NEWS
SYNTEGON TECHNOLOGY APPOINTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE PROCESSING AND PACKAGING technology supplier Syntegon Technology has appointed Michael Grosse as chief executive officer. The announcement comes after the company name change from Bosch Packaging Technology and follows the acquisition by CVC Capital Partners from Bosch in 2019. Until recently, Michael Grosse was a member of the management board of Tetra Pak. Syntegon said he has relevant leadership and management experience in the international mechanical engineering industry, particularly in the areas of process and packaging technology for the food industry. Grosse, who will take up his post on 1 March 2020, will succeed Stefan Koenig,
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who spent 24 years working for the Bosch Group, ten of which at Bosch Packaging or Syntegon Technology. He has led the company as CEO since 2017. •
SUSTAINABILITY A KEY SELLING POINT FOR NEW INGREDIENTS RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY the University of Nottingham has found that consumers are more likely to accept new, unfamiliar ingredients once they are aware of their sustainable features. Researchers from the University’s School of Biosciences conducted tasting sessions with 100 participants. Consumers tried biscotti and crackers made with Bambara Groundnut against standard commercial products. Bambara is a grain legume grown mainly in subSaharan Africa. The legume puts limited demands on soil, is capable of growing in nutrient-poor soils and is touted as a climate change-resistant crop. The ingredient is high in carbohydrates, protein and is gluten-free. It could also offer an alternative to rice and wheat flour. For each sample in the trial, participants were asked to rate their overall liking and emotional response based on the sensory properties of the product. The first tasting was done ‘blind’ with a red light masking the appearance of the products. Participants were then invited back for a second session where they were informed about global resource challenges and the sustainable features of Bambara and told which products contained this ingredient. The study determined that the main driver for accepting this new ingredient was how people felt when given information about its sustainability credentials. ‘Under the blind condition, no significant differences in overall liking were observed between standard and Bambara products, suggesting UK consumers accept the sensory
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properties of products containing Bambara flour,’ explains Dr Qian Yang, assistant professor in sensory and consumer sciences at the University of Nottingham. ‘This indicates that as long as the products taste good, consumers will engage with the new sustainable crops. 'Interestingly, after being given the information about climate and sustainability issues we saw a shift towards more positive emotions towards the Bambara product and people felt guiltier when eating standard products,’ Yang concludes. •
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YMBOLS OR WRITTEN age restrictions will be added to labels on alcohol drinks produced by members of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD). The initiative, which also applies to alcohol-free extensions of alcohol brands, is one of five actions announced by IARD as part of a new drive to accelerate efforts to reduce underage drinking globally Recognising the growing importance of digital communications, IARD members, which includes AB InBev, Diageo and Heineken, will take further action to prevent minors from seeing or interacting with their brands online. ‘These five actions mark another step towards our goal of eliminating underage drinking. We proactively support strict enforcement of legal purchase and drinking age regulation,’ says Albert Baladi, CEO of Beam Suntory and IARD CEO chair. ‘We call on other producers, retailers and responsible adults to join us. We must ensure everyone reinforces the message that underage drinking is socially unacceptable,’ Baladi exclaims. IARD members include AB InBev, Asahi Group, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, Kirin Holdings, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard and William Grant and Sons. •
2020 Quarter 1 | Food Manufacturing Africa
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