilled and not frozen, they will start to slowly ripen. This ripening process emits gases that will need to be removed from the unit, so fresh air ventilation is a must if you intend to store fruit and vegetables. The ventilation will also help remove excess heat from when you first fill the container with your produce.

Chilled & Frozen Food An empty 40ft refrigerated container is about 3.5 tonnes, so if the unit must be installed on grass, the soil structure needs to be solid enough to withstand sinking. And this option is only recommended for short term solutions and emergency situations.

Total weight of the cold store and product must be taken into consideration, but as long as the ground is firm and reasonably level, cold storage units are very flexible and simple to install in most applications.

Height clearance: The unit will come to your site on the back of a lorry, and often units will have to get craned into place.

Our units feature Advanced Fresh Air Management technology as standard.

On the unit controller you simply specify your desired fresh air rate and the intelligent control will do the rest.

Humidity: The ability to regulate humidity will have a big effect on the temperature control and performance of the unit. Any moisture in the air or condensation from within could spoil your fresh produce.

Therefore, the unit must have a dehumidification function to help control humidity. Our units can maintain humidity at +/- 2% a lowest setting of 50% RH. Drainage: To help prevent bacterial growth and cross contamination, drainage gullies and holes will help remove any excess water from the cold storage unit and help keep it clean.

The one-way drainage system will only flow out of the unit, preventing any air or moisture from entering.

Remote monitoring: For complete peace of mind, cold store units can be connected for both one way and two-way communication. The remote monitoring module features everything you need to help manage and optimise the unit, which reduces the risk of stock losses and food safety issues.

Energy data will keep you informed about the performance of the unit, enabling you to make more informed decisions about energy consumption without compromising your produce.

Useability features: From non-slip flooring to internal lighting and access ramps, ensure the unit has everything you need to make work easy and fast.

Hiring, rather than buying, is the go to option for most organisations.

Safety: All ICS Cool Energy units have an internal alarm and man trap escape mechanism. The escape mechanism is a small hatch fitted to one of the doors that can be opened from inside.

Sustainability: Efficiency and type of refrigerant used should be part of your hiring decision, especially if your organisation has a sustainability procurement programme.

The advanced controller units optimises power consumption, delivering significant cost and energy savings.

Our containers, from the leader in transport temperature control solutions Thermo King, are available with the low GWP industry standard R-134A refrigerant or, for even less environmental impact, with the R-513A drop-in refrigerant.

Installation considerations Cold storage engineers will guide you through the entire installation.

However, in an emergency situation understanding some of the criteria and planning ahead can help speed up the installation process.

Ground requirements: The ground should be flat, a hard surface and not liable to flooding.

There must be no overhead cables or any obstructions that could get in the way during installation.

Electrical installation: ICS Cool Energy cold store units are fully electric, with an optional diesel generator as a back-up.

The units are truly plug and play and quick to install, and the closer we can get to your distribution board the cheaper the install will be.

Modular structures: Multiple cold stores joined together without connecting walls to create one big open unit. Compared to building a cold room, this doesn’t require time consuming engineering, ground works, or long, drawn-out planning permission process.

The off-site construction of modular cold stores also means less interruption to the business and much shorter lead times. Your business can continue to operate while assembly work is completed outside of the current business process.

Modular install’s typically take days whereas conventional building methods can take months on site and take up large areas of space for materials and machinery relating to the build. Once finished with they can be removed without incurring large dilapidation costs if you move out of rented premises.

Learn more > https://www.icscoolenergy. com/hire/cold-store-hire/

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Editor’s Choice

Used Machinery… First thing that comes to mind, First Choice Machinery Ltd. First Choice Machinery Ltd is a top-tier supplier based in Lincolnshire that specialises in catering to the Food Industry worldwide.

Their exceptional services in buying, selling, and the rental of machinery have made them the go-to supplier for all business needs. Founded in 2021, the company is rapidly growing and evolving under the guidance of company director Joe Geeves who carries over a decade of experience in the industry. The company have established a reputation for offering an approachable, personalised, and detailed service.

The primary focus of First Choice Machinery is on sourcing, supplying, and delivering used machinery to the global market, providing an eco-friendly option for obtaining essential equipment for production. They boast a wide array of available stock, ranging from inspection machines to complete production lines. First Choice Machinery Ltd are adept at sourcing and procuring equipment tailored to meet your unique requirements

Used food machinery offers a cost-efficient and eco-friendly alternative to purchasing brand new equipment. through their well-established network.

There is a rising trend in businesses opting for used machinery when it comes to food processing equipment.

Used food machinery offers a cost-efficient and eco-friendly alternative to purchasing brand new equipment.

Investing in high-quality used machinery enables businesses to significantly reduce their upfront costs without compromising on quality. This approach benefits the bottom line and helps reduce waste by giving these machines a second life. It’s a win-win situation for both the environment and your business!

As industry trends point towards the increase in equipment rentals, First Choice Machinery offers an array of options to make it even more convenient for businesses to fulfil their production needs. The right machinery can automate and streamline processes, resulting in increased efficiency. From conveyors to mixers, this equipment enables faster production, reduces manual labour, and minimises human error.

It’s a game-changer that can take your productivity to new heights!

As we kick-start the new year, there is no better time to foster new relationships and make new connections within the industry for the year ahead and the future. Let First Choice Machinery Ltd help you take your business to the next level with their exceptional service and wide array of machinery options.

First Choice Machinery W | www.firstchoicemachinery.co.uk T | +44 (0) 7395 925 394 E | sales@firstchoicemachinery.co.uk

19

Editor’s Choice

Find out how a Small Reduction in Production Costs can Dramatically Increase your Net Profit We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic responses and the immense interest generated during the PPMA event. Many attendees expressed a keen desire for additional information on wastage reduction and cost-saving strategies in manufacturing. It’s great to witness the industry’s resolute commitment to enhancing performance.

Throughout the event, we had the privilege of listening to numerous manufacturers share their unique stories and challenges. During the event, we saw three types of visitors: 1. Some manufacturers recognised that they were lagging behind and were eager to initiate comprehensive improvements in their production processes immediately.

2. Others believed it was premature to take action and were not yet ready to invest capital in performance enhancements.

3. A few manufacturers preferred to maintain the status quo in their production processes, opting not to pursue improvements.

Drawing from insights gleaned through the FDF State of Industry Survey, we observed that 54% of manufacturers prioritise innovation, while 41% focus on adapting their supply chains and restructuring operations. Additionally, 49% of respondents are planning to increase their capital investment expenditure over the next 12 months. These statistics underscore the majority

of manufacturers’ commitment to growth, alongside their aspirations to reduce internal costs and enhance the bottom line.

In the words of Charles Darwin, “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is best able to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”

From the survey, we can see many manufacturers are awakening to the need for proactive adaptation in response to the evolving industrial landscape.

Wastage is a major issue, and it is everywhere throughout food manufacturing operations, from goods-in to despatch.

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Editor’s Choice Unlock the Opportunities for Financial Growth

Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Wastage

Building on this backdrop of industry dynamics and the drive for excellence, our encounter with a vegetable manufacturer at the event stands as a potent example. The manufacturer was seeking a holistic MIS/MES solution to enhance their production process and reduce costs. To gain a deeper insight into their business, we delved into their annual accounts at Companies House.

Wastage is a major issue, and it is everywhere throughout food manufacturing operations, from goodsin to despatch. Some obvious examples include wastage due to incorrect labels on packaging and overfilling.

What we uncovered was truly eyeopening. This company’s impressive turnover stood at £400 million.

However, a glance at their cost of sales justified a deeper look. The cost of sales had escalated to £390 million, leaving the gross profit at a mere £10 million.

When factoring in other operational and administrative expenses, their net profit (before tax) was just £5 million.

Imagine this scenario: even a mere 1% reduction in the Cost of Sales, as illustrated here, would result in a remarkable addition of £3.9 million to the bottom-line profit. That’s an almost 80% boost in the bottom line, all from a 1% reduction in the Cost of Sales. Such a transformation is not only realistic, but also a recurring reality that we’ve witnessed in numerous production sites. We’re fully geared up to help many more manufacturers achieve similar improvements.

Our consultative approach consistently emphasises a deeper focus on performance improvement with a keen eye on the Cost of Sales, as this is often the largest area of expenditure and where substantial growth opportunities can be unlocked.

So, what can we do to reduce the cost of sales?

this overfilling, it amounted to a daily loss of £450. Bearing in mind this was just one product on one production line, scaled up across the factory, the losses through overfill alone amounted to more than £0.5million per year.

These instances represent just a couple of straightforward examples of wastage. By addressing and minimising these forms of wastage and enhancing your operational efficiency, you can significantly improve your bottom line. This is where Harford can step in and provide invaluable assistance.

A Fresh Perspective for your Business

During a visit to a coffee manufacturer, we were shocked by the quantity of wasted aluminised packs. The production line commenced at 8 am, and by 9 am, two substantial dump bags were already overflowing with this wasted, expensive packaging. To investigate this wastage, we embarked on a Gemba walk. We discovered that one of the primary reasons for these wasted coffee bags was the absence of date codes on the labels. The heater was not hot enough to imprint the date code, necessitating the disposal of many of these packaging bags. Others were due to inadequate pack seals and checkweigher rejects.

Overfilling presented another critical and common wastage issue. During a pack weight audit of a milk factory supplying to schools, we noticed that every carton was filled beyond the required level by circa 10%. You might think this is an insignificant amount of milk, not seriously affecting costs.

However, when we tallied the costs of

The Harford system is built to scale across entire factories, from goods-in to dispatch. Whether the challenges stem from mislabelling, quality issues, overfilling or lost efficiency, waste information can be collected, analysed and distributed in real-time to networked PCs, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. This empowers operators to make immediate adjustments, while managers gain the insights needed to make well-informed decisions on the spot.

Compliance, quality, efficiency and yield can be comprehensively improved upon through the excellence of the Harford MIS/MES solution, coupled with the diligence and engagement of your production teams. This has frequently proven to reduce the cost of sales, thereby significantly improving pre-tax profits.

Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective to uncover growth opportunities within your production process.

If you’re ready to explore these possibilities, please reach out to us.

Contact us with your inquiries at info@harfordcontrol.com or give us a call on +44 (0)1225 764461.

Visit our website: www.harfordcontrol.com

21

Leverage Waste Reduction to Help Factories Improve Bottom-Line Profits Materials and Process Quality

Energy Wastage Raw Material Wastage Labour Wastage Production Efficiency/ Profits

As an end-to-end MIS/MES provider with over 50 years expertise in the installation of cutting edge performance improvement systems, we take the time to fully understand your objectives, share your sense of urgency and provide unique and holistic solutions to help you

minimise wastage and improve manufacturing effectiveness.

The value of a 1% cost of sales reduction often translates into double-digit in net profit.

Let’s talk. +44 (0)1225 764461 www.harfordcontrol.com

Measurement & Control

Precision Without Limits:

MWS Delivers Lifetime Scale Assurance Micro Weighing Solutions (MWS Ltd), a renowned UK-based manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment, is setting a new industry standard by becoming the first scale manufacturer to introduce a lifetime guarantee on all their British-made weighing scales.

MWS is a trusted name in the world of weighing equipment, working with some of the largest food and drink manufacturers across the UK. The hallmark of their excellence lies in the fact that they oversee every step of the manufacturing process, from initial design to fabrication and assembly.

This meticulous attention to detail ensures that their weighing scales, encompassing platform bench scales, floor scales, and pallet scales, are of unmatched quality and reliability. It also means MWS can create bespoke, turnkey solutions for customers.

Lifetime Warranty on Weighing Scales What sets MWS apart from the rest is their unwavering confidence in the products they manufacture. As of February 2023, MWS is proud to introduce a lifetime guarantee on the structural integrity of their industrial scales under normal use.

Remarkably, this warranty extends to MWS products supplied after 1st January 2018, affirming their commitment to customer satisfaction and product longevity.

The guarantee covers the structural integrity of the machine, reassuring customers that their investment is safeguarded for a lifetime.

Furthermore, key components, such as the load cells manufactured by Flintec, come with their own five-year warranty, adding an extra layer of confidence to the MWS product line.

Nationwide Service & UKAS Calibration In addition to this remarkable lifetime guarantee, MWS also boasts an experienced, dedicated team of

field service engineers who provide nationwide service and calibration for all types of weighing equipment. This includes UKAS calibrations, ensuring that your weighing scales maintain precision and accuracy throughout their lifetime.

For the Food & Drink industries, MWS is not just a manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment; they are a partner in quality, reliability, and assurance.

When you choose MWS products, you’re not just investing in a weighing scale; you’re investing in peace of mind, innovation, and the unwavering support of a company that believes in the durability and performance of its products.

Make the smart choice for your industrial weighing needs – choose Micro Weighing Solutions and experience a lifetime of quality, guaranteed.

Website: www.mws.ltd.uk

23

Measurement & Control

Improving consumer liking: timebased sensory mapping to understand your product, guide reformulation and conquer your market

By Marleen Chambault, Sensory and Consumer Research Scientist, Campden BRI

A guide to the key outputs of characterising food and drink products using time-based sensory mapping with consumers, the valuable applications of this information, and the types of projects for which it can be instrumental.

Does your competitor’s product have a more desirable initial ‘bite’? Or upfront burst of flavour? Is the texture positively received throughout the entire eating experience? Is there an aftertaste that consumers do not like?

To answer these types of important questions in enough detail to inform improvements, you may need to consider using time-based sensory mapping.

Time-based sensory mapping with consumers is a really useful way to characterise, in detail, the in-mouth consumer perceptions of your products during the whole eating and drinking experience. It can be used

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with consumers to evaluate both food and drink products to help technical, new product development (NPD) and marketing teams understand their products better.

The technical method used for timebased sensory mapping is ‘temporal check-all-that-apply’ (TCATA).

‘Temporal’ is the key word here, as this method looks at the timing of the various elements of the consumer in-mouth experience. The ‘temporal check-all-that-apply’ method allows you to determine when the different sensations are delivered by your product, and how the consumer experience changes throughout the eating and drinking experience.

Consumers select and un-select the attributes that they perceive from the moment they take a first bite or sip to the moment they swallow and beyond, thereby capturing flavour, aftertaste and mouthfeel. This builds up a timebased sensory map, which characterises

Time-based sensory mapping is an excellent tool in the product matching process, where taking ‘temporality’ into account is essential.

- Marleen Chambault

the product and provides a really useful depth of valuable information.

After the TCATA task, consumers also indicate how much they like the samples, as well as how likely they would be to purchase them.

This enables you to determine what temporal sensory characteristics drive consumer liking.

Measurement & Control

What projects can benefit from time-based sensory mapping with consumers?

Product development, renovation and innovation Time-based sensory mapping provides you with the complete in-mouth experience of your product, including the evolution of sensory characteristics over time and how these interact with one another. This makes it an excellent tool to guide product development by understanding and improving how a new product delivers the different inmouth sensory characteristics.

In this way, it can be used to inform the improvement of the eating and drinking experience as part of product optimisation and value optimisation, and can be applied to validate the impact and effectiveness of changes and improvements to how various inmouth sensations are being delivered.

Product matching Time-based sensory mapping is an excellent tool in the product matching process, where taking ‘temporality’ into account is essential. By enabling you to check whether two samples display similar characteristics, not only overall, but also throughout consumption, it can help you to match flavour or texture profiles and unlock how to match with or differentiate from other products.

Similarly, by examining the dynamic aspects of the sensory properties, time-based sensory mapping can help you to explore and understand

differences in liking and why some products do or do not perform well in terms of liking. The ‘TCATA’ method is particularly good for highlighting the differences between similar products with evolving, complex sensory characteristics, where other methods may not provide enough detail to inform improvement.

Other applications Similar to how time-based sensory mapping can be used to validate changes that are intended to improve the consumption experience for consumers, it can also be used to understand the impact of changes that are being explored for other reasons.

For example, product reformulation, such as for cost optimisation projects, salt or sugar reduction, MSG removal and sugar substitution or reduction.

For any formulation changes or processing change, time-based sensory mapping with consumers can be used to assess the impact of change(s) on flavour, texture and aftertaste delivery during the consumer consumption experience.

Off flavours and off notes can be investigated via time-based sensory mapping, including whether they are present, what they are, when they are perceived and how long for. Shelf-life analysis can also include time-based sensory mapping, for example by using it to check whether an aged product features similar time-based sensory characteristics to a fresh product.

As well as guiding the projects explored here, the results from a timebased sensory mapping study with

consumers can be valuable for use in written and verbal communications, such as product specifications, on-pack product descriptions, and advertising material.

Campden BRI can help you leverage valuable insights from time-based sensory mapping with consumers Whether you are developing a new product or optimising an existing one, success or failure of a product will ultimately depend on what consumers think of it, so it is essential to understand the consumer response in detail when embarking on a product innovation or product optimisation programme.

Our experts have a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods available to explore consumers’ expectations and experiences. No matter what our client’s challenges may be, we consistently deliver innovative solutions, helping them into a much better position to conquer their market.

If you are facing a challenge where results from consumer research would unlock the puzzle and present the way forward, then our consumer insights team can help.

Contact us for more information on how timebased sensory mapping can be used to improve your products.

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Packaging

Rodda’s invests in la crème de la crème of equipment Rodda’s creamery in Cornwall, famous for its quality dairy produce, recently invested in a high-speed shrink-wrapping line to help them meet increases in demand for their milk products.

They turned to the leaders in shrink-wrapping systems, Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS), to supply and maintain the new equipment.

Rodda’s requirements were for a line with increased speed compared with their previous system, which could handle different configurations of their product easily and which was designed for the dairy environment.

YPS were able to supply a wrapping system exactly to Rodda’s’ needs.

Steve Basford, Rodda’s Engineering Manager, commented, “From my point of view, YPS listened to our requirements from the outset of the project.”

From my point of view, YPS listened to our requirements from the outset of the project.

- Steve Basford

The YPS engineering team installed and configured the system at Rodda’s’ Cornish operation, fitting around the dairy’s production schedule. “We had good communication in the build stage and the installation, which had to be done over an extended weekend so we did not affect production, went smoothly with a vertical startup on the Monday morning,” confirmed Steve.

BELOW: Rodda’s Creamery recently invested in a high-speed packaging line to meet increased demand

Rodda’s Creamery prides itself on its high-quality production values.

Rodda’s source their milk directly from Cornish farms to ensure they get the best quality, rich and creamy milk they are looking for, from farms with high standards of animal welfare.

Investment in packaging the product properly helps ensure that the final consumer receives the product in the best condition and is able to appreciate that quality.

Both businesses are family-owned and have a long legacy in their respective industries. “We’ve been in business for over 45 years now, which is a great achievement, but it’s dwarfed by the more than 130 years that Rodda’s Creamery have been operating,” stated YPS Managing Director, Glyn Johnson.

“Despite their long history, Rodda’s aren’t resting on their laurels but are continuing to invest for a healthy future and it’s a privilege to play a small part in helping them to do that.”

We had good communication in the build stage and the installation, which had to be done over an extended weekend so we did not affect production, went smoothly with a vertical startup on the Monday morning.

- Steve Basford

LEFT: YPS were able to supply a dairyspecification wrapping line, ideal for Rodda’s’ exact requirements

For more info: yps.co.uk Email: enquiries@yps.co.uk

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Packaging

“Checking in” with Fortress Marking another checkweighing milestone, Fortress Technology Europe launched its new inline portion-control Raptor checkweigher at PPMA 2023.

A slim-line ergonomic checkweighing machine is now also available.

Sharing the company’s extensive knowledge on international net weight verification rules that govern food checkweighing, Fortress explores the ‘compliance essentials’ that can protect brand integrity while simultaneously lowering operational costs.

lead to a considerable profit losses.

Even nominal overfilling can add up. In a new Whitepaper published

by Fortress Technology, European Applications Engineer Daniel Shail examines the risks versus regulations and delves into the pitfalls of nonconformance.

Efficient weight control and checkweighing systems are integral to meeting consumer expectations.

In addition to inspecting under and overweight packages and ensuring compliance with net content regulations, deploying smart checkweighers inline and at the end of food processing lines can provide a source of untapped Quality Assurance, waste reduction and brand protection.

Cost of cutting checkweighing corners

Product giveaway is the long-accepted outcome of observing weight legislation rules. However, when food manufacturers overfill packaging to avoid falling foul of international and domestic weight legislations, it can

Global weight regulations are in place to protect consumers against short measures. The cost if caught selling underweight packaged food products can lead to penalty fines ranging from several hundred, to thousands of pounds. In regions where the rules are even stricter, knowingly distributing underweight products could be deemed fraud.

The picture could be even worse for a multi-national food company with global reach. A widespread recall could rise to several million pounds

if withdrawing an entire batch of underweight processed and packaged products.

Longer term brand image also needs to be considered. A social media report can rapidly spiral, leading to potentially serious consequences if a recall is not acted upon swiftly.

The resulting impact can be highly detrimental. Consumer research by Harris Interactive reports that 55 percent of people would switch brands temporarily following a product recall, while 15 percent said they would not purchase that brand from the manufacturer again. A recall of this scale is often avoidable if food defences are robust and risks are regularly reviewed.

Average weight rules To avoid issues with weight legislation it is common practice for food plants to overfill. Yet, given the cost of ingredients, food commodities, and packaging, combined with the current cost of living crisis, overfilling is no longer considered a good or sustainable business practice.

In order to cut down on product waste and lost profits, it is advisable for food processors to familiarise themselves with the weight legislation requirements for any region where their products are sold or exported to.

The rules in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. are quite aligned, although subtle differences do exist.

Typically, global weight regulations follow three general rules: • The average weight of a product batch must not be below the nominal label weight on the package.

LEFT: The Raptor weight sensors reset rapidly, allowing for instant and precise weight checks of individual packs in real-time.

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Packaging LEFT: The Raptor series features a caseweigher option to weight check larger items up to 25kg, with a heavy duty option for 50kg packages.

To help processors accommodate numerous weight check product variations, Fortress integrates these defined tolerance tables into its Raptor Checkweigher software. This provides instant adherence to the local legislative weight regulations.

Optimising checkweighing efficiency

• The percentage of packages that fall below the nominal weight should typically not exceed 2.5%. These are called tolerable negative error (TNE) in Europe, the limits of error (LOE) in Canada, and maximum allowable variation (MAV) in the US. • No individual package can have a weight that falls outside the nominal quantity by more than twice the domestic defined tolerance table.

Tolerance tables can be difficult to navigate. Manually determining and programming the correct checkweighing tolerance for specific product applications and pack sizes can be a tedious and confusing process. It can also be prone to human error.

It is widely regarded that weight checking every product on processing lines is good manufacturing practice. Fortress engineered digital signal processing into the Raptor Checkweighing series to enable the weight sensors to reset rapidly, allowing for instant and precise weight checks of individual packs in realtime. Trend feedback signals can then be instantly fed upstream to filling, portioning and packing automation equipment, signalling when to increase or decrease fill quantity.

Another benefit of automated checkweighing is the utilisation of automated reporting and data tools.

Besides reducing false rejects and product waste, the use of modern network technologies allows for automatic data transmission. With integrated data collection software, everything from trends, pack rates and

Efficient weight control and checkweighing systems are integral to meeting consumer expectations. live OEE data is instantly reported.

Production and QA personnel can then utilise this trend feedback to monitor and fine-tune production line performance, even prior to the weight check process.

For example, if a meat manufacturer finds inconsistencies in the size of meatballs, this indicates that the processing machinery is not running accurately. Beyond highlighting this fault, precision checkweighing systems can provide a controlled feedback signal to upstream automation equipment used to portion food products. This signal specifies when to increase or decrease the fill quantity accordingly, eliminating the need for human intervention.

Continued >>> BELOW: Fortress integrates defined tolerance tables into its Raptor Checkweigher software, providing instant adherence to the local legislative weight regulations.

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Packaging Staying on trend Linking consumer lifestyle trends back to checkweighing tolerances is equally important. In wellbeing and weight control products, for example, absolute weight conformity is non-negotiable.

If a snack pack states 100 grams, the tolerance cannot deviate by more than 0.5 grams.

Leaving the weight check until the end of the process is another highly wasteful activity, as it could result in an entire consignment of baked or packaged products being recalled.

Additionally, it wastes many hours wasted in production and workforce salaries.

Inline checkweighers can be used to maintain batch-to-batch consistency.

Widely used on commercial bakery, meat and prepared food production lines, automated inline checkweighing allows for individual pieces that are off target weight to be removed and reworked, Connecting to upstream portioning equipment, the new Raptor Inline Checkweigher also provides corrective feedback to upstream portioning equipment.

With the UK market value of “free-from” products now worth a substantial £3.17bn Fortress anticipates

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that inline weighing will inevitably become more commonplace.

Free-from products typically use expensive ingredients in the manufacturing process; some costing two to three times more than conventional flour products.

Additionally, for people with coeliac disease, the internationally-agreed (FDA) maximum level of gluten considered safe is legally 20 parts per million (ppm) or less of gluten.

Only foods that meet this level can be labelled ‘gluten free’. Placing even greater regulatory pressure on producers to adhere to weight specifications.

Prioritising food safety Although automated checkweighing is not as tightly regulated currently as HACCP inspection equipment, many processors now recognise the essential role these systems play in the wider quality control program. Particularly in the sectors where food ingredient costs increased by as much as 40 percent in 2022.

BELOW: Free-from products typically use expensive ingredients, placing even greater regulatory pressure on producers to adhere to weight specifications.

Daniel Shail concludes: “A checkweigher should not just be regarded as a regulatory necessity. Although these machines are integral to meeting consumer expectations, checkweighers play an equally critical role in prioritising food safety and reducing giveaway. It is always good practice to regularly revisit operational processes and practices and examine all food waste risks.”

The standard end-of-line Raptor checkweigher is available in four belt widths - 100mm, 200mm, 300mm and 400mm – and can verify the weight of products up to 8kg. For bulk applications, e.g. pet food, ingredients, grains and other large items, the Raptor Caseweigher can weigh up to 25kg, with a heavy duty version available up to 50kg. Fortress can also integrate its new Raptor Checkweigher with a metal detector or x-ray machine, and has even created numerous smallfootprint multi-aperture, multi-lane combination systems.

To download a free copy of the new Checkweighing Compliance Essentials whitepaper, visit https:// fortresstechnology.com/ white-papers/

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Packaging

AI predicts what a more eco-conscious future could look like for food and drink manufacturers An AI image generator tool has predicted what the future of food labelling might look like for consumers and manufacturers.

This follows news that the appetite towards a more-carbon-friendly future appears to be turning amongst UK consumers after a recent YouGov survey found more than half of all young adults think they would eat a more

carbon-friendly diet should carbon footprint labelling be introduced in the UK. The research, carried out by food regulatory consultants Ashbury, took 30 popular food items found in the average household and used the BBC’s Climate Change Food Calculator to establish the amount of CO2 per kg emitted for a portion of food.

They then used this information to work out the emissions per standard quantity of food in a typical package size.

Labelling has often had to fight its corner with brands continuing to face challenges in finding a model that works. The traffic light labelling system is just one of those, with the voluntary scheme introduced by the government in 2007. This research follows a soaring demand for consumers to have even clearer information about how their food got to their table and the impact its journey has had on the environment.

Ashbury used these figures to calculate an equivalent figure to enable a real life comparison to be made, such as; the number of miles travelled in a petrol car, the number of days heating an average UK home, litres of water used / number of showers lasting 8 minutes and the equivalent in square metres of land used.

Ashbury used AI image generator Midjourney to then generate what these labels might look like in the future, were this method to be adopted by retailers.

Jade Collins, technical controller at Ashbury, commented on the findings:

Food item: Beef Quantity: 500g Greenhouse gas emissions: 51.53kg Equal to: 131.43 miles driven in a petrol car

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Packaging

Food item: Coffee Quantity: 300g Greenhouse gas emissions: 15.34kg

The ball is now in the court of the manufacturers and producers to answer consumers’ challenge to provide more information about the impact of their foods.

This research gives us an indication as to what this future might look like.

- Jade Collins

Food item: Chocolate (Dark) Quantity: 200g Greenhouse gas emissions: 4.23kg Equal to: Using 71 litres of water and having one shower lasting 8 minutes

“So much is already being done by manufacturers and retailers to keep consumers informed on what is going into their food.

For example, the traffic light system which came in over a decade ago has been able to provide some further clarity to consumers to identify whether a product is considered healthy or not.

But it’s interesting to see consumers

now going that step further and keen to get even more information on how their food was manufactured and produced but crucially the impact that the process has had on the environment.

“The ball is now in the court of the manufacturers and producers to answer consumers’ challenge to provide more information about the impact of their foods.

This research gives us an indication as to what this future might look like.

“It’s easier said than done, as there are some major challenges in collecting and analysing data in this space to create a consistent and transparent approach – which is key to supporting consumer understanding.“ Continued >>>

Food item: Tea Quantity: 200 Tea Bags Greenhouse gas emissions: 8.21kg

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Packaging

Food item: Chocolate (Milk) Quantity: 200g Greenhouse gas emissions: 2.94kg Equal to: Using 207 litres of water and having three showers lasting 8 minutes

Food item: Rice (uncooked)

In theory, carbon labelling is a great idea with real potential to influence behaviour – it’s something we need to work towards this decade.

Quantity: 1kg

- Daniel Usifoh

Greenhouse gas emissions: 9.9kg Equal to: Heating the average UK home for 1.56 days

Food item: Cheese Quantity: 400g Greenhouse gas emissions: 12.80kg Equal to: Using 47.3m2 of land

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Daniel Usifoh, co-founder at sustainability software provider Axiom also outlines the challenges for manufacturers in providing accurate carbon footprint measurement but also the opportunities it presents when doing it right, explaining: “For food manufacturers, gathering accurate data on Scope 1 and 2 emissions like energy, process steam and fuel use is reasonably straightforward. Scope 3 - supply chain emissions - is where the big challenge lies.

Many manufacturers simply don’t have enough information on where their ingredients come from – let alone how they are grown or produced! Filling these data gaps is the only way to get an accurate carbon footprint measurement – and this starts with effectively mapping the supply chain.

“Once companies have an accurate picture of where all their ingredients come from, they can start engaging with suppliers to gather data. Right now, measuring the true footprint of some commodities is

Food item: Lamb Quantity: 500g Greenhouse gas emissions: 28.87kg Equal to: 73.74 miles driven in a petrol car

virtually impossible – there simply isn’t the traceability in the global supply chain.

“However, companies can use industry averages to provide a reasonable estimate, and start to build up a picture of the total carbon footprint from there and solutions like these designs can help consumers to gain a more tangible picture of how their purchasing decisions have an impact.

“In theory, carbon labelling is a great idea with real potential to influence behaviour – it’s something we need to work towards this decade. However, the labelling needs to be based on accurate data and standardised methodologies if consumers are going to trust the label. If the industry is using multiple different schemes or labels, the whole idea loses its credibility.

“We’re already seeing how keen some companies are to display their environmental credentials – and we expect that to grow over the coming years in the food and drink industry.”

For more information about the research and to view the full gallery of images, please visit: https://ashbury. global/blog/carbon-footprintlabelling-is-this-the-future-ofsupermarket-shelves/

R E E B S S A L C “WORLD DEMANDS A

.”

R E L L I F S S WORLD CLA Dan Carey, New

Glarus Brewing

Co.

KHS – real systems for real brewers.

KHS’ new can compact fillers are designed with the same state-of-the-art technology as larger KHS can fillers. With top fill level accuracy, hygienic design, and low oxygen pickup, KHS enables the highest beer quality – every time. No matter what you are filling, cans, bottles, or kegs, KHS stands for maximum reliability, keeping lines running steadily at a very high efficiency – supported by our dependable on-site service organization. Would you like to know more? Please contact us at khs.com/craftbeer

Featuring

21 & 22 February 2024 | NEC Birmingham

Immerse yourself in discoveries that fuel your packaging innovations Make connections that expand your network Share ideas that shape the future of your brand

to attend, scan this QR code & Register

Alternatively, Register with this code 1182 packagingbirmingham.com

Packaging

Parkside laser-focused on sustainable lidding film solutions with ParkScribe® technology UK-based flexible packaging specialist Parkside has launched a revolutionary range of sustainable lidding films as a next-generation solution for brands seeking to solve their packaging sustainability challenges, as part of its Sustainable 7 product strategy.

Comprised of renewable and certified compostable films, paper-based solutions, and recyclable monomers, Parkside’s range of lidding films is now augmented by its unique ParkScribe® laser scoring technology. This enables the creation of easy peel-and-reseal PET lids that are integral to the pack, meaning the film stays attached through the recycling process.

ParkScribe uses a laser to score substrates quickly and with micron-level precision, meaning it can precisely cut through only a few layers of the lidding material in specific areas to create a lid that peels away, then reseal without the need for additional

glue strips, zips, or stickers which can affect recyclability. When weld sealed to a tray it is fully recyclable under current OPRL guidelines, provided the polymer is the same as the one used in the tray, while still being easy to open and reseal to meet consumer demands for convenience.

The Parkside lidding film range comprises innovations including recyclable plastic, 30%-plus recycled content, paper-based, and compostable films, enabling customers to be flexible when developing packaging that perfectly suits the needs of their application.

Website: parksideflex.com

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Industry News

Ball Beverage Packaging and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners launch innovative carboncutting vehicle trial Ball Beverage Packaging and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) announced a new UK trial of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) part fueled vehicles.

300 tonnes per year. Approximately 5000 deliveries will be powered by a blend of HVO and diesel fuel which will supply the CCEP site in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK.

A twelve-month trial began in October which could reduce supply chain CO2e emissions by around

The partnership is supported by Menzies Distribution, one of Ball’s UK logistics partners.

‘Biodegradable’ bioplastics contaminate farmland, study finds Bioplastics marketed as ‘biodegradable’ are remaining in soils for longer than the two-year industry standard, a scientific study has found.

The study was conducted by researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

It was commissioned by Dutch environmental charity Plastic Soup Foundation.

Researchers found some 3,000 microplastics per gram of sediment in samples taken from ditches surrounding agricultural fields.

This is evidence that microplastics accumulates in the environment, which is a violation. The main reason for the microplastic pollution in soils is the use of plastic mulch used to warm up the soil and to prevent weed growth.

Every year in the EU 80 million kilograms of mulch film are being used, of which is 5% biodegradable (4 million kilograms).

Industry standard EN 17033 states that biodegradable plastic mulches should be biodegraded in soils by 90% within two years time. No regulation related to degradation in sediment of ditches is in place.

The study found high concentrations of microplastics derived from bio-

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degradable plastic mulches that did not degrade in two years time under field conditions. This violates Standard EN 17033.

Samples were taken at eight flower farms in the Netherlands in September 2022 and at eight coriander farms in Spain in November 2022.

Researchers found some 48 different types of microplastics across the tested samples.

Some 61 percent of the microplastics detected were found to be fossil fuelbased, while the remaining 39 percent were bio-based.

Campaigners say the study raises serious questions about the biodegradability credentials of bio-based plastics. And they have called for tighter regulations on the environmental claims made by bioplastic manufacturers.

Lead researcher Dr Esperanza Huerta Lwanga said: “The concentrations of microplastics in agricultural soils and in

Industry News HVO is a renewable alternative fuel.

The benefit of using HVO is that, if fully implemented, it has the potential to save up to approximately 90% of the carbon footprint related to supply chain transportation, from production of the can to the final delivery stage to the customer. HVO can be used as the primary fuel source for the vehicle or used in conjunction with diesel to improve CO2e emissions without requiring any change to the existing engine or additional maintenance of the vehicles.

HVO can be stored alongside diesel in local tanks and the fuel types can be mixed throughout the fleet.

This would provide HVO on an equivalence basis and could provide a CO2e reduction through a blend of HVO and diesel.

and evolution into a fully circular and decarbonized business, allowing it to better serve its stakeholders and deliver solutions that benefit the planet. Introducing HVO is one of the steps on the road to achieving Ball’s decarbonization goals.

Tom McCarthy, Vice President of Integrated Business Planning at Ball Beverage Packaging EMEA, said: “We are delighted to work with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners on such an important project. Tackling emissions from transport is extremely important to us – from production of the can to final delivery stage. Through strong collaboration with our customers and

suppliers across the value chain we are driving towards our sustainability goals.”

HVO vehicles are increasingly becoming an important part of the beverage industry across Europe. They are already being used at other Ball locations in France and Sweden, and Ball is developing future HVO projects across Spain, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

In 2022 CCEP used alternative fuels in approximately 8% of the total kilometres driven by its hauliers in Europe, and is seeking to increase this.

It currently uses hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100) in Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

In March 2023, Ball announced its new Climate Transition Plan, which outlines the company’s pathway

ditch sediments are high, and vary according to the sampling place. This is worrying and shows the need for more studies, and further measures.

“Biodegradable plant-based mulches were specifically developed to quickly degrade in soil. However this study indicates that these biodegradability claims are open to serious question, since those particles move from soils and accumulate in sediments where they do not degrade any more.”

Maria Westerbos, director of Plastic Soup Foundation said: “Biodegradable plastic mulches are increasingly used by farmers. Mulch is sold to farmers with the false promise of degradability within two years.

They can simply be left on the field and ploughed under’ producers claim under false promises.”

JJ Food Service and RELEX maximise customer value and boost profits with smarter, more accurate promotional offers

“A wide body of evidence has linked microplastic pollution with serious health threats. Because of this I urge the plastic manufacturers to urgently cease selling products to farmers with dubious claims of biodegradability.”

JJ Food Service Ltd., a leading UK omnichannel wholesale food retailer, has strengthened its online and in-store promotions strategy and increased profitability and increased value for customers after it implemented the RELEX promotional model, a crossfunctional, AI-driven solution that improves promotional planning and execution. The model was developed by RELEX Solutions, the Finnish supply chain and retail optimisation solutions provider.

For more information visit plasticsoupfoundation.org

With 11 outlets across the UK and a diverse range of over 3000

“This study shows that these mulches risk contaminating the soils in which the food we eat is grown.”

products, JJ Food Service caters to approximately 100,000 B2B customers. 15-20 percent of the company’s turnover is generated from promotional items, underscoring the critical role that promotions play in its business.

The partnership between JJ Food Service and RELEX has proven highly effective. RELEX’s collaborative approach accelerated the process of discovering, identifying, and validating the appropriate promotional data, and enabled a seamless integration of the RELEX solution with JJ Food Service’s existing systems.

In just one month of identifying and recommending specific products for promotion, the RELEX solution delivered a remarkable ten percent increase in sales volume along with a seven percent boost in profitability on promotional items. This datadriven approach also highlighted inefficiencies in previous pricing strategies, enabling JJ Food Service to make better, more informed pricing decisions that delivered tangible results.

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Sustainability

Efficiency key as juice producers squeezed

By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers

Orange juice remains one of the most popular soft drinks around the world, but challenging weather conditions in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in the world’s major production regions of Brazil and Florida mean that the supply chain faces record raw material costs. As a result, producers will need to focus more than ever on production efficiencies in order to maximise margins.

The good news is that the demand for orange juice remains high, despite consumers in some markets, such as Europe, moving away from fruit juices and related products as they are perceived to be relatively high in sugar and calories. This fall in demand has been compensated for by increasing demand from food processors for the production of smoothies and flavoured water, which are generally perceived as healthier choices. Demand for straight orange juice also received a significant boost from the Covid Pandemic around the world.

Overall, most analysts predict level, or slightly increased worldwide demand for the next few years.

Production challenges The trouble for the industry is that despite this buoyant demand, the last couple of years have seen reduced fruit output from the major production areas of Brazil and Florida. Other less important producers are also struggling, with European production also down TOP LEFT: Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers BOTTOM LEFT: The HRS ohmic pasteurisation system heats juice to 105 °C within one second

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this year, in line with a longer-term trend.

Brazil, the world’s largest grower of citrus fruit, suffered significant frosts and droughts during the 2021 growing season, but production is projected to bounce back by 20.5% to 317 million boxes for the 2022/23 season.

However, the final effects of a warmer winter season, which saw higher than normal levels of fruit drop still have to be assessed. At the same time, lower-than-normal stocks from 2021/22 have kept local prices high (up to 50% higher in July 2022 compared with the previous year).

In contrast, production from Florida (the second largest producer of citrus in the world) is estimated to fall 62% for the 2022/23 season to just 15.7 million boxes. This represents the largest fall in production in 110 years. The reasons for Florida’s reduced production are related not just to weather (orange groves have suffered damage from hurricanes, frosts and insect damage), but also to citrus greening disease, a bacteria which causes fruit to shrivel and fall from the tree before it is ripe. The number of Valencia orange trees in Florida has also fallen from 36 million in 2006 to just 30 million today as real estate and land prices in the State persuade many growers to cash in the value of their land.

Difficult markets It’s no wonder markets are nervous, with orange juice futures matching historical highs in New York at the end of 2022 with increases of 50% or more compared to the previous year. According to some estimates,

Sustainability

Demand for straight orange juice also received a significant boost from the Covid Pandemic around the world.

- Matt Hale

US orange juice production alone will fall 6.5% to 215,000 tonnes for the current year, although stocks of juice are expected to remain stable.

All of these factors mean that orange juice producers, whether using concentrate or frozen not-fromconcentrate (NFC) juice, face an increase in raw material costs of around 50%. Add this to the global energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which saw energy prices rise as much as 60% for oil and 400% for natural gas in Europe (although prices

at the start of 2023 were much closer to pre-invasion levels), and producers are in the front line of food inflation.

Faced with unavoidable rises in input costs, not all of which can be passed on to customers or consumers, manufacturers must make every effort to maximise the efficiency of processes such as remelting and pasteurisation.

At the same time, they need to maintain the key quality characteristics of the juice, even though chemical changes begin as soon as the juice is squeezed.

HRS Heat Exchangers produce a range of highly energy efficient equipment for orange juice processing.

Pasteurisation options Thermal treatment, sometimes known as ‘flash pasteurisation’ is the preferred technique for making premium juice. The HRS MI and MR Series of pasteurisers use food-grade, multi-tube, corrugated heat exchangers to speed up the heat transfer in pasteurisation systems. These corrugated tubes create extra turbulence in the fluid as it flows through the tubes.

This extra turbulence means that the orange juice can be heated up to

ABOVE: Orange juice producers currently face raw material challenges and rising costs pasteurisation temperature much faster – typically by up to 30%. Because of the high heat transfer rates of the corrugated tube technique, HRS’s pasteurisation systems use water at a lower temperature to reduce the risk of product damage. Another benefit of higher heat transfer rates is that the system footprint can be reduced by using shorter heat exchanger pipes. The shorter length of the heat exchanger also results in a reduction in pressure drop, which saves pumping power and further reduces energy costs – often by 40%.

One issue with flash pasteurisation is that it still takes time to evenly heat the product, adding to the total processing time and increasing the risk of adversely altering the product’s organoleptic properties. In contrast, ohmic heating, which uses electricity to heat the product rapidly and uniformly, has been scientifically shown to be highly effective while maintaining flavours and quality.

Continued >>>

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Sustainability The HRS ohmic system works by passing electricity between two electrodes in the product in a 1m ceramic tube, so the electricity has to pass through the product. The result is that the juice is heated up to 105 °C within one second. It is then held at this temperature for four seconds before being cooled. Ohmic technology itself is not new, but the HRS system uses the latest electronics to ensure that the temperature curve is very smooth, which not only helps to preserve product quality but also improves process efficiency.

Raw material handling The HRS I Series offers options to de-pack and crush (the IC Series) then melt (IM Series) frozen fruit juice (a process also sometimes known as re-melting) ready for storage or further processing. The IC Series

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features a roller conveyor which feeds individual drums into a tipper that empties them into the crusher. Here, a specially designed spiked roller crushes the solid ice into an icy slush, which is then transferred to the IM Series re-melting device.

Based on the tubular heat exchanger technology for which HRS is renowned, the IM Series raises the temperature of the juice from frozen to around 4 °C in 90 seconds. From here, the cold liquid juice can be pumped to a holding tank, or straight into the next process step.

RIGHT: The HRS IC Series is capable of crushing up to 12,000 l of frozen orange juice concentrate each hour BELOW: The HRS MI & MR Series of pasteurisers can reduce energy costs by up to 40% compared with some alternative systems

Efficient HACCP Cook & Chill CCP Validation

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Thru-process temperature monitoring solutions for all your cook applications

PhoenixTM Technology • Accurate IP67 data logger (Type K or T) • 10 Measurement Points for full oven mapping • Thermal barrier options to suit cook regime • Comprehensive thermocouple range • Standard miniature thermocouple plugs • Calibrated thermocouple options • Food trays and thermocouple jig options • Full lethality (Fo/Pu) and reporting • Real Time RF Telemetry options • Local efficient calibration and service support

Phoenix Temperature Measurement 25 Earith Business Park, Meadow Drove, Earith, Cambridgeshire PE28 3QF, UK

T: 01353 223100 E: sales@phoenixtm.com

www.phoenixtm.com

Processing

Optimise spray precision & flexibility with the FlexFlow™ automated spray control system Accurate, economical and consistent spraying is essential in many food manufacturing and processing applications. The FlexFlow™ automated spray control system delivers on all fronts, offering the highest levels of precision spraying combined with optimum control and flexibility.

FlexFlow™ plug-and-play controllers (see right) are a sophisticated solution for precision coating, moistening and lubricating applications and deliver the following benefits to food manufacturers and food processing businesses: • Guarantee an even and uniform application rate that connects with conveyor lines for automated speed adjustments • Reduce consumption of expensive coatings • Reduce overspray waste and improve product quality • Secure a clean and safe environment due to spray being on target • Promote increased production • Reduce maintenance and downtime • Provide an accurate calorie count for products Furthermore, unlike other precision spraying systems, the FlexFlow™ is incredibly user friendly. Because all the spray properties can be programmed from a simple touchpad interface, it is very easy to set up and operate multiple nozzles – up to 20 independently controlled nozzles in fact – to spray exactly as desired.

Electrically actuated spray nozzles FlexFlow™ panels have the ability for even greater control when used with electronically actuated nozzles (such as the BETE Electric HydroPulse® series – see images below) by regulating spray flow using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). With traditional single fluid spray nozzles, the only way to control flow rate is by adjusting liquid supply pressure. This results in changes to spray performance characteristics such as drop size and spray pattern.

Electrically activated nozzles have a built-in solenoid enabling them to be cycled on and off at high frequencies of up to 150 times per second. Using PWM, flow rates can be controlled without changing any other spray properties and spray coverage remains uniform and consistent, even when coating products on high speed conveyors.

FlexFlow models Two models are available. The FlexFlow™ 1000 is for smaller volume applications providing precision control for 2 zones of up to 12 nozzles with 6 nozzles in each zone.

Zones 1 and 2 can be programmed with independent or synchronous settings, with an HMI touch screen enabling intuitive operation for streamlined control and diagnostic overview for trouble-shooting.

The FlexFlow™ 2000 option provides ultimate

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system flexibility for managing larger spraying operations of up to 20 spray nozzles in up to 20 independently controlled spray zones. With individual spray zone assignment for each nozzle, nozzles can be grouped into as many zones as needed to accomplish the spray process objectives.

FlexFlow™ is available exclusively from The Spray Nozzle People.

For more info: www.spray-nozzle.co.uk Call on 01273 400092 info@spray-nozzle.co.uk How much does a FlexFlow™ system cost? Click here to watch the video to find out.

Processing

Continuous processing more efficient than dealing with batches

By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers

Products such as mechanically separated meat (MSM) and meat emulsions are commonly used in a wide range of products including sausages, chicken nuggets, patties and some minced meats. While different meat sources and products will have different processing and cooking requirements, it is important that the methods chosen to minimise the energy use involved, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Meat emulsions, slurries and reformed meat products have been used around the world since the early 1970s.

Meat emulsions, slurries and reformed meat products have been used around the world since the early 1970s.

Around the world there are strict rules, both about the raw materials used for the production of MSM, but also how it is processed and labelled.

Similar cooking, handling and cooling methods are also used for other food products, such as ground (minced) meat and soups, and these products can also benefit from the same approach to choosing cooking systems.

- Matt Hale

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) advises that, ‘Microbiological and chemical hazards associated with mechanically separated meat derived from poultry and swine are similar to those related to non-mechanically separated meat (fresh meat, minced meat or meat preparations). However, the risk of microbial growth increases with the use of high-pressure production processes.’ In addition, ‘High pressure mechanically separated meat must be immediately frozen and can only be used in cooked products.’

These products are often cooked in batches prior to final product formation, often using large steampowered kettles or pressure vessels.

Some companies processing large volumes of product may have ten or more vessels in various states of operation at one time. This is because, RIGHT: Continuous cooking of products such as mechanically separated meat, ground (minced) meat and soups can provide big energy savings LEFT: Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers

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while these vessels are an effective method of cooking and pasteurising a range of products including MSM, they are limited in their capacity because it is important that the product is cooked through thoroughly. Because each vessel must be heated from scratch for every new batch of product, and the heat used is then lost when the vessel is emptied, this is an incredibly inefficient method of cooking such products.

A much more energy efficient method is to cook a continuous stream of product using a scraped surface heat exchanger such as the HRS R Series or Unicus Series. The HRS R Series uses a rotating action to scrape the tube surface and a helix to ‘push’ material through the heat exchanger, ensuring thorough mixing and heat distribution.

It provides an economic solution for situations where product mixing is a benefit in processing, or where physical integrity is less important than heat transfer. For example, it is ideal for MSM, meat emulsions and co-products (such as materials which are destined for the pet food market).

Processing In some situations, the robust mixing action of the R Series can damage the product. For example, some minced and ground meat products, or products containing definite pieces or product.

In this case the HRS Unicus Series is preferred.

This patented design uses as reciprocal action to prevent fouling of the heat exchanger by the product and to ensure thorough heating of the product to the required temperature.

Importantly, once the unit has reached the required temperature, the heating medium is only required to maintain the temperature as the heat is not

lost between processing batches. This continuous processing saves large amounts of energy compared to a batch approach.

The same is also true of the equally important cooling process, which must be conducted in a timely manner. In fact, this cooling allows for the use of heat generation, where the heat removed by the cooling process is not lost but can be returned to the start to pre-heat the product, so that less energy (for example steam) is required for heating. Further economic savings are LEFT: The HRS Unicus Series of reciprocal scraped surface heat exchangers is ideal for cooking and cooling delicate meat products, soups and sauces BELOW: Part of the cooling system of a continuous system installed at a soup and sauce manufacturer

HRS have provided clients with continuous processing solutions to replace batch-cooking and cooling systems.

- Matt Hale

also achieved by reducing the need to fill and empty separate cooking vessels, and the fact that cleaning-in-place (CIP) can be performed when required, rather than simply between each (smaller) batch.

HRS have provided clients with continuous processing solutions to replace batch-cooking and cooling systems. One Colorado-based manufacturer of sauces and soups replaced their batch-based system with a continuous process based on a number of HRS products in order to increase their manufacturing capacity to meet increasing demand.

HRS complete systems not only include the HRS R Series and Unicus Series scraped surface heat exchangers for cooking and then cooling the product, but also transfer pumps, balance tanks, other heat exchangers for preheating and pre-cooling, and auxiliary equipment such as CIP systems and steam-powered hot water sets. Such systems are designed to have simple intuitive controls and to occupy the smallest possible footprint in order to fit within existing production facilities.

BELOW: The HRS R Series of rotating scraped surface heat exchangers provides thorough mixing and heat transfer for products such as mechanically separated meat and emulsions

For more information: www.hrs-heatexchangers.com

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Health & Safety

World’s most expensive pest thrives in cereal, grain and rice Tiny insects that live off stored products such as cereals, grains and rice are considered the world’s most expensive pest, says John Horsley, Technical Support Officer at national trade body, British Pest Control Association.

Stored Product Insects (SPIs) are a group of insects that cost businesses billions every year in additional operating costs and loss of product.

reproduction as well as stifling fungal development.

A small infestation of SPIs could be controlled by simply removing the food source they have infested.

They can enter the food chain at any point and will use products as both food source and harbourage – a place to shelter and breed.

Commonly an ‘integrated pest management’ approach is needed to control migrating moth larvae and adult insects that have moved away from the food source to pupate or breed.

In the UK, SPIs are usually beetles (such as weevils) or moths, and while they don’t pose a significant health risk to humans, they can contaminate products such as cereals, whole grains, processed foods and even tobacco, making them unfit for human consumption.

A sighting of an adult beetle or moth is the most common indication of an infestation – and this usually means the egg, larval and pupal stages of the insects – which aren’t easy to spot – will also be contaminating the product.

Moth larvae leave webbing which contaminates food products and can cause damage to machinery and equipment. They also have chewing mouthparts which can leave visible damage to food and packaging.

Weevils make visible exit holes in grains and insect larvae also leave frass (excrement), which is a common sign of an infestation.

A strategy to tackle an SPI infestation may include fumigation – the process of releasing a gas to destroy pests.

Fumigation isn’t a residual treatment, so although it will kill adult insects and their eggs, it does not leave a barrier to protect against re-infestation once the other lifecycle stages are complete.

Common SPIs in the UK include: • • • • • • • •

Rice weevil Biscuit beetle Indian meal moth Grain weevil Confused flour beetle Saw-toothed grain beetle Larder beetle Mediterranean Flour Moth.

SPIs spread quickly, causing food to become tainted, which is visible as discolouration. Infested grain also tends to become warmer, which can lead to damp, mould and even grain germination.

An inspection by a pest professional, such as a BPCA member, will ensure the correct identification of the type of insect, the scale of the infestation and the appropriate treatment.

Routine practices to help prevent infestation include inspecting empty grain stores between batches, while ensuring environments are kept to cool with low humidity will help reduce insect activity and the rate of

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Fumigation requires a very specific qualification and skill set and should only ever be done by a professional.

BPCA has an online guide to SPIs with detailed advice for food processing businesses concerned about infestation risks. Visit: bpca.org.uk/spi A pest professional such as a BPCA member will create an integrated pest management plan, based around a planned cycle of visits, with recommendations to be implemented between visits that can help prevent an infestation, or ensure it is spotted and dealt with quickly.

BPCA members are trained, experienced professionals with access to a range of specialist products not available to the public as well as being regularly assessed to the British Standard in Pest Management BS EN 16636.

To find a BPCA member visit: bpca.org.uk/find

Health & Safety

Hygienic Cordial Transfer Pump In our latest case study we were tasked with supplying a manufacturer of liquid filling machines who contacted North Ridge looking for a robust pump of a proven hygienic design. This was to be used for batch filling small cartons of squash or cordial on their liquid filling machines.

A filling machine or liquid dispensing machine is a device for filling containers, such as bottles or jars with a measured amount of liquid in an accurate, repeatable way. They are used for a wide range of products including liquids for human consumption such as milk, water, cordial, carbonated drinks, edible oils, medicinal syrups, e-liquids and alcoholic beverages.

What makes a pump hygienic?

Our client wanted a hygienic pump - but what makes a pump hygienic?

There are many features that define a hygienic pump depending on the application and type of fluid that’s being pumped.

Occasionally, cast iron is used in chocolate pumping as bacteria don’t multiply within chocolate.

For example, some fluids being pumped are then going to be cooked or heated up. These pumps will need different hygiene standards to pumps used to pump liquids for direct human consumption or for pharmaceutical applications such as eye solutions, where bacteria must be kept to an absolute minimum. These will demand the very highest hygiene standards.

What are these hygienic features?

Where pipework is present in a process, it’s very important to ensure that all connections are sanitisable and stop the build-up of debris.

Polishing Polishing of pumps makes absolutely sure that there’s no roughness, debris or dead zones where bacteria can gather and multiply, or where particles could come loose potentially contaminating future batches.

Hygienic pumps are highly polished to ensure that the surface level is less than 0.5mm microns. This makes them easy to clean especially using CIP and SIP processes.

CIP is short for Clean-In-Place, a cleaning method which enables the internal surfaces of sealed systems to be cleaned, without removing or disassembling piping or equipment to carry out the cleaning.

SIP is Sterilisation-In-Place which extends the CIP process by adding sterilisation, without any need for disassembling the liquid dispensing machine, piping or measuring equipment. This takes place at the end of CIP and ensures that any microorganisms still active in the system are killed off with hot water,

or with saturated pure steam at high temperatures of over 121°C. Materials Most stainless steel ordered around the world is Grade 304, as it offers the standard corrosion resistance, formability, strength and easy maintenance for which stainless steel is renowned. Grade 316 may be second in amount sold, but it offers vastly superior corrosion resistance to chlorides and acids.

Grade 304 is certainly a minimum requisite for a hygienic pump. It also provides strong resistance against acids or alkalis which may be present in the liquid, or may be used in a caustic Cleaning-in-Place regime.

Occasionally, cast iron is used in chocolate pumping as bacteria don’t multiply within chocolate. In addition, pumps containing cast iron can be effectively used with magnetic separators which detect and capture any metal present in pumped fluids.

Cowl and feet A cowl is fitted over a pump motor for two key reasons. Firstly, it stops debris, dust or other matter collecting between the motor fins, making cleaning difficult and creating a health hazard. It also means that the pump can be easily cleaned by jet washing during washdown. While fitting feet to the pump keeps the pump head away from the floor, stopping debris getting in if the pump head is opened for inspection.

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Health & Safety if they are not designed to accept Clean-in-Place, the pump must be disassembled and cleaned manually to maintain an effective hygiene programme.

Suitable for CIP

Connections Where pipework is present in a process, it’s very important to ensure that all connections are sanitisable and stop the build-up of debris. Sometimes, fittings like tri-clamps are used which can be polished, are easily cleanable and have full pass-through preventing the accumulation of debris.

Pumps can be fitted with a variety of socketed pipework connections from North Ridge Pumps with a range of features and hygiene ratings. Certain types of fitting may be hygienic, but

As mentioned, Clean-in-Place describes specific systems and equipment used in food processing that can be cleaned and sanitised without being disassembled or moved. Whether it’s down to a dedicated CIP/SIP port or through hygienic design, this feature ensures that the pumps can be sanitised, either via a caustic or acid wash to remove debris and bacteria.

Third-party approved gaskets or seals These ensure that when certain materials are used for hygienic seals and sanitary gaskets, the food or beverages which are being pumped are not contaminated during contact and have the highest levels of hygiene.

Standard hygienic materials include

IDEAL FOR HACCP COMPLIANCE Therma 20 thermometer

Silicone, Neoprene, Nitrile (NBRA), EPDM, Norprene, Tygon, Viton (FKM) or Virgin PTFE/TEFLON. Typical certification bodies include the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group and the Water Regulations Approval Scheme in Europe, and the Food and Drug Administration, National Sanitation Foundation 61 and 3-A Sanitary Standards in the US. For this specific project, we specified one of our sanitary centrifugal pumps suitable for multiple starts and stops as well as operation via VFD in only 3 weeks.

If you have a process you’re looking to achieve and would like some support and guidance from one of our application specialists engineers, talk to North Ridge Pumps today to see how we can help.

Sustainable Shrink Sleeves, Caps & Closures Plastic-free shrink sleeves - biodegradable, home compostable, heat & machinery free.

Heat-shrink sleeves & capsules in a variety of eco-friendly materials such as recyclable PET, 30% recycled content rPET and industrially compostable PLA. A wide range of caps & closures including, Aluminium ROPP, GPI, Bartops, Corks and Plastic caps.

Manufactured in the UK, we offer a wide range of specialist thermometers for the food & drink industry from daily hand-held monitoring to Bluetooth® wireless technology & remote Wi-Fi logging

Contact us today to find out how we could help you protect your product!

01792 796393 sales@viscose.co.uk www.viscoseclosures.com

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Industry News

TIPA launch packaging made from rice waste amid latest plastic bans TIPA, a global leader in compostable packaging solutions, has introduced a groundbreaking fully compostable and recyclable tray crafted from waste product of rice.

Not only can the trays be disposed of in compost bins in homes, due to the rare make-up of pulp, they can be disposed of in the recycling bin too, alongside paper.

The trays not only prevent air pollution caused by burning agricultural waste, but also offers a supremely eco-conscious alternative to conventional plastic packaging.

Launching to market at a crucial time as Wales joins England and Scotland with a ban on polystyrene takeaway containers, which are made of plastic, these new trays are versatile enough to house a variety of products, including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and even hot foods for up to 48 hours.

Across the UK, consumers use and throw away 100 billion pieces of plastic every year, the recent plastic takeaway bans have been a welcome addition to plastic legislation, however it has left businesses feeling

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lost in the search for sustainable alternatives.

True to nature’s cycle, these trays originate from natural waste and are designed to return to the earth, fully decomposing into compost at the end of their lifecycle.

Daphna Nissenbaum, TIPA’s CEO and Co-Founder, said: “TIPA is focused on delivering innovative solutions to the plastic packaging crisis and our new product sets a benchmark for sustainability, combining both recyclability and composability. The new paddy straw tray gives incomes to farmers for agricultural waste, boosting the economy in communities who need it the most. Our new packaging gives brands surety by avoiding plastic packaging bans whilst being ethically resourced and sustainable.”

Industry News

Leading brewer’s got some bottle after embracing industrial technology solutions to increase critical asset reliability

RS, a global provider of product and service solutions for industrial customers, including maintenance and safety solutions, has helped a leading brewer avoid downtime that could have cost the firm £60,000, as well as a potential £4,000 bill for asset replacement.

RS Industria, an innovative cloud service and part of the RS Group, was utilised by the UK’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, to help the company gain valuable insight into a key asset: a bottle filler which lies at the heart of the brewery operation on the bottling line.

With a capacity to fill 27,000 bottles per hour – which contributes to the firms output of 50 million pints every year – the asset is critical but ageing. Shepherd Neame’s engineers needed to develop a greater understanding of its performance so they could implement steps to increase the reliability of the machine to avoid costly downtime.

Michael Unsworth, director of brewing at Shepherd Neame, explained: “Stoppage on production with the scale of output we work to on our bottling line can cost around £1,000 per hour. If unplanned downtime lasts for days, which can be the case when there are long lead times for spare parts, it can be very costly. For this reason, we needed to get the right insight on the machine and its components to use the data to develop a robust maintenance strategy. Not only does this save us the aforementioned

downtime cost, but measures to prevent failures also saves us the component and labour costs,” he added.

Working closely with Shepherd Neame, RS Industria engineers installed condition monitoring on the asset’s main drive and vibration sensors on its gearboxes, before connecting these to a local hub.

RS Industria monitors machines in real-time, alerting engineers to potential small issues before they escalate. This real-time data is fed into a cloud-based analytics system that can spot indicators of potential failure to improve asset reliability through preventative and predictive maintenance.

Within hours of the RS Industrial solution being in place to monitor the bottling machine, issues with two critical components were flagged: the gearbox was showing a high-frequency vibration – indicating a lubrication issue – and an oil leak was discovered, caused by a faulty seal. Had these issues not been identified, the gearbox may have failed and needed to be replaced, at a cost of around £4,000.

High vibration on the motor was also detected, leading to timely investigation of the issue and component replacement scheduled to tie in with planned maintenance programmes. This avoided potential downtime and potential cost arising from secondary damage to the machine.

The packaging is GM free, biobased, has extended shelf life, seamlessly fits with local waste management systems and comes in different sizes and shapes.

As a member of the UK’s Compostable Coalition, which includes brands such as Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Ocado, TIPA is the driving force behind the popularity of compostables in the UK market.

For more information visit www.tipa-corp.com

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Case Study

Case Study: Neogen Safeguarding Diagnostic Test Kits with ICS Cool Energy’s Cold Store Containers The Challenge Neogen EMEA, a subsidiary of Neogen Corporation provides the most comprehensive range of solutions for the food processing, animal protein and agriculture industries. Their Food Safety business offers products covering culture media and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, food allergens, drug residues, hygiene indicators and much more.

Neogen’s recent business project necessitated a swift increase in refrigerated storage capacity at their

Auchincruive, Ayr Neogen site to accommodate a higher level of stock at short notice, particularly diagnostic test kits for distribution in various global markets. With a pressing need for enhancing their temperaturecontrolled space, Neogen sought a partner that could offer them a dependable solution.

“We had limited space in our existing facility and a mounting urgency. We needed to hold a higher level of stock at short term to accommodate more areas than what we currently service,” shared Andy Keirs, warehouse and logistics manager at Neogen EMEA. The Solution ICS Cool Energy, renowned for its expertise in in critical and process temperature control solutions, emerged as the timely answer to Neogen’s challenge. Within a short timeframe, they provided Neogen with three 40ft temperature-controlled Cold Store containers. These refrigerated containers are based on a shipping container that has an integrated refrigeration system. They can be

used in many different applications, frozen or perishable food and beverage products, or pharmaceutical goods and ensure products are stored safely at the desired temperature, maintaining consistent temperature, humidity, and atmosphere.

“Having the containers on-site allowed us more control and responsibility for the extra stock hold. The decisive factor for choosing ICS Cool Energy was the cost-effectiveness and very short time their hire team needed to have everything set up and running. It was paramount for us to add extra storage space on site and none of our current suppliers or contractors we work with had any options for what we needed,” Keirs elaborated.

The Result With the added storage capacity, Neogen effectively stored their diagnostic test kits, readying them for distribution primarily within the UK and European Union, with a portion destined for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The benefits of the collaboration were multifaceted. Not only did Neogen secure the required storage in a timely manner, but they also gained the advantage of overseeing stock at their own facility without the need to rely on a third-party logistics provider with whom they weren’t fully integrated.

“Keeping the stock at a Neogen facility in the short term and not have it stored and shipped from a 3PL has proven to be the right choice.

Timely solutions, strategic decisions, and the right partnerships are essential in business growth. The collaboration with ICS Cool Energy ensured we had the right support for this critical project,” Keirs concluded.

For more information on ICS Cool Energy complete process temperature control solutions, please visit www.icscoolenergy.com/

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