NEWS
LIQUID GOLD Nampak Liquid Cartons scooped two gold medals at the 2020 Institute of Packaging South Africa Gold Pack Awards during a first-ever virtual ceremony held in October 2020. The company was awarded
DISTELL WINS ENFORCEMENT OF FAIR LABELLING AGAINST SAB
a gold medal for its development of the Spar two-litre Pure-Pak milk carton in the Best in Beverages: Non-alcoholic Packaging category. The carton also achieved a gold medal in the Best in Paper Packaging category. “Nampak brought together an idea by Spar with liquid carton board by Stora Enso and execution by Woodlands Dairy to see the launch of the first Natura Life gable top carton in South Africa. This achievement showcases our commitment to sustainability, and we look forward to producing award-winning, planet-friendly packaging in the future,” says Quinton Swart, Nampak group
An order of the Western Cape High Court interdicted and restrained South African Breweries (SAB), owned by AB InBev, from distributing, marketing or selling two Brutal Fruit Spritzer variants with non-compliant labelling and advertising. In 2020, Distell lodged a formal complaint with South Africa’s Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) in respect of the Brutal Fruit Apple Spritzer product, given that it was labelled, advertised and promoted in a way that represented itself as an alcoholic fruit beverage, described as an ‘alcoholic fruit blend’ when it is in fact a maize-based ‘ale’. The ARB ruling on 27 August 2020 found that these Brutal Fruit ready-to-drink (RTD) products, which are popular with younger female consumers, have been promoted by SAB in “a way that is misleading consumers”. The High Court order was made on 10 December 2020, and restricts the use of labels that convey the Brutal Fruit products as ‘alcoholic fruit beverages’. It should rather be correctly labelled as ‘ales’ (in line with the Liquor Products Act, 60 of 1989). SAB had to stop using the non-compliant labels on or before 18 December 2020, and had to, with immediate effect, remove or withdraw all marketing and advertising in respect of the Brutal Fruit products. This advertising included all television, radio, billboards, websites, social media, press, print media and in-store advertising and promotional materials in their immediate control. Distell commented, “We are pleased with the outcome of this matter. These Brutal Fruit ready-to-drink products have been promoted in a way that is misleading consumers. This also disadvantages local competitors who produce and sell authentic ‘alcoholic fruit beverages’. The company believes in strong and healthy competition to support consumer choice, balanced with transparency about what’s inside their drink to build trust and ultimately brand equity.”
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JANUARY 2021 | FOOD REVIEW
executive: Paper and Eastern Africa. The Spar two-litre Pure-Pak milk carton was recently revamped. It is 100% recyclable and made from 87% renewable sources. The carton board communicates organic values while running on existing filling lines without modifications in machine settings. The strength of the unbleached board results in a lower weight, thus further reducing the carbon footprint. The new carton closures have better pouring functionality and are bio-based, which means they are derived from plant-based sources and fully recyclable in existing South African plasticrecycling streams.
SORTEX FA3 manufacturing site
POLARVISION CELEBRATES THREE YEARS In 2017, the frozen vegetable market was predicted to grow at an average CAGR of 5% from 2018 to 2025. In response to this predicted industry boom, Bühler developed the Sortex FA PolarVision. Three years on, all the major players in the industry have Sortex technologies installed in their IQF lines. “Frozen fruit and vegetable processors can feel certain of world-class performance when placing Sortex FA PolarVision optical sorters in their processing lines, whether after freezing, before the packing line, or bulk-to-bulk,” explains Stefano Bonacina, global head fruit & vegetables at Bühler. The technology offers a 1 200mm adjustable UHMW-PE chute and was launched in 2017; followed by the FA1, with a 600mm chute for smaller capacity processors. T LED-Xenon lighting and a PolarVision detection system combines two dedicated technologies – PolarCam and InGaAsHD – to spot all types of foreign material in frozen fruit and vegetable applications, including dark- and light-coloured plastics, wood, glass, snails and cardboards. The FA range also pushes boundaries with a hygienic design that is not only practical but also offers superior access and cleanliness.
