116 MACHINERY UPDATE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Confectionery introduction
T
he continued pressure on sugar consumption and the growing need for ‘portable’ food solutions has seen a move towards smaller confectionery packs that can be carried around, opened and then reclosed. According to Mike Pipe, head of global sales at Mettler-Toledo Safeline x-ray, a more health-conscious public wants ready-to-go products such as small, flexible packs for chocolate confectionery to meet these needs. COVID-19 had a big impact on the global confectionery market, precipitating a 7.1% decline in 2020, according to a Fortune Business Insights report. But even during the pandemic, confectionery has played a key role as a comfort food during the lockdowns. And, with people going out less, online purchasing, which favours smaller pack sizes, has also increased. The impact of these societal changes upon pack sizes has been matched by innovation in packaging technology. The market is now better able to respond to demands for portability by designing packs that are made from flexible and lightweight materials, and the convenience factor is helped by developments in re-sealable technology. The industry is therefore well-placed to take advantage of the growing single-serve packaging market.
Paper bags to the fore
Italian chocolate maker ICAM uses secondary packaging equipment from Cama as it delivers the flexibility it needs
Market needs are changing PPMA members are meeting sector trends for smaller packs, new materials and flexible processing/packing “Manufacturers can always rely on product inspection technology to ensure that small pack products meet the same stringent standards for consumer safety, labelling accuracy and compliance with regulations as other pack sizes,” says Pipe. For example: • Precision weighing of smaller portion sizes is fulfilled by checkweighing technology • Contaminant detection is facilitated by both metal detection and x-ray inspection • Quality assurance checks, including packaging defects and brand integrity, are completed by x-ray inspection, and • Label verification is carried out by vision inspection systems which check
each label against pre-programmed content, ensuring that all allergens contained within the small packs are declared. Another packaging trend that is coming to the fore in the sector is the move away from plastics materials. This has seen BW Flexible Systems (BWFS) continue to drive sustainable solutions by offering machines that form and seal paper bags in confectionery. For instance, Perfetti Van Melle Group Italia, maker of the Golia Italian lozenge brand, and other major leading confectionery brands, have turned to the BWFS lines of vertical form fill & seal (VFFS) machines, the Logic 35 S and the Novus, for their capabilities to run paper efficiently and with
high quality output. “Today’s manufacturers are being challenged to prove that they are serious about sustainability,” says Michael Dann, global product line leader at BWFS. “Our engineers are innately aware of this value and are continuously innovating to develop horizontal flow wrappers and other form, fill and seal machinery that makes it easy for food manufacturers to pivot when needed.” Perfetti Van Melle Group recently ordered and installed Logic 35 S baggers. In addition to their ability to produce paper bags, the superior machinability and adaptability of the Verus provides Perfetti Van Melle Group the flexibility needed to produce a wide variety of bags.
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