Food & Beverage Industry News Apr 2022

APRIL 2022

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Australia’s cold chain is evolving

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appy April readers and welcome to another edition of Food & Beverage Industry News.

This edition has a special focus on the cold chain and the important role that it plays in Australia’s food and beverage industry.

We spoke to several stakeholders in the sector about the cold chain’s evolution and how the industry is incorporating new innovations designed to strengthen it.

A common theme amongst those in the cold chain was the vast distances products must travel just to get from one side of Australia to another, which in the past presented an almost insurmountable issue for those wanting to get their products to a wider market.

While these general logistical issues have been smoothed over, what we learned during the creation of this edition was the fractured nature of the country’s cold chain and what stakeholders do to overcome those issues while also fixing them for the future.

Digitisation was one common theme brought up when talking about strengthening the cold chain because, as with other sectors of the industry, it provides a greater transparency around the origin and transport of chilled and frozen products.

Another common theme was the adoption in Australia of methods used in foreign markets, but ultimately it was innovations around packaging and cold storage that helped Australia’s cold chain most.

Travelling long distances with cold product meant ensuring it never went over its required temperature and innovations in dry ice, the use of

CO2, and other cooling agents provided a stronger logistical chain for manufacturers and producers.

Ultimately, the cold chain presents an added risk that dry products, for the most part, don’t face. And that is a short shelf life.

To ensure the loss of product through spoilage or non-purchase due to use by dates, the cold chain has to ensure products remain in the same state from factory to consumer.

A wide spectrum of the food and beverage manufacturing industry is either directly, or indirectly, tied to the cold chain and more have moved into the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to the rise in popularity of home delivery services like My Muscle Chef and Lite n’ Easy.

This edition also has a special feature on the current state of the industry with regards to the Modern Manufacturing Strategy and Modern Manufacturing Initiative – government supported targets aimed at future proofing the industry.

The bedrock of both government-led programs is to create a more sustainable food and beverage industry by setting a range of sustainability targets.

Both programs have come into sharper focus this year as the first major targets have been set for 2022, which means by year’s end we will have a much clearer idea of how the industry is tracking.

The makeup of the food and beverage industry will continue to evolve as these targets continue to be met, creating an exciting time ahead.

Until next time, have a great month.

Ph: (03) 9794 8337

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 3

CONTENTS

INSIDE

20

06 NEWS 20 MEET THE MANUFACTURER Beak & Johnston have invested $90 million into new facility.

30

COLD CHAIN FEATURE 24 We detail the current state of Australia’s cold chain.

26 Digitisation plays a critical role in strengthening the cold chain with GS1.

28 We detail Air Liquide’s cryogenic temperature control capabilities.

30 Energy Action is helping the industry reach net zero targets.

32 Americold details its expertise in simplifying cold chain monitoring.

34 Total Construction continues to find success with cold storage.

36 Muddy Boots specialises in streamlining logistis.

38 Supagas demonstrates CO2’s role in the cold chain.

40 Etihad Cargo reinforces and utilises its cold chain expertise.

42 Schmitz Cargobull is helping reduce overhead costs with smart trailers.

44 How Kyabram Cold Storage is building its presence within the cold chain.

46 INDUSTRY ROAD MAP We look at the current state of the industry road map expectations.

48 FOOD PROCESSING Bürkert continues to see rise in the popularity of the RotaTherm continuous cooking system.

38

50 SPRAY DRYING Spraying Systems is seeing firsthand how fluid air is quickly becoming the future of spray drying.

52 LUBRICATION SKF automated lubrication technology is mitigating contamination risks.

54 WASHDOWN ContiTech’s industrial washdown hoses are applicable across the entire food and beverage industry.

54

56 FOODTECH QLD For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, FoodTech is set to return on the Gold Coast in 2022.

58 MEASUREMENT Flow measurement and control can make or break a production line and AMS is positioned to help you get the best out of it.

59 AIP 60 MARKETWATCH 61 ACCC 62 NEW PRODUCTS

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NEWS

Fight Food Waste CRC welcomes government funding A delaide will continue to grow as the nation’s hub of food waste research, development and engagement thanks to a new three-year Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) funding boost from the South Australian government.

The $300,000 of funding comes from the South Australia CRC Assistance Program through the SA government’s Research and Innovation Fund. It has been awarded to Primary Industries and Regions South Australia to participate in the Fight Food Waste CRC to support the SA Growth State Plan for Food, Wine and Agribusiness to ensure the productivity and sustainability of its food and wine businesses.

According to South Australian minister for Innovation and Skills, David Pisoni, the funding reinforces that SA is the engine room for the nation’s food waste reduction activities.

Already hosting the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus since 2018, Adelaide is also now home to Stop Food Waste Australia, the new national peak body charged with delivering the National Food Waste Strategy.

It is also the now the headquarters for the United Kingdom’s Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) Asia-Pacific region.

“Food waste is something we can all play our part to address and here in South Australia we are leading the way,” said Pisoni. “The Marshall government is pleased to support the Fight Food Waste CRC, now the largest dedicated food waste R & D organisation in the world.

According to Pisoni, this funding strongly aligns with their 10-year Excellence, Collaboration, Innovation, Translation, Enabled (EXCITE) future workforce Strategy.

Fight Food Waste CRC chief executive officer, Dr Steven Lapidge,

The $300,000 of funding is designed to help reduce food waste through tailored research. said the National Food Waste Strategy commits Australia to halve food waste by 2030 in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

With 7.6 million tonnes of food loss and waste being generated in Australia each year, enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground over 10 times, this is an audacious goal. F

Beston Global Food Company appoints new CEO B

eston Global Food Company Limited has announced the appointment of Fabrizio Jorge as chief executive officer of the company.

Fabrizio is a highly credentialed senior executive with 25 years of global experience in the food and beverage industry and particularly in dairy products, across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He is Brazilian born and of Italian descent with fluency in five languages. Fabrizio holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Pontifica University in Sao Paulo, Brazil and is a graduate of the International Business School, University of California, USA and the

Fabrizio Jorge brings decades of food experience to the role.

Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Fabrizio is a familiar face within the Australian Dairy industry, having served from 2016 to 2018, as a Board Member of the Australian Dairy Industry Council and the Australian Dairy Products Federation where he has helped to shape the policy

6 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

direction of Australia’s dairy industry over recent years.

Currently, Fabrizio continues to support Dairy Australia’s International Trade programmes.

Fabrizio started his working career with Nestlé in Brazil in 1997 and then worked with Nestlé in various executive positions across Asia, Oceania and Africa and the Middle East, including as Regional Supply Director with responsibility for Nestle’s dairy and nutraceuticals portfolio, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

He subsequently joined Fonterra Cooperative Limited in 2009 and over the course of the next 12 years, worked in a number of senior roles, based out of Auckland, Sao Paulo,

Bangkok, Singapore and Melbourne to help build and manage the Fonterra diary ingredients business internationally, including as Director, Ingredients, Fonterra Australia and Managing Director, Fonterra Brands Thailand.

Since May 2021, Fabrizio has been the Chief Operating Officer of Bubs Australia Limited, overseeing significant growth into new markets in Asia and the USA. The Chairman of BFC, Dr Roger Sexton AM said that the appointment of Mr Jorge as CEO of the Company was the result of an extensive executive search process which had identified a number of outstanding candidates who were right for the position. F

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NEWS

Sustainably growing agriculture with SIPP grants Almost $50 million will be invested by the Tasmanian Government into the agriculture sector.

T

he Tasmanian government is investing almost $50 million to accelerate the state’s agriculture sector, including supporting strategic partnerships with key industry associations.

As part of the commitment to sustainably grow agriculture, a total of $2.3 million has been allocated over four years through the Strategic Industry Partnership Program (SIPP) to partner with agriculture industry associations to deliver COVID-19 resilience, recovery and sustainable growth.

Five grants totalling $270,000 have been awarded to agriculture industry associations in the latest round of Strategic Industry Partnership Program, announced last week.

Proposals from the Tasmanian Hemp Association, Cider Tasmania, the Tasmanian Seed Industry

Group, the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group, and Dairy Tasmania are all being supported.

For example, Cider Tasmania will undertake an educational campaign to strengthen the market positioning of the sector as high quality and regional.

The campaign will target identified “influencers” in the beverage industry to raise awareness of the rich regional Tasmanian cider experiences available to the tourist market and the premium cider produced in Tasmania, compared to other large market brands that use juice concentrates.

The projects supported are as follows: • Tasmanian Hemp Association (THA), $100,000 – Health and wellbeing benefits of Sustainable Tasmanian Hemp Food – National

8 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Consumer Awareness Campaign aligned with the Tasmanian brand; • Cider Tasmania, $15,000 – Craft cider brand work and hotelier education in hospitality industry aligned with the Tasmanian brand; • Tasmanian Seed Industry Group, $50,000 – Development of the Tasmanian seed industry through the implementation of the Tasmanian Seed Industry Plan; • Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group (TAPG), $80,000 – Agriculture Innovation EXPO; and • Dairy Tasmania, $25,000 – Dairy Farm COVID-19 safety and outbreak management training.

The SIPP provides targeted grants on a co-investment basis to peak industry bodies and organisations

in recognition of the critical role they play in supporting agri-food industries, individual producers and agribusinesses. These grants are designed to support industry growth, job creation, and prosperity in our rural communities.

Industry is providing a co-investment to the five approved SIPP projects of over $170,000.

These projects are strongly aligned with Tasmania’s Sustainable Agri-Food Plan 2019-23, the Competitiveness of Agriculture for 2050 White Paper, and the Rural Water Use Strategy, with more to come.

The SIPP will continue to fund a diverse range of projects with farmers and producers to support our farm-gate target of 10 billion by 2050 with job creation and prosperity in our rural communities. F

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NEWS

Global farmgate milk prices spike, Rabobank reports R abobank has reported that farmgate milk prices have increased significantly across the globe’s major dairy export regions and a further “upside” in milk prices remains.

In its latest Global Dairy Quarterly report, Rabobank found that global dairy commodity prices were “soaring” due to a global supply shortfall even before the RussiaUkraine conflict. Major dairy export regions are also struggling with poor weather or margin erosion from rising feed costs. This has resulted in a worse-than-expected year-on-year deficit.

With these shortfalls unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, Rabobank expects a continued decline in 1H 2022 milk production in the big seven dairy exporting regions – New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, EU, US and Australia – of 0.7 per cent (compared with last year’s high level), before a mild recovery in 2H 2022 and into 1H 2023.

Farmgate milk prices have followed commodity prices higher worldwide, with more potential upside in some regions. But the rising costs of inputs, lack of labour, unfavourable weather and variable feed quality and prices still limit the

Global dairy commodity prices continue to climb due to global supply shortage.

10 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

production response by producers, the report stated.

Globally, Rabobank is expecting dairy exports to slow in 2022, after growing by four per cent in 2021 despite the supply chain challenges: “The export growth seen in 2021 is unlikely to be repeated in 2022, as the supply deficit significantly reduces the exportable surplus from the Big-7 export regions,” the report said.

High-priced dairy commodities could take “a bite out” of importers’ appetites. Conversely, rising oil prices have supported Whole Milk Powder (WMP) prices in the past, and the elevated food security risk

could result in strategic buying activity.

The Global Dairy Quarterly warns inflationary pressure is running rampant around the world, with an increasingly worsening outlook, begging the question “How high for how long?” when it comes to dairy prices.

Rabobank expects dairy commodity prices will stay elevated through to the middle of the year amid the constrained supply. The longer-term outlook hinges upon consumer behaviour and normalised market conditions – both very unpredictable. F

NEWS

University of Adelaide students join food waste fight T

hree University of Adelaide undergraduate students are helping the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre in a major research project.

Thai Phuong Anh (Alicia) Nguyen, Xuan Li and Jia En Sit, in the final year of their Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Science degrees, have spent six weeks in Summer Research Scholarships. This saw them work with an Adelaide supermarket to take hundreds of photos of food products across its bread, dairy, fresh produce and meat sections, and then analyse the data.

“We had to take the information from the labelling in the photos and put it in a spreadsheet so we could examine how they compared across storage directions, usage directions and date labelling,” said Xuan Li. Their findings will supplement the Fight Food Waste CRC’s major

The student findings will be used in Fight Food Waste research projects.

“Consumer Perceptions in the Role of Packaging in Reducing Food Waste” research project, led by the CRC’s REDUCE team.

REDUCE program leader, Dr Dianne McGrath, said the three students’ work has been invaluable in informing the ongoing research of the Consumer Perceptions work, and future date mark labelling and storage

information projects.

“The work these students put in not only to capture so much data, but also to interpret and arrange the data in meaningful ways, has been exceptional,” said McGrath.

“The Fight Food Waste CRC already has a strong postgraduate program, with many opportunities available for PhD and Masters

students. To see such commitment and dedication from these undergraduate students has been fantastic, and their work helps us as we strive towards our vision of Australia without food waste.”

Adjunct senior lecturer with the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Helen Morris, said the scholarships are available to undergraduate students who have completed at least two years of their program of study, providing an opportunity to work on a realworld research project over their summer break.

Senior lecturer Dr Hayriye Bozkurt, also from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, explained that the students were excited to have the opportunity to work together as a research team, collaborating with Fight Food Waste CRC on this important project. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 11

NEWS

NGS appoints David Fenlon as non-executive chairman N utritional Growth Solutions, a global nutrition company creating scientifically formulated and clinically proven supplements to support children’s growth development, has appointed David Fenlon as independent non-executive chairman, effective immediately.

Fenlon has over 30 years’ experience in retail and consumer goods across Europe, Australasia and North America. Until very recently he was the managing director and CEO of leading beauty and wellness business, BWX Limited, and was previously managing director – Australia and NZ for Blackmores Limited.

In addition, Fenlon is currently a non-executive director of the Quest

for Life Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting people through personal traumas.

“NGS has done a tremendous job in growing its business to where it is today. I am delighted to be joining the Company’s Board as its Chairman at this very exciting time where new market-leading products are being rolled across new channels and new geographies,” said Fenlon.

“I am looking forward to working closely with our CEO, Liron Fendell, and the rest of the NGS Board and management team to execute the Company’s mission to become a global household name in child nutrition.”

Fenlon succeeds the founding chairman of NGS, Brian Leedman,

David Fenlon has more than 30 years’ experience in retail and consumer goods. who has decided to step down from the Board and continue his involvement with the company in a consulting capacity. His Performance Rights will not expire on his resignation as chairman, instead continuing until the end of his consultancy.

The Board of NGS thanks Leedman for his contribution as chairman, and his leadership and

counsel navigating NGS through its pivotal public listing process and subsequent significant operational growth.

“I am really proud of the progress NGS has achieved since listing on ASX,” said Leedman.

“The company has grown its sales substantially, launched new products, expanded into new geographies, and continued to build its reputation for providing clinically tested nutritional supplements for children.

“With the appointment of David as NGS’ new chairman, and the incredible experience he brings to the company, I look forward to seeing NGS’ further development and growth and continuing to be a supportive shareholder.” F

Breakthrough meat quality measurement technology I

n a world’s first, Australian Agtech start-up MEQ Probe has today received the first ever accreditation for a hot carcase marbling measurement technology for beef.

Awarded by industry peak body, AUS-MEAT, MEQ Probe is now the only technology that has the ability to accurately measure both intramuscular fat (IMF) in lamb and marbling in beef.

MEQ Probe’s technology underwent stringent independent testing and has now been accredited

by AUS-MEAT for accurate measurement between the 100-1200 MSA point range for beef. Marbling is considered one of the most significant aspects impacting the quality and value of meat.

Marbling refers to the small flecks of fat distributed throughout the muscle in beef and is currently MEQ Probe CEO Remo Carbone said the new technology gives Australia’s meat industry an advantage.

12 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

measured using cold marbling measures where fat deposits and distribution on a cut surface of chilled beef is visually assessed by processing plant graders or grading professionals.

Current marbling measurement methods present many inefficiencies, including losing valuable time that could be used to create thorough cut design plans, using considerable amounts of energy to chill carcasses, losing space in chillers and potential grading inaccuracies due to human error and subjective judgement.

MEQ Probe’s newly accredited hot measure solution gives processors 10x the time to determine their cut design plan and saves on energy and chiller space.

The hot measure prevents the need for extended chilling, which provides valuable occupational health and safety improvements in the boning room.

Information about individual carcase is also provided in real-time,

allowing processors to share insights quickly through the supply chain – distributors, retailers, consumers and farmers. MEQ Probe enables far greater consistency which ensures the industry can deliver on its brand promise with confidence.

The accreditation of the company’s beef marbling probe comes after processors, Australian Country Choice (ACC) and Teys Australia, successfully partnered with the company to help the development of the probe over the last 12 months.

“Australia produces approximately 2.4 tonnes of beef a year, 76 per cent of which is exported. Our beef quality is a point of pride and with consumers becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to product quality, having an accurate, scientifically backed measure of meat marbling is critical,” said MEQ Probe CEO, Remo Carbone.

“Our accreditation puts Australia at a distinct advantage.” F

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NEWS

Government funding to triple plant protein manufacturing S

outh Australia is set to be home of the largest pulse protein ingredient manufacturing capability in Australia, thanks to a $113 million funding package from the Morrison Government that will also deliver thousands of new jobs for the state and supercharge Australia’s place in the global plant-based food value chain.

The Morrison Government has announced support for a project led by Australian Plant Proteins (APP) under the Collaboration Stream of the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative to transform local production of pulse protein ingredients and help meet the growing global demand.

APP owns Australia’s only commercial scale pulse protein extraction facility. This project will quadruple production in South Australia, to produce 25,000 tonnes of pulse protein yearly.

Partnering together with one of Australia’s largest family-owned food producers, Thomas Foods International and the Australian Milling Group, over $378 million will be invested in the construction of three plant protein manufacturing

The Federal Government, and the SA Government, will both invest in plant protein to supply international and domestic markets. facilities supplying domestic and international markets.

South Australia produces over a quarter of all Australian pulses and this project gives Australia the opportunity to value-add by up to eight times the value of the product.

That value will be captured here in Australia for Australians benefit.

Locally based plant protein ingredient and food manufacturing

will create a new high valueadded domestic supply option for pulse growers which will in turn have downstream benefits to local communities.

The South Australian Government has also contributed $65 million to the $378 million project.

Minister for Finance and Senator for South Australia Simon Birmingham said this investment was

a win for jobs, a win for SA’s pulse farmers and it would take our state’s manufacturing capabilities to a whole new level.

“This investment by Government along with the private sector will put SA ahead of the pack in the manufacturing of products for the high-growth domestic and booming global plant-based foods market,” said minister Birmingham. F

New open milk market set to empower dairy farmers A breakthrough in milk price transparency and buyer competition was made this month, according to Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), when the Australian Milk Price Initiative (AMPI) ran its first regional milk spot markets.

The market was launched today on the Mercari platform, which is owned and operated by Mercari Pty Ltd. Various bids across the three regions of Victoria were made with prices exceeding $9.00kg/ms for the

spot market. Individual months in the new season traded above $8.00kg/ms.

“These are very positive signs,” said ADF president Rick Gladigau.

Regional spot markets deliver the monthly price transparency necessary to enable a forward hedging market like those seen in New Zealand, the US and Europe. Such markets enable dairy farmers and processors to lock in prices up to three years forward for some of their milk.

“There is no more transparent

14 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

price signal than an open market price,” says Gladigau.

“AMPI will improve risk management across the supply chain with back-to-back pricing from customer to processor to farmer, providing the ability to lock in margins across the chain.

“Better margin and risk management enables better planning, which, in turn, drives investment and growth across the supply chain. More investment in the supply chain means

a strong dairy industry.”

In 2019 the Morrison Government provided ADF with an election pledge of $560,000 towards the development of a milk trading platform.

This initiative was key to the Australian Dairy Plan’s commitment to deliver new measures to increase transparency and help manage market risk, including the establishment of a functioning milk price market. F

NEWS

Food manufacturers welcome potential global plastic treaty T

he Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has welcomed the UN Environment Assembly’s passing of a resolution to begin negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

AFGC CEO, Tanya Barden said the Australian food and grocery manufacturing sector has a keen interest in the UN EA resolution and the creation of a circular economy for plastics.

“While plastic is an effective and efficient material for maintaining food and grocery safety, it is important that we design, collect and re-use or recycle plastics to reduce their impact on the environment,” said Barden.

“Addressing plastic pollution, in particular the hard to recycle plastics such as soft plastics (chip packets, bread bags, cereal box liners) is a major focus for Australian food and grocery manufacturers. The AFGC is

working with manufacturers to create a National Plastic Recycling Scheme (NPRS) to collect and transform these soft plastics into new food-grade plastic.

“The Australian food, beverage and grocery industry is working to stay ahead of the curve and to ensure that other plastics, in addition to soft plastics are also collected, recycled and reused. This also includes adopting the Australasian Recycling Label, redesigning packaging and looking at alternatives.”

Barden said that the AFGC looks forward to opportunities for stakeholder input to the Australian Government’s position as negotiations progress in the second half of 2022 to develop an “…. international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

The full lifecycle of plastic,

The UN Environment Assembly was praised by industry bodies for its focus on plastic use. including its production, design and disposal will be part of this work.

“Australia has a lot to show for the working being done here including several announcements this week regarding new advanced recycling facilities that can convert soft plastic waste and mixed plastics to feedstock to make recycled polyethylene plastic for use in new, food-grade plastic packaging,” said Barden.

Australia has National Packaging Targets that include a goal of recycling or composting 70 per cent of plastic packaging by 2025.

Food and grocery manufacturers, the waste and recycling industry and plastics manufacturers are committing significant resources to meeting the challenge of addressing plastic waste and meeting the National Packaging Targets. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 15

NEWS

The mentoring program was designed to end ‘outdated’ stereotypes around the distilling sector.

Women of Australian Distilling mentoring program launched O ver the weekend, some of Australia’s top female distillers travelled to Sydney to launch a mentoring program that supports the growing pool of female talent in the spirits industry – Women of Australian Distilling.

Women of Australian Distilling founder, Kathleen Davies, said longterm trends in alcohol consumption showed Australians overall were drinking less but better-quality products, with women leading the shift in patterns. But the industry was tarnished by outdated stereotypes.

“For example, government figures show almost three times as many Australian women choose to enjoy

spirits rather than beer, but all we ever hear from our politicians in the media is about the importance of supporting beer and the brewing industry,” said Davies.

So, this group of Australian women have united to support each other.

“Alcohol is traditionally a maledominated industry, but I see no reason why women can’t dominate in craft distilling,” said Davies. “As consumers, women are leading the premiumisation charge, looking for quality products and local ingredients. So, it makes sense that women should be making those products. They understand the market.”

16 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The Women of Australian Distilling mentorship program will pair experienced women leaders from large spirits manufacturers with craft distillers, blenders and others working in the industry.

It was formally launched at a sold-out International Women’s Day lunch and “cocktail degustation” at Newtown’s Bloodwood restaurant on Sunday, with some of the pioneers of craft distilling flying in to attend.

Among the mentors confirmed for the first wave of the program were: Brown-Forman ANZPI (ANZ, Pacific Islands) managing director Eveline Albarracin; Beam-Suntory Oceania managing director Andrea Parker; and Bundaberg Distilling

Company chair Amanda Lampe.

“I am delighted to be a mentor in the inaugural Women of Australian Distilling’s Senior Leadership Mentor Program,” said Albarracin.

“It’s so important that we recognise and nurture emerging female talent to ensure women continue to aspire to leadership positions in this growing industry.”

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NEWS

Funding boost for purpose-built food and beverage precinct T

urbine is set to become Australia’s leading industry-based food and beverage research, education and commercialisation facility with the precinct expected to gain national and international recognition as a blueprint for collaborative manufacturing thanks to funding of up to $33.4 million from the Federal Government.

After securing a Federal Government Grant of $8.78 million in 2021, today’s announcement will ensure the development of the food and beverage manufacturing precinct, at the Sunshine Coast Airport, will have a catalytic and enduring impact on the food and beverage sector on a scale that has not previously existed in Australia.

The Turbine Collaborative Food & Beverage Manufacturing Precinct will enable SME food and beverage manufacturers to innovate and scale-up, up and will present exciting

opportunities for producers and the entire value chain.

“A critical element of success for the Precinct will be the collaboration between project partners who are made up of small, medium and large businesses, research organisations, industry groups, training institutions and investors,” said chair of Turbine, Shay Chalmers.

“The project is built around collaboration and will demonstrate what’s possible when you build a culture of where businesses and organisations share a vision and find ways to work together.

“The advanced manufacturing capability combined with the support of education partners will develop the pipeline of skills within the precinct to set the industry up for future success,” said Chalmers.

CEO of the Food and Agribusiness Network, Emma Greenhatch, knows only too well the

• • • •

18 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The new precinct will also create hundreds of new jobs for the industry. challenges FAN members face when trying to scale and access new markets.

“With such high barriers to growth in our industry, collaboration is key to ensure we have a resilient and competitive food and beverage manufacturing sector into the future,” said Greenhatch.

“Uniquely, the Turbine Precinct

will house end-to-end infrastructure and support, that will allow startups and SMEs to take a great idea through to commercialisation and export – all in the one location.

Once fully operational, wages generated within the precinct are expected to be anywhere from 12 per cent to 60 per cent higher than industry average wages. F

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MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Australian brewer has been a trend setter for decades Matilda Bay brewery was launched when the Australian beer market was fractured and for all intents and purposes, isolated. Since the early 1980s, the brewery has broken the mould and set new trends for the market. Adam McCleery writes.

T

he origin of the Matilda Bay brewery in South Australia can be traced back to the early 1980s when the beer market in Australia was a world apart from what we are used to seeing today.

Phil Sexton, Matilda Bay CEO and founder, was working for a prominent brewer in Western Australia during those early 1980s and described how different the landscape was at the time.

“Back in those days’ breweries controlled the territories they were in, so within Western Australia you could only buy that one beer and any pub within the state was either loaned

or leased off to an operator by the brewery. The same thing was going on in Queensland and Victoria,” he said.

“For a long time, there was an unofficial agreement not to cross interstate borders with a different beer brand. Of course, that meant that anyone in WA only had certain types of beers and that was it. Similarly, it was the same in other states, which always struck me as strange.”

Sexton had studies to be a brewer and took his post graduate learning to the European market where he saw first-hand the stark difference between that market and Australia’s, which only highlighted his confusion

20 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

as to the makeup of the Australian system.

“I worked in the European breweries to get a better understanding of how things worked over there and to try and understand why Australia was so different at the time,” he said.

“It seemed so impossible to ever head towards the way Europe had always been.”

Shortly after Sexton returned to Western Australia, Australian investor Alan Bond bought the brewery, which quickly became the ‘cash cow’ for his operations.

“I was watching all this happening

and realised I didn’t want to be a part of it so I started formulating a plan to start my own brewery,” he said.

“Me and some ex-university friends planned on making a small brewery where we could make the types of beers I fell in love with in Europe, we could also experiment with beer.”

The team of brewers had to learn some hard lessons about business when they first launched their brewery, Sexton said, but through trial and error the company found success.

A massive hurdle that the team had to overcome early on was getting its beer stocked anywhere, bottle

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

shops or pubs, with many turning them down. And the same problem existed when it came to sourcing the brewing equipment needed to launch the business.

“Some breweries made it hard to source the equipment and the ingredients for our beers, so we had to look overseas,” said Sexton.

“Thankfully my experience in working with the European market meant I had some connections I could tap into, and we were then able to source everything we needed.”

Sexton said the specialised bottling equipment needed for beer proved the most difficult to source during the early days of the brewery.

“As well as other brewhouse equipment such as brew kettles and mash tonnes. We had to have them made overseas.

Then, a pub in Fremantle was about to go under and Sexton, with his business partners, made the bold choice of purchasing the pub so they could stock their own product. After finding an investor, the team and the investor put up the $340,000 to buy the run-down establishment.

They also spent their own time and money to renovate the pub, living on site to save money, while also looking to break the unspoken and unofficial rule of not tapping beers in multiple

When Matilda Bay was launched in the 1980s, the Australian beer market was fragmented, making it hard to create variety.

“After Alan Bond announced he would be taking the America’s Cup to Fremantle in 1987 to defend it, it really turned our fortunes around because suddenly investors were flocking to the town in anticipation of the event."

Father and son duo, Harry and Phil Sexton, oversee and run the Matilda Brewery, which Phil helped launch in the 1980s.

states. All of this was still in the 1980s.

“We started importing beers into the country and by 1990 we had pubs owned or operated by us with a range of craft beers we had imported,” said Sexton.

“We have worked very hard to make our pubs female friendly too.

We did a lot of work on reformulating the Australian-style pub to merge with what we knew about European-style pubs, and we found success in filling that vacuum.

“We also went and sourced Carlton Draught. We wanted to make sure we had something on offer for all beer drinking tastes. Or as many as we could. People came from all over the place because at the time they could only get it in Victoria.”

Sexton and his team learned early on, through customer feedback and sales, that the consumer was starved of beer choices at the bar, and they were filling that hole.

“From there we were able to turn it into what we wanted and then we started having our first successes.

The place quickly filled with English expats who were keen on beers they hadn’t been able to find before then,” said Sexton.

Then in an interesting twist of fate, Australia, and Alan Bond’s iconic win at the America’s Cup in 1983, led to a great advantage for Matilda Bay and its new pub.

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 21

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

“After Alan Bond announced he would be taking the America’s Cup to Fremantle in 1987 to defend it, it really turned our fortunes around because suddenly investors were flocking to the town in anticipation of the event,” said Sexton.

After the growth created by the added investment, including in restaurants and pubs, Carlton United Breweries (CUB) came knocking and changed the entire future of the brewery.

It was when Matilda Bay started to provide other beers to the West Australian market, such as Carlton Draught, that put them on the CUB radar. People from the large brewer visited the Matilda Bay brewery and pub to look into their business model.

“That sparked their interest and that is where our partnership started.

What we didn’t see was what might happen down the road. The interest in different beers was needed because it was starved of interesting brands,” said Sexton.

The business deal was made official in 1990.

“They had taken us onboard after the failure of a different craft beer they had purchased and through those contacts we launched discussions and agreed for us to reinvigorate their craft beer offering while also getting to use their distribution power,” said Sexton.

“We also rebuilt a brewery and started reconfiguring our beers and have since created new beers. We wouldn’t have been able to stay in this thing for much longer if that hadn’t of happened.

“We eventually did the same thing in Melbourne and Sydney, and both were flooded with consumers who were starved with choice.”

Matilda Bay was finally spreading its message across the country. For the team at the brewery, beer was about enjoyment and flavour and not just basic beer on tap.

“Our message was better to have two pints and enjoy it than sit and drink six basic beers,” said Sexton.

“We started to wonder how we could achieve that. In many cases our beers were heavier and slightly higher in alcohol than most beer on the market at the time. Our intention was to supplement the market with a new choice.”

Matilda Bay continues to try and look ahead at emerging trends and consumer desire in the beer market

Matilda Bay recently received Net Zero accreditation after years of hard work.

“I find a big challenge in the market today is the balance between drinkability and sessionability, where the difference is often how heavy it is in residual sugar or carbohydrates.” and eventually Phil’s son, Harry Sexton, joined the company’s brewing team.

“I find a big challenge in the market today is the balance between drinkability and sessionability, where the difference is often how heavy it is in residual sugar or carbohydrates. I know that in general, our beers now are a bit fuller and more approachable from a sweetness point of view than mainstream lagers, which makes them very approachable,” said Harry.

“And that plays into Phil’s point about sitting and enjoying two pints of something tasty and interesting instead of just drinking the same

22 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

lager they always did.”

In the years since its inception, Matilda Bay beers have won several awards including Alpha Pale Ale being named ‘Brewer’s Choice Best Champion Australian Beer since 2012’ by the International Beer Awards while its Dogbolter Winter Ale won Grand Champion Amber Dark-Ale at the RQFWS this year.

“We have really worked on balance and flavour rather than how many you can fit in during a session.

We spent years working on and perfecting our brews, which has been recognised with awards,” said Harry.

“We spent the first lockdown looking at our Original Ale, Owl and

trying to formulate the best beer we could but when you can’t sell your beer, we ended up pouring it down the drain.”

Matilda Bay has also formed a strong sustainability plan moving forward and is already offsetting carbon and using renewable energy, after installing 248 solar panels on the roof of its brewery. As a result, in 2021, it was officially certified carbon neutral.

“Last year, we became climate neutral and that involved an audit of every single piece of equipment and also packaging and ingredients, looking at what we use, and the process involved, and the amount of carbon used and produced,” said Harry.

“As a brewery, it can be a challenge because you want to be as sustainable as possible. We set sustainability KPIs and holistically we have good direction on a way forward.” F

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COLD CHAIN

Improvements in the cold chain could save the economy billions

A lack of universal processes in Australia’s cold chain is leading to heavy stock losses.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, some had identified areas where improvements could be made in Australia’s cold chain. Now, stakeholders are being urged to act. Adam McCleery reports.

A

s technology continues to evolve, the role of the cold food supply chain has become increasingly prominent because chilled and frozen products that otherwise were limited in their marketability, can be transported longer distances.

However, one issue preventing the Australian cold chain reaching its full potential is a lack of processes in place to ensure verification and validation across multiple points in the chain.

Mark Mitchell, Australian Food Cold Chain Council (AFCCC) chairman, said the logistical companies and supermarkets were working as best as they can within the current cold chain but the absence of another layer of verification at critical control points was having an adverse effect.

“The cold chain is a quality management system with food safety being the critical overlay,” said Mitchell.

The cold chain refers to the management of the temperature of perishable products to maintain quality and safety. According to Mitchell, each sector of the chain,

from the point at which the product is harvested or manufactured, to the point at which it is consumed in the home, shares responsibility.

“The consequences of COVID haven’t really changed too much around some of the pre-existing conditions already in the cold chain,” said Mitchell.

“It has amplified a couple, but essentially our cold chain in this country is the way it is because it has been that way for some time. COVID hasn’t really placed a huge impact on it.

“If anything, COVID put a spotlight on compliance issues, hence we were involved in the early advice at a state and federal level and we had no silver bullets for them because we reminded them that the issues were already there.”

Mitchell said the biggest issue facing the Australian cold chain was the absence of a national regulatory system to ensure a uniform approach to the transport of chilled and frozen goods.

“The Australian standard for asset validation is all voluntary,” he said.

24 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

“Therefore, it’s not done as often as it should be. In terms of the cold chain, the handling process of chilled and frozen goods in this country is all around food safety law.

“What they don’t do is recognise world’s best practises in the cold chain quality management system.”

The critical control points along the cold chain, whether the change of custody of a product, transport or storage, present higher risks of breaks in the cold chain, through its nature.

Mitchell believes installing new methods and regulations would go a long way to mitigating those risks.

“There needs to be transparency of temperature. You must manage all those critical points,” he said.

“You can’t validate a product as being safely delivered, or that is has gone through a compliant cold chain, unless you have verification at every step.

“There are great operators doing their bit, but the breaks can happen, and when they do it extends down the line.”

In June of 2020, a study by the Melbourne-based Expert Group, for

the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, and Refrigerant Australia, revealed failures in the cold food chain costs the Australian economy billions of dollars in farm gate value.

“It’s almost criminal that one quarter of Australia’s production of fruit and vegetables is never eaten,” said Mitchell.

“This loss alone accounts for almost two million tonnes of otherwise edible food, worth $3 billion. Meat and seafood waste in the cold chain costs the country another $90 million and dairy losses total $70 million.”

As part of a push to overhaul some areas of the cold chain, Mitchell presented to the World Packaging Organisation at the Smart Packaging Virtual Summit in August 2021, to make a call for cold chain stakeholders to become verifiers in a new cold chain culture.

The idea would see verifiers measure product temperature at all points of the chain while passing them on during the receiving and delivery of chilled and frozen goods.

Event organisers said positive

COLD CHAIN

Breaks in the cold chain results in $3 billion worth of food going into landfill. comments had been received, with many asking to share the AFCCC presentation.

The points raised by Mitchell were part of an overview of the cold chain, along with an introduction to some guiding principles and requirements the AFCCC believes will lead to more improvement.

The AFCCC also conducted its own field studies to highlight shortcomings in the cold chain and then launched an educational campaign designed to improve the highlighted areas.

“We need to work cooperatively

across industry and government to improve cold chain efficiency,” said Mitchell.

“Most of the cold food chain’s problems are human-induced.

Technologies and processes already exist that would dramatically cut food losses, but nothing can be achieved while food manufacturers and distribution channels operate in isolation and secrecy.

“They are responsible for a cold risk chain, rather than a cold food chain.”

Mitchell’s words are being echoed

The Federal Government announced a $50 million grants package for the cold chain in 2020.

by others across the food and beverage industry, including companies that specialise in digital quality control, such as Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture, which is also calling for better data and record keeping along the cold chain. In 2020, the Federal Government announced $50 million in grants to help strengthen the Australian supply chain as part of the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy. The funding is designed to help establish and expand accredited product testing capabilities, create free access to product standards, and streamline regulatory reviews and approvals.

The government also set up the Office of Supply Chain Resilience to provide ongoing capacity to monitor vulnerabilities and coordinate efforts to boost the supply chain.

In 2017, the Australian Food & Grocery Council released the Australian Cold Chain Guidelines to help food producers and manufacturers maintain safety and quality in their products during the cold chain transport process.

The 53-page document details 15 critical areas of focus for the cold chain but doesn’t cover every aspect of the manufacturing process before the

product is placed in the cold chain.

As Mitchell said, the guidelines are only advisory. However, they do detail the best way to strengthen the cold chain and some of the breaks in the chain could be the direct result of the advisory nature of the standards and guidelines.

“Customers may have additional or over-riding specific transport standards as well,” the document stated. “These guidelines are only intended to work alongside such documents and illustrate cold chain issues that need to be addressed.”

The Australian Food and Grocery Council recommends those involved in the cold chain talk with contractors, customers, and suppliers about the best way to implement cold chain conditions before doing so on an ongoing basis.

The industry group also suggests a continuous review of policies and operating procedures as part of food safety programs.

The constant theme when insiders speak about Australia’s cold chain is an obvious need for a more uniform and less advisory set of guidelines to strengthen the cold chain and prevent the resulting large loss of food to landfill. F

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 25

COLD CHAIN

Digitisation is critical for the future of a successful cold chain There is a growing need for the digitisation of freight transactions to provide supply chain visibility and improve freight management. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

P

roducers and manufacturers lose visibility of their product as soon as it goes into the back of a truck, and from there they have no idea how the product is kept, distributed, or stored.

As an example, manufacturers and producers have no idea if the product sits on a loading dock outside of its core temperature, or for how long.

A solution to the issue around traceability can be provided through real-time visibility and interoperability of systems. This means if there is a breach in the cold chain, stakeholders are alerted, and decisions can be made quickly to re-route the produce to another temperature-controlled room so transport providers can ensure the cold chain integrity is upheld while shelf life is kept to the optimum.

Chain of custody At a recent National GS1 Traceability Advisory Group (NGTAG) industry event in October of 2021, Professor Pierre Pienaar, president of World Packaging Organization, said a singular ownership over temperature was needed.

“Multiple ownership of temperature can lead to lack of temperature control and avoidance of responsibility. With single ownership of temperature there is a clear responsibility,” he said.

“If food is stored and transported at correct temperatures, losses are reduced and shelf life achieved.”

There is an opportunity for temperature management, which means the value of data loggers and temperature loggers, or sensors, are being realised.

Uniquely identifying the sensor and the pallet, or logistics unit, using GS1 data standards and temperature control can be linked to the products’ specifications, allowing conditions to be measured, documented, and analysed throughout the supply chain.

Digitisation is being used to strengthen the cold chain by creating stronger traceability.

This action links the information to the physical movement of the goods and allows critical decisions to be made to re-direct and reduce food waste if a breach occurs.

Meanwhile, in track and trace systems, with the use of global data standards and sensors, a link to a product batch, pack date, tertiary packaging, outer packaging, or logistics unit, can be made.

Care must also be taken to enable temperature tracking to be maintained if the logistics unit is broken down and the outer packaging is aggregated into another logistics unit.

The Cherry Project A trial is currently under way to assess a digital traceability system’s ability to help manage food supply chains in natural disasters, or biosecurity and food safety breaches.

The project is a collaboration between the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Food Agility CRC, Woolworths, FreshChain Systems, GS1 Australia and Cherry Growers Australia.

In the 2019 bushfires, regulators

26 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

needed immediate information about which agricultural properties were threatened, and where food was in the supply chain.

It took time to collate that information, and in an emergency, time is critical.

The tested technology allows regulators and retailers to access information about farms and what they are growing, as well as real-time data about where products are in the supply chain.

Knowing which property grows what, and having information flow electronically through the supply chain, improves response time and efficiency.

Using unique global property identification and linking to property master data via the National Location Registry (NLR), GS1 hopes to reduce the time it takes to identify the property and product in the event of a natural disaster, biosecurity incursion or food safety breach.

By monitoring the cold supply chain using GS1 standards, as well as data carriers and property master data, the company can demonstrate

that it can link the actual punnet of cherries to a particular cherry orchard for traceability.

Other outcomes GS1 is expecting to report on includes greater consumer protection, a reduction in unnecessary recalls and an improved supply chain.

The report will be released in September 2022.

Importance of NLR The implementation of the Global Location Number (GLN) in Australia is also supported by the National Location Registry (NLR), a central registry of location master data that allows for the creation, validation and syndication of key information related to properties and facilities across industry and government.

The registry has been developed by GS1 Australia, with funding support from the Commonwealth, and is supported as an industry solution on a not-for-profit basis.

Some data attributes that can be provided for each location record includes trading or operating hours for peak periods, safety constraints on site, driver amenities, and weight and

COLD CHAIN

height distributions.

GS1 is exploring alternative ways to use the NLR to understand government and industry requirements for a location master data registry and for different uses like traceability, emergency response, property identification and recalls due to foodborne outbreaks and biosecurity incursions.

Location information data The current methods for the identification of properties and location data are industry, state, and territory case-specific, with large duplication, and inefficiency.

There is also highly isolated data, the prevalence of proprietary systems and high levels of information asymmetry.

This leads to heavy regulation to control risk in the absence of consistent industry-wide data on property location, usage, and production activity.

GS1 aims to ensure that location data is accessible to a network of service providers to avoid duplication of record sets, silos and to enable businesses to adapt with agility.

Without data standards or unique and global location identification, there is an inability to respond to major shocks or incidents.

The GS1 standard for the identification of locations allows traceability partners to define both where things have been observed, the critical tracking event that has taken, and who has been involved in, or responsible for, transactions through the chain of custody.

GS1 GLNs, therefore, provide a means for companies to meet the traceability objectives defined in food

safety and quality standards for food safety systems such as Freshcare, HARPs, SQF and GLOBALG.A.P., while future proofing themselves to be interoperable and scalable for existing and planned traceability systems.

The GS1 system has already been implemented both in Australia and globally and may be expanded to not only avoid disruptions but also enhance the interoperability of existing and planned traceability systems.

During the recent industry traceability pilots and initiatives, it was seen that the greatest benefits to growers and retailers were those that used GS1 enabled traceability solutions to provide the best path to interoperability, protect companies’ investments and enable them to scale up.

Each trading partner in the chain became free to choose the solution on the market that best met its specific needs.

GS1 provides the global and common language for traceability solutions and the ecosystem for its implementation.

Establishing GLNs and common data standards will create the foundation for traceability that allows supply chain partners to adopt and leverage digitally enabled technologies, enable data sharing, and introduce approaches which reduce the time it takes to identify the origin of a contaminated food tied to a recall and/or outbreak.

This will also create the transparency needed to anticipate and help prevent supply chain disruptions and will support interoperability across a variety of technology solutions. F

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COLD CHAIN

Speed of the essence when it comes to cryogenic temperature control There are several processes and techniques producers, and manufacturers can employ to create better cryogenic temperature control in the cold chain. Food & Beverage Industry News discovered.

There are several benefits to utilising cryogenic freezing, including being a cheaper alternative.

I

n different parts of the food industry, various techniques to give foodstuffs the required temperature during or after mixing have been developed. These include adding chilled water, brine, or water ice to the product, using overchilled or frozen ingredients, or most commonly using mechanically refrigerated mixing equipment.

Spraying or injecting a cryogenic fluid onto the product in the mixer while it is being mixed is also an efficient and safe ways of chilling.

Industrial gas company Air Liquide specialises in the latter – utilising liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide to chill produce quickly and effectively. There are several benefits to using cryogenic freezing, according to Stephen Crawford, who is an Air Liquide senior engineer and expert in food cryogenics.

“It’s not hard to implement,” said Crawford. “Either liquid nitrogen

or liquid carbon dioxide can be sprayed onto merchandise being chilled either from the top or the bottom. Both methods are used in industry and can be installed on existing equipment.

“Usually, they are injected into some sort of mixer – for example, protein mixing, such as beef or chicken mixing, which is being made into patties or nuggets. It’s cheaper to install top mixing than it is bottom mixing, but the bottom injection method is more efficient.

“We use this type of injection to maintain temperature. As food is mixed, you get friction between the product and the blades so heat is generated. You need to maintain temperature below 4˚C so you don’t get bacterial growth.”

Another benefit is that the gases have direct contact with the food. If an ammonia chiller is being used in a mixer, users might be able to cool

28 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

down the walls of the mixer but there is no direct heat transfer that is possible when liquid nitrogen is injected into the mixer itself.

“From a heat transfer point of view it’s much more efficient,” said Crawford.

As mentioned, speed can be a key. Crawford cites the example of one of Air Liquide’s clients that specialises in producing goat’s cheese, a produce that is temperature sensitive.

“When the milk comes out the goat, it’s at room temperature or above. The longer it takes to get down to 4˚C, the shorter the shelf life will be,” he said. “The company puts it into a mixer and injects liquid nitrogen at -196°C through a cryo-injector. They get liquid nitrogen coming up, which rapidly cools the milk. As a comparison, mechanical chillers can only reach a temperature of -35°C with ammonia refrigerant.

“What would have taken them hours if you had put buckets of it in a mechanical chiller happens in just a few minutes in the mixer. You have blades inside stirring it. You don’t end up freezing one portion and having another portion still warm. They are constantly stirring it while injecting liquid nitrogen. It brings down the temperature of the whole product much quicker.”

Some of the mainstays of cryogenic chilling are chicken nuggets and meat patties, which are popular with those who process fast-food items. However, cryogenic chilling can also be used for dough mixing.

Most large flour mills have the flour stored in big silos outside.

Industrial bakers blow it around pneumatically to get it into the mixer. It is the most efficient way for them to move the flour. The flour then comes into its mixture where it is combined with water and other ingredients. It’s mixed

mechanically. But the temperature of the product in pastry has an impact on the texture and the final outcome, according to Crawford.

“If you’re trying to make a product that has a certain amount of ingredients and you mix them all together at 15˚C instead of 20˚C, the texture of the final product will be quite different even though the ingredients are the same,” said Crawford. “The bakeries find – especially if they have days like in the middle of summer where it is 35˚C – when you introduce that into the dough, the dough is far too hot and melts the butter. If you can inject a small amount of cryogen, then, depending on the temperature, it can make all the difference. If it is 20˚C you know to inject nitrogen or carbon dioxide for 10 or so seconds, or if it’s 35˚C you might have to inject for 40 seconds. During the process, it brings the dough to a consistent mix. This means there will be the right chemical reactions with the yeast. Over the years, Air Liquide has acquired a deep knowledge of process parameters

COLD CHAIN

Air Liquide’s knowledge around cold chain requirements is built on years of working succesfully in the industry.

“Either liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide can be sprayed onto merchandise being chilled either from the top or the bottom. Both methods are used in industry and can be installed on existing equipment.”

Chicken nuggets have been a mainstay of cryogenic freezing, along with meat patties.

through hundreds of references in cryogenic chilling worldwide and knows how to implement the right recipe to reach desired outcomes.”

Crawford also talks of the safety aspects the cryogenic chilling can offer. Most large commercial chillers have ammonia in them, which means they have a refrigeration cycle, so they’ll have a pump that is compressing the ammonia. Like a fridge at home, the wires on the back get hot.

There’s a heat pump that takes the heat energy from inside the box and puts it into the grill at the back.

An industrial refrigerator works the same way but ends up with large cooling towers to get rid of all the excessive heat.

“This means factories have these ammonia lines running through their plants, which you wouldn’t want to spring a leak,” said Crawford. “However, with cryogenics, if you have a minor leak of nitrogen, it must be repaired, but it is not an immediate hazard.

Eighty per cent of the air we breathe is nitrogen. Ammonia is a corrosive and toxic chemical and customers

require ammonia sensors around the place. Often they spend a lot of money maintaining it, and then you have the cooling towers and all the other issues with the cooling water side of it.”

Some synergies are also possible with other processes down the chain, such as food freezing and modified atmosphere packaging that also use nitrogen, carbon dioxide and mixtures thereof, which further reduce the cost of operations compared to mechanical chilling.

“Another advantage is that it is reliable because there are very few moving parts when working with cryogenic chilling,” said Crawford.

“The injectors can be retrofitted on customer’s existing mixers.

“With only a valve to open and close, there is no compressor that needs to be maintained like on a mechanical system. The servicing requirements just aren’t there.

The cooling equipment we have is better. There is nothing hard about what we are doing. It’s an easy method for people to learn to do. We can even maintain the equipment for our customers.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 29

SUSTAINABILITY

Net zero targets important for food and beverage industry As the food and beverage industry moves towards a more sustainable future, new regulations around net zero emissions are coming into effect and companies like Energy Action are helping the industry achieve this goal. Food & Beverage Industry News reports

T

he world of energy and emission reduction is vast and complex, but Energy Action, an energy procurement and energy management business that aims to make its clients’ energy simpler, cleaner, and cost less - has spent years compiling energy data and using it to reduce its client’s costs and emissions.

Energy Action interim-CEO Bruce Macfarlane believes the real drive towards a net zero target must start in the boardrooms first.

“It’s businesses that will lead us to net zero. Federal Government regulation would be ideal because it would make for a level playing field, but it’s unlikely. Instead, it’s up to smart businesses to use net zero as an opportunity to lower their energy costs and their emissions,” he said.

“The response from investors and customers are the strongest driver as society puts more emphasis on sustainable manufacturing and ways of doing business”.

A recent survey conducted by Energy Action and filled out by

Australian businesses showed that 88 per cent of respondents agreed that action on net zero was needed, with 77 per cent saying it was urgent.

However, in terms of setting net zero goals, 82 per cent of respondents said none had been set in their organisation and 36 per cent said it was yet to be an organisational priority.

Macfarlane believes the reason for the lack of net zero goals is because company management see it as a low priority, as opposed to there being a cost barrier, which means the opportunity to save money on manufacturing and production should be a key driver.

According to Macfarlane “Companies not setting net zero targets are missing out on immediate paybacks – such as lowering their usage and spend through energy efficiency steps and accessing rebates on solar”.

“We also know that not all organisations are ready to switch to 100 renewable energies in one go and want to take a stepped approach that

can be easily budgeted towards”.

Energy Action’s net zero related products include Green Power, Renewable Energy Certificates, Short-term renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Behind the Meter Solar.

Green power goes through a reverse auction, a platform Energy Action is well known for, drives down the prices and delivers energy costs savings.

Essentially, a first bid is made by an energy price retailer indicating the price it is willing to accept. From

there, a series of bids are made in the reverse to a regular auction, with the cost getting lesser with each bid until the winning bid is the lowest.

Short-term renewable energy PPAs allow businesses to quickly purchase renewable energy (along with energy sourced from non-renewable sources if desired)

Energy Action has built a reputation as experts in net zero emission targets.

30 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

SUSTAINABILITY

An industry survey found 88 per cent of respondents agreed net zero was needed.

FreshForward makes moving fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat and flowers simple. We were the first carrier in the Middle East – and second globally – to be awarded the IATA CEIV Fresh certificate, so you can trust your fresh produce will be safe with us.

“Companies not setting net zero targets are missing out on immediate paybacks – such as lowering their usage and spend through energy efficiency steps and accessing rebates on solar.” over a short-fixed term period, which locks in an agreed price and reduces exposure to price increases.

While Behind the Meter Solar effectively puts your company’s roof up for tender and creates competition amongst trusted suppliers looking to win your contract to install solar.

Energy Action formulated a detailed five-step plan which was finalised by the Board in 2020 after requesting, and then overseeing, the execution of the multi-step net zero plan.

The five key steps are designed to help companies more accurately and realistically offset emissions and move towards more sustainable methods of production.

The first step, measuring, is centred on simplifying data collection and energy consumption monitoring to identify key areas where reduction is needed first.

Some of the steps in the plan are reinforced by services and programs created and provided by Energy Action, including Energy Management services for measuring, an Energy Buying Service for procurement, and an Energy Buying Service for renewables.

Energy Action also provides a service to help with the final step of the plan, offsetting, with

the Offsetting Service allowing companies to buy carbon credits to use against things like travel and waste emissions.

These steps can be applied across the food and beverage industry which is already moving towards sustainability targets set out by the Modern Manufacturing Strategy and the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, both of which have set timelines for sustainability targets to be met.

Creating a detailed plan moving forward is a critical step for companies looking to set realistic goals and meet not just industry, but consumer demands.

One of the key benefits to starting the net zero journey isn’t just about lowering emissions, although very important, but it is also about decreasing overhead costs and helping to boost public relations as consumer demands begin to shift.

The commercial benefits also include an ability to attract new investors and clients, ultimately strengthening the business and creating greater value.

Energy Actions first-hand experience handling the challenges, but also reaping the benefits, of a net zero journey, is well placed to help the food and beverage industry meet the same targets, ultimately helping to future proof the industry. F

ETIHADCARGO.COM

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 31

COLD CHAIN

How to simplify cold chain monitoring Americold has created inventory management software that simplifies and streamlines supply chain order management for the food and beverage industry. Food & Beverage Industry News details.

P

icture the situation: It’s Christmas time – your busiest season. You run the logistics team for a national food manufacturer and supply products to dozens of retail chains with resupply shipments scheduled weekly. You get a call from your transportation company to say they have staff issues and they cannot make deliveries to their usual routes across the Melbourne suburbs. But your retail customers won’t tolerate empty shelves and neither you nor they want to miss out on sales. How do you solve this situation?

It can and does happen. It was regular occurrences of similar situations that led Americold, one of the largest providers of temperaturecontrolled storage and logistics in the world, to develop an online portal for inventory and supply chain management. It’s called: i-3PL. Americold’s i-3PL Supply Chain Control system is a proprietary online tool that connects all Americold’s warehouse management systems, the systems used at their cold storage locations, together in a dashboard that provides customers with a complete overview of their inventory, no matter where it is

within Americold’s integrated network.

“We see ourselves as the middle part of the supply chain between paddock to plate,” said Andrew Mates, vice president of commercial and business development at Americold. i-3PL provides access to 40 different performance and inventory level reporting options, supports exception alerts to notify customers of topics that are out of tolerance, includes order management to allow users to place new orders or change existing entries, and offers online appointment scheduling so that customers can book pick-ups and deliveries.

It even includes a national hold functionality should customers need to pull a batch of products from the marketplace.

“It’s not uncommon for cold storage providers to have inventory visibility systems, but we’re integrating ours across our entire international network,” said Mates.

“With a single log-in, our customers get a complete view, and associated reporting and management functionality, for their inventory

Americold’s i-3PL supply chain control system provides customers with a complete inventory overview.

32 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Americold’s software provides a streamlined cold chain by connecting customers to its warehouse management systems. throughout our global network.”

Indeed, whilst Americold has been growing its network with mergers and acquisitions, one of the first merger tasks undertaken is the integration of systems to bring that inventory visibility to customers.

The common approach to inventory visibility and supply chain management extends further too.

The Americold Operating System (AOS) encompasses the tools and behaviours required for Americold to operate its business and deliver value to its customers.

“With AOS we standardise our operating procedures, drive innovation collaboratively, optimise our value-added products and services, and improve our service to our customers,” said Mates.

This approach secures an efficient handling of customer products at each Americold location which, in turn, is represented in Americold Perfect Order metrics dashboard within i-3PL.

At a glance, Americold’s customers can review operational performance metrics and compare them against service standards to be assured they’re receiving service levels that complement their highly efficient supply chains. Metrics and service that can be relied upon.

Returning to the nightmare before Christmas scenario where you could be left with a long list of numbers to call to determine where surplus inventory is being held and how much you can pull from each location, or, with Americold’s services you can log on to i-3PL, know you can trust the inventory overview, and be assured that the new trucks you’ve just booked will be serviced and loaded as per the stated KPI, and all in time for Christmas.

This scenario is a good example of how inventory management software can help any producer, even in the worst of unforeseen circumstances. F

Reduce food waste and improve food safety Accurate product temperature transparency at every stage with Cold Chain Management.

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Take corrective action of temperature abuse or damage through visible insights reporting and dashboards.

Allowing contactless traceability of virtually any product, from source to store.

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COLD CHAIN

Cold storage innovations like automatic retrieval strengthen the cold chain Total Construction’s Tony Tate has seen firsthand the advancements in the cold chain over the past 10 years and believes the sector is now reaping the benefits.

Adam McCleery reports.

S

torage is a critical component of the cold chain because if it fails at any point, from the start of production to the point of sale, manufacturers must incur the cost.

Total Construction works with several stakeholders within the food and beverage industry on cold storage, which has given Tony Tate, the head of the food and beverage division at the company, an insight into how to best manage cold storage.

“We have been doing a lot of frozen automatic retrieval systems for cold storage but not as much in the chilled area. We also work with combinations of chilled and frozen though,” said Tate.

While Total Construction currently has a stronger presence in cold storage over the chilled sector, the company is still adept at both.

“One of our clients has a 12,000-storage pallet freezer, which is an automatic retrieval system and they have about 500 pallets for chilled and they manufacture fresh every day.

Depending on the clients it either goes into chilled storage or frozen storage,” said Tate.

This practise is a critical starting point for better shelf life on cold food products, which have a limited time to be sold, such as meats.

“Sausages, for example, have about 15 days shelf life raw before they have to be cooked, but you can lose five days going to Perth, so it is also about logistics and distribution to prolong shelf-life,” said Tate.

Total Construction has seen an uptick in manufacturers turning to automatic retrieval systems.

To make sure the temperature in the cold chain is intact, like anything else, once manufactured, the product is chilled, which instantly helps lock in the goodness.

“You don’t allow it to stand there and get spoilage from microorganisms; the better and more controlled your cold chain the longer the shelf life of the product,” Tate added.

Tate said because of the critical nature that refrigeration plays in the cold chain, modern innovations such as digitisation and automatic retrieval systems have helped strengthen the beginning and end of the cold supply chain.

“Temperature control is massively important and needs to be precise to avoid product getting spoiled.

Going digital allows for very precise readings, which lessens the risk of temperature storage failures,” he added.

The digitisation presents a host of advantages that play a part in strengthening the cold chain.

“There is a lot more control

34 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

accurate temperature ranges and the cold chains and it’s now made very precise by the digital component of it these days,” said Tate.

Total Construction also helps customers identify the best refrigerants for their products to reinforce the cold chain storage.

“Such as CO2, which is more user friendly, which is to say more efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Tate.

“It’s an excellent chilling medium and controls temperatures to a plus-minus of one degree. That is extremely accurate thanks to digitisation as opposed to normal thermostats.

“In terms of helping control the cold chain, its accuracy is a big selling point. It can also send data in real time to a digital device, such as a phone. What that means is if there is even a minor degree difference or a compressor at high temperature can be fixed immediately.”

Tate said manufacturers and producers in the food and beverage industry require builders who know

the specific challenges to overcome and requirements to be met when constructing or fitting out a facility.

Tate’s experience in the global food market over decades has afforded him the ability to formulate action plans that are informed by that experience.

“From a building point of view, you need to have the installation value with the insulated sandwich panel which is a key driver because some of these rooms go to -22˚C,” he said.

“The products are supercooled or

Temperature control is an important factor for Total Construction when working in the cold chain.

COLD CHAIN

A critical component to cold storage is making sure construction meets specific temperature needs.

frozen and that is to compensate for any anomalies in the cold chain.

“If a compressor is set to high and the product goes out at -20˚C, by the time they get it fixed it might only go to -18˚C but it keeps the cold chain intact.”

Tate said the use of autonomous machinery was both profitable and efficient because it uses less energy and can be stored in a dark room.

“It’s robotic and digital so you can scan your product, which goes into automatic retrieval and the client knows every single detail of the product – its shelf life, where it was produced, where the raw materials came from,” he added.

The Australian cold chain has seen positive advancements over the last decade as more manufacturers get involved and create a more diverse cold chain.

“Australia has a good mixture of frozen and chilled. At the start it was only a chilled network in Australia but a lot more manufacturers are using it over the last 10 years, which has helped it improve,” said Tate.

“It takes days to get across Australia, which presents challenges,

but the network is quickly becoming more efficient.”

Tate’s knowledge of the cold chain is built from years of experience both in Australia and abroad and it is this level of expertise that has made Total Construction a trusted source for the correct construction and fit outs for food and beverage manufacturing jobs.

“Construction alone is not the biggest benefit to cold chain; the key is how it is designed and that is where we come in,” said Tate.

“We know the requirements and standards, to maintain those standards is. For example, we have the experience to understand that you need anti rooms that provide clear segregation and keep the cold chain intact.

“Lots of technology has come out with cushions and seals that go to the back of the truck, so you need to full seal the opening of the truck to the loading dock to prevent warm air getting in.”

Tate’s knowledge is a great indicator of the experience and expertise provided to the food and beverage industry by Total Construction.

By protecting the weak links of the cold chain, such as transport from cold room storage to refrigerated trucks, Total Construction can mitigate the risk of spoilage, and by extension, recalls and the loss of food to landfill.

“Total Construction has that knowledge and advantages that we understand the latest technologies to mitigate the old faults in the cold chain with innovation, such as the digital age and sealing of the docks. It gives a seamless cold chain,” he said. F

Global leaders in temperature controlled warehousing

Connecting food producers, distributors and retailers to the end consumers both locally and internationally.

• 17 sites across Australia & New Zealand • Ambient, Chiller, Freezer Temperatures • Tempering & date-coding • i3PL Inventory Management

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www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 35

COLD CHAIN

The three golden rules of successful cold chain supply The advantages to a streamlined and product quality journey created by the digitisation of the supply chain process can have an impact on food supply. Food & Beverage Industry News discovered.

M

uddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture are specialists in helping customers produce safer and more sustainable food outcomes, through supply chain management solutions tailored to industry needs.

As the food and beverage industry continues to become more digitised, companies like Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture have stepped up to provide cloud computing solutions for critical data points that help ensure quality management.

A new cold chain smart label is one offering from Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture, which promises to create a new layer of digital quality management.

The road from paddock to plate can be a long one, especially across Australia’s vast and temperate land.

One in three food products are lost or wasted along the way each year, often because of breaks in the cold

chain.

The greater the distance food travels, and the more times a product is transferred between suppliers, transporters, distributors, and retailers, the more likely it is that a break might occur in the cold chain, which can cause food to spoil and lead to recalls and loss of product.

Cold chain conditions are set for foods relating to the maximum and minimum temperature requirements, and the length of time a food product can be allowed to remain unrefrigerated. Rotating stock to ensure that products are sold before reaching their expiry date is the final rule guiding cold chain supply at the point of sale.

An uninterrupted cold chain gives a guarantee that food is safe to eat when it reaches the consumer, which then avoids the headaches that comes with breaks and product losses to manufacturers and producers.

Muddy Boots’ cold chain solutions are designed to simplify industry compliance.

36 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Never warmer than The ‘never warmer than’ rule governs the maximum temperature at which food should be transported, stored, and handled.

Chilled foods might also have a keep above temperature to ensure that food is not damaged by being frozen.

While food manufacturers and producers are responsible for setting any ‘never warmer than’ and ‘keep above’ temperatures, Australian Food and Grocery Council guidelines recommend that chilled foods are never warmer than 5°C and frozen foods never warmer than -18°C. The same guidelines recommend that chilled foods are kept above 0°C to prevent damage from ice crystal formation on the product, which can lead to spoiling.

Temperatures must also be detailed in all documents accompanying the food and communicated from each link in the cold chain to the next.

A recent study Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture conducted within the food retail sector identified food safety concerns around high-risk products, which were running over temperature guidelines during transit.

More than half of all trips were in breach of temperature guidelines, with 25 per cent of high temperature trips posing potential food safety risks.

Maximum out of refrigeration The maximum-out-of-refrigeration rule stipulates the length of time a food product can be outside a temperature-controlled environment without breaking the cold chain conditions.

While time limits are set by producers and manufacturers, AFGC guidelines recommend chilled foods are not out of refrigeration for more than 20 minutes.

Frozen foods being unloaded or dispatched in ambient or room

COLD CHAIN

SCAN IT. RIP IT. STICK IT. SHIP IT.

Technology like ‘Tag and Zoom’ helps to mitigate the risk of breaks in the cold chain and increases traceability. temperature conditions, should also have a maximum-out-of-refrigeration time limit of 20 minutes, extending to 60 minutes in air-conditioned environments of 5°C to 15°C and 90 minutes in refrigerated zones of 0°C to 5°C. As another example, ice-cream, should have a maximum out of refrigeration limit of 20 minutes in chilled zones and never stored at room temperature.

The maximum-out-of-refrigeration rule are designed to help maintain the quality of produce, which can rapidly deteriorate if time limits are exceeded, and temperature limits are breached.

Muddy Boots’ study found products were spending significant amounts of time – 24 hours or more – in trailers during transit, with temperature guidelines breached during loading and unloading and along some supply routes.

Food may be delivered out of the expiry date sequence, and the most recently delivered produce is usually also the most accessible.

This rule extends right down the supply chain from suppliers and transport hauliers to dispatch centres and retailers.

A careful record of the cold chain is the only way of ensuring that cold chain conditions remain intact.

Unclear or fractured record keeping not only fails to assure consumers that food spoilage has not occurred but could itself be grounds for rejecting goods altogether.

Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture provides producers and manufacturers with the tools to centrally construct quality attributes they wish to measure as well as building a tiered escalation and system-generated reports that help to create a real-time picture of operations and product quality.

First expiry - first out

Food waste and food safety

Foods with an earlier expiry date should be the first selected for dispatch or use. This stock rotation principle helps to limit food waste but requires a proper inventory management system to implement correctly.

Muddy Boots by TELUS Agriculture’s cold chain solution is designed to simplify cold chain compliance by allowing producers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers to monitor quality, compliance, and temperature data

every step of the way.

The most critical result of digitisation would be an improvement to food safety, a reduction in waste, and an increased product shelf-life, all the while managing inventory and following best cold chain practice on one easy-to-use digital platform.

This new solution was piloted with one a large retailer within Australia and is set to launch in April 2022. F

Their cold chain smart label has been specifically designed for temperature analysis within the food industry.

It is simple to apply, easy-to-use, disposable and recyclable.

Each tag is the size and thickness of a postcard, allowing it to be stuck either in or on packaging to provide accurate product temperature rather than ambient temperature. Simply scan the barcode and tear the strip for activation.

• With a highly calibrated temperature sensor, it wirelessly transmits using open-source gateways.

• Take corrective action of temperature abuse or damage through visible insights reporting and dashboards.

• Allowing contactless traceability of virtually any product, from source to store.

Some of the major benefits of improved supply chain management are broken down into four key areas.

• Easier collaboration along the supply chain, • Better visibility, • Improved efficiency, • Improved risk management • Reduce food waste • Improve food safety “We plan to use Muddy Boots cold chain management as an ongoing commitment to our food safety and quality” Michael Rogers, health, safety, and compliance manager at Sundrop Farms.

Keeping a detailed and careful record of the cold chain will help it remain intact. www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 37

COLD CHAIN Extending the shelf life of cold or frozen products is an ongoing evolution as new technology continually raises the bar.

CO2’s critical role in extending shelf life Dry ice has been used in the cold chain with great success but the other variations of carbon dioxide – liquid and gas – also provide viable cold chain applications. Adam McCleery discovered.

T

he applications for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) across the food and beverage industry are numerous, particularly because the chemical compound can be used in three ways, solid, gas, or liquid.

When it comes to the cold chain, the flexible nature of CO2 makes it an ideal application for storage and transportation.

Supagas, a supplier of LPG, industrial, specialty and hospitality gases, supplies CO2 specific to the food and beverage industry for various uses.

David Petroff, Supagas’ national industrial bulk manager, expressed the use of CO2 as a cooling tool, whether as dry ice or otherwise, was already successfully used within the food and beverage sector, particularly in food preservation.

The concept around the use of CO2 and dry ice for cold chain supply and storage is about extending shelf life, which gives the product a greater chance of sale before spoiling, mitigating the risks of recall and

food waste.

Food waste is of key focus and a major issue in the food and beverage industry, on a global scale it costs the economy billions of dollars a year, so a strong cold chain is a critical factor in helping to reduce those figures.

“For example, some of the cold chain uses of dry ice include meat processing manufacturers who take big meat carcasses and bone them,” said Petroff.

“When they move on to somewhere else that uses this meat, they cut the meat up and put it into containers and layer it with meat and snow. The CO2 snow comes from an on-site cryogenic liquid tank, that is usually outside the plant building that is piped into the boning rooms with equipment converting liquid CO2 into snow.

“It’s basically uncompressed dry ice and it provides affordable mobile refrigeration for their meat cuts, so nothing spoils during transit.”

As another example, the use of CO2 in the cold chain is also a factor in huge food chains, such as the meat

38 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

patties of many burger franchises, the CO2 is used help create the uniform meat patties which are well known throughout the fast-food industry.

It’s a big selling point for food chains to provide consistently uniform product no matter the location, this in turn aided by the temperature control of the mince, and it becomes easier to work with.

“The way that happens is they get their meat cuts and then mince and process the meat, using specialised mixing machines to form the meat patties,” said Petroff.

“Mince isn’t cold, then it sticks and is hard to keep it consistent, so we have CO2 on site that clients inject into the machinery to provide temperature control. This injection of CO2 in liquid

Carbon dioxide is a versatile tool for cold storage because it can be used in gas, liquid and solid forms.

COLD CHAIN

The correct use of CO2 in the cold chain can extend shelf life and reduce the risk of recalls and food waste.

form turns into dry ice snow when it is applied and cools down the mince.

So, when the patties are formed the coldness helps them manipulate the size and shape of the minced meat.”

Once this step on the manufacturing process is complete, the patties need to be prepared and packaged for cold chain transport.

They are run through a large freezing tunnel conveyor, up to 25-foot in length, where liquid nitrogen is used to snap freeze the patties which is applied by spray nozzles.

“Then they are loaded immediately into sealed cartons before they are stacked in cold rooms,” said Petroff.

“Then the refrigerated semi-trailer

takes them to where they are going.”

The recent growth in the ready meals market is another area of focus that highlights the key benefits to strengthening a cold chain from paddock to plate.

Despite the variety of ready meal products, such as pasta, fish, and beef, each with different ingredients, all still require the same level of care. This is to ensure it makes it to the point of sale in perfect condition and ready for the customer.

“All of them rely on being kept in a state of preservation so that nothing spoils,” said Petroff.

“You go to the supermarket freezer you expect to pull out a ready meal

in perfect condition. To provide the product in that state, it must be looked after from the time it is made to the time of distribution.

“Once you start the food production process on a cold chain, you can’t stop, you have to see it all the way through to the end.”

When a customer employs the use of CO2 from Supagas, a tank is installed on the premises and filled with CO2, which is then refilled whenever needed.

Another example of the use of Supagas applications across the food and beverage industry is in the wine sector where gases are used in every step of the process from picking, to crushing, and fermenting.

Being able to convert CO2 into dry ice snow, as well as the applications used as noted above, is possibly the most striking example of the flexibility of CO2 as a compound.

“One of the main benefits of dry ice, when used to apply as a cold agent, is that it is not being turned into water – it is turning into a gas, so it leaves no waste behind,” said Petroff.

Supagas’ dry ice is used with some big brands, popular for pre-packaged meal services.

“The use of Supagas dry ice and the main reason customers do use it,

is because the dry ice gives superior longevity and cooling capacity compared to frozen gel packs. And nothing comes back,” said Petroff.

“However, in a box with frozen gel packs, the problem is the gel packs are still there when they’ve melted. So, it’s not quite as nice in terms of the environment.”

Dry ice turning to a gas instead of liquid once it deteriorates which is not the only feature of the product. It also has around double the refrigeration capacity of traditional water-ice and has a “one-way ability” with no mess as Petroff calls it.

Businesses also utilise dry ice in the rapid cooling of food and in the preservation process of the cold chain, such as in retail freezer tray meals which are heated before consuming.

“Meals are rapidly cooled using dry ice; which then goes into refrigeration.

This locks in the flavour and the goodness of the food by making it frozen really fast,” Petroff said.

CO2 has proven to be a versatile application in the use of food production and cold chain supply, and Petroff hopes to see more within the industry looking into the advantages it creates in terms of shelf life and food preservation. F

Join us on the 19th May for a webinar for your cold chain or cold storage.

We can help your business reach Net Zero at least cost.

Scan me for more info

Energy Action exists to make energy simpler, cleaner and lower cost. www.energyaction.com.au

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 39

COLD CHAIN

Etihad leveraging increased demand for perishable exports Etihad Cargo continues to ship a range of cold chain products around the world and expects to see more growth for the perishables market in the near future. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

T

he perishable export market has been growing steadily over the last decade, and it remained robust during the COVID-19 pandemic, bolstered by strong segment demand and the efforts of governments around the world to ensure the continuous supply of perishable products.

Etihad Cargo has remained wellpositioned to leverage this increased demand as its transports perishables across its global network.

There are several factors that Etihad Cargo considers when it comes to matching market demand for the shipping of perishables, including regulations, infrastructure

Etihad Cargo’s cool chain manager, Fabrice Panza, has overseen the company’s growth in recent years.

and assets – Etihad Cargo’s aircraft, processes and training.

Etihad’s commitment to ensuring it provides world-class services is a reason why it became International Air Transport Association (IATA) Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Fresh-certified in 2019.

IATA CEIV Fresh certification demonstrates the company’s compliance with Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR), ensuring food safety, reducing waste, reinforcing trust, and enabling the company, in partnership with its customers, to implement best practices across all required cold chain solutions.

IATA CEIV Fresh certification also gives Etihad customers confidence that the company’s commercial activities and operations adhere to the high industry standards and can also trust that Etihad Cargo’s FreshForward product provide a fresh, fast, simple, and efficient features they need from their air cargo partner of choice.

Cold chain solutions are a critical component of the global supply chain structure for several reasons. First, cold chain as a solution is dynamic and presents an opportunity for carriers to fine tune their processes, innovate, test the latest technologies and tools, such as software and active and passive temperature and location devices, and collaborate with the supply chain to improve forecasting, packaging solutions and lead times.

Etihad Cargo works closely with Validaide, a digital platform that collects data to manage full cool chain capabilities and share them with the industry with the click of a button.

Etihad Cargo is also working to enhance tracking and monitoring by utilising a digital twin system.

In the United Arab Emirates, there is a dynamic and active cool chain and supply chain ecosystem, in which regulatory bodies and

40 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

business entities work together closely with the shared goal of future proofing the industry.

This, in addition to the adoption of new tools and the development of improved technological advancements, is making it easier to transport perishables across longer distances.

Etihad Cargo ships a diverse range of perishable products, including fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, flowers, meat, chocolate, seeds, plants, eggs and dairy, such as cheese.

The commodity type Etihad ships the most of is fruit and vegetables, which makes up 40 per cent of its total perishables volume. Meat and fish come in second, making up close to one-third of Etihad’s total volume.

The regions in which Etihad Cargo operates also has an impact on the volume of products it transports. For example, the company has a footprint in Europe

and increased shipping volumes by more than 40 per cent.

Demand for India’s exports is predominantly driven by fruits and vegetables, including baby corn, pomegranate and coconut chunks – this product group makes up two-thirds of all exports from India transported by the company.

Etihad Cargo usually exports those commodities into Europe and the United Kingdom at temperatures between 2-8 degrees, followed by some countries in the Middle East.

Demand for Indian mangoes is fully driven by UK markets, and they are Etihad Cargo’s second most popular commodity shipped from India, making up 10-14 per cent of all perishable goods out that country.

Globally, Etihad Cargo usually exports between 3,800-4,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables every year.

When it comes to the historical challenges associated with transporting perishables, environmental temperature and time

“Air cargo is an essential logistics component of the food industry, and while we expect to see a continuous increase in perishables, we also foresee diversification in commodity types being transported.” and Africa, so it ships a lot of flowers.

Etihad carried more than 6,400 tonnes of flowers in 2021, making this product its fourth-highest ranked in terms of volume.

However, Etihad’s main trade lanes originate from North and South Asia and India, into the Middle East and Europe. Its routes also address the demand in the Middle East and Asia for goods that originate from Europe and Africa.

Meanwhile, one of Etihad Cargo’s top perishables markets is India.

In 2021, Indian fresh exports ranked as our fourth-largest market

will always be critical factors.

Another fundamental challenge comes at the time of handover – from the customer to the airline – when the airline has several processes to complete. This includes acceptance of the product and moving it to the cool room, then moving the product from the cool room to the aircraft, and upon arrival at the destination then moving the perishables from the aircraft to the cool room or sending it directly out for delivery to the consignee.

There are several steps where everything must be managed to the minute, and that is why Etihad

COLD CHAIN

Etihad Cargo is seeing first hand the growth of the perishable logistics market.

Cargo constantly monitors lead times and uses specialised thermal covers to mitigate the environmental conditions outside the cool room and aircraft hold.

Etihad Cargo invests in training, as highly trained staff are essential to maintaining quality throughout the entire perishables’ journey.

In a few months, Etihad Cargo will open a new cool chain centre located next to its current warehouse.

The facility will double Etihad Cargo’s cool chain capacity and capabilities.

While manufacturing is not currently one of the company’s activities, warehousing, monitoring and cross-docking with specific cool chain equipment are.

The company foresees a number of positive impacts resulting from the opening of its new cold chain facility. Not only will the facility expand Etihad Cargo’s capabilities for pharmaceutical flows but also

for perishables flows.

Etihad Cargo also has a groundhandling team managed by Etihad Airport Services, who are fully trained and skilled in handling perishables and pharmaceutical products as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible in compliance with all regulations.

Etihad Cargo’s new cold chain facility will also enhance its FreshForward product offering and will benefit the perishables community with increased capacity, as well as providing a smoother transfer to the company’s FreshForward trucks when the products need to be delivered in the UAE, or handed over to the consignee at Abu Dhabi Airport.

According to a Research and Markets report, the global food logistics market is projected to reach around AUS$215 billion by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent during the 2019-2024 period.

Air cargo is an essential logistics component of the food industry, and while we expect to see a continuous increase in perishables, and Etihad Cargo also foresees diversification in commodity types being transported.

The increasing size and importance of e-commerce in consumers’ daily lives is a key indicator that there is going to be a shift in product requirements soon.

There is also a high probability Etihad Cargo will start to see smaller perishables shipments that require express service levels, so providing temperature-controlled environments on a larger scale will play a more significant role in the airlines’ operations.

Meanwhile, the company did not see diminished cargo demand during the pandemic, especially for cold chain products.

However, the opening of international borders and the availability of manpower are critical

elements for future increases in supply chain volumes.

One of the most significant challenges at the outset of the pandemic in 2020 was the decrease in air passengers, which had the knock-on effect of reducing routes and networks. However, despite this, Etihad Cargo remained active in the shipment of cargo.

It successfully converted a number of passenger aircraft to become cargo-only and this adaptability and flexibility enabled it to meet the high demand for cargo throughout the pandemic. As a result, the company witnessed a large increase in volumes of its cool chain products – PharmaLife and FreshForward – compared to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Etihad Cargo shipped 14 per cent more perishable products than in 2020, while achieving its best results since the carrier’s launch. F

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 41

COLD CHAIN

Local cold storage company is looking to expand operations

Kyabram Cold Storage manages a diverse range of local and imported products, everything from dairy to fruit, in its Victorian facilities.

Kyabram Cold Storage has been a staple of regional Victorian for the dairy and agriculture sectors, and after continued growth, the company is looking to expand its operations. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

K

yabram Cold Storage has been a major fixture in regional Victoria, and the Australian cold storage sector, since 1984.

Kyabram Cold Storage specialises in the management of warehousing of ambient, chilled and freezer inventories both Australian manufacturing and imported.

The company commenced initially with 16 cool rooms warehousing controlled atmosphere fresh produce for regional producers.

Today, Kyabram Cold Storage operates two sites with 60 cool rooms and capacity for 50,000 pallets / bins across the network. The main site is in Kyabram, north of Melbourne, the

other in Merrigum, just southeast of Kyabram.

The company’ solutions-based culture has driven expansion throughout the previous four decades largely warehousing dairy products, cheese, butter and powders.

Kyabram Cold Storage has enjoyed the benefits and drivers of growth through the expertise of its tenured staff lead by general manager Darren Gledhill.

“We have a dedicated group of 40 men and women, providing extensive levels of expertise throughout our facilities. Our people and community are our future which is testament to careers within the organisation lasting better than 20 years,” said Gledhill

42 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The company’s expansion has been significant over the last six years with additional warehousing added for select specialty powders. Largely infant formula, frozen dairy blends, and concentrates.

“We manage and warehouse a diverse product range across horticultural and agricultural sectors and were once very dependant of dairy. Though in recent years we have differentiated our offer and provide wide ranging solutions that incorporate humidity, temperature, including blast freezing and controlled atmosphere storage, for many industries in the food, wine, confectionary, and raw materials sector,” said Fairless.

“We also value add and continue to seek out opportunities to return product types back into production through sorting, grading and repackaging.

Evidenced by its rework footprint in dairy fats, powders, frozen vegetable, fruit and retail FMCG sectors, both import and export.

Fairless also spoke about how the company navigated the COVID-19 pandemic from Victoria, which had some of the strictest lockdowns in the world.

“I feel we have managed our COVID response very well. Darren and his team were extraordinary,” he said.

“We haven’t missed a day’s work

COLD CHAIN

across this last two years of intense scrutiny around COVID protocols and there has certainly been a lot of pressure put on warehousing and distribution centres we have done very well with.”

The senior team at Kyabram Cold Storage took the threat of COVID-19 seriously, sitting down to formulate a new approach to its business model as a way of protecting staff, clients / customers and maintaining business continuity.

“We have modified the way we managed our site and people coming to and from. When you consider we are servicing on average, 162 palletised combination/multicombination truck movements plus 30 export/import container movements weekly, we feel we have initiate meaningful responses to the threat COVID presented with uninterrupted outcomes based upon training, professional guidance especially heath care and dedication to seeing out successful outcomes during the pandemic,” said Fairless.

“Our approach to COVID is what helped maintain our business and keep our doors open through open and consistent communication with clients/ customers and our people, which included our communities.”

Fairless said the company’s response to recent supply chain issues was another indication of Kyabram Cold Storage’s capacity to pivot when

required.

“To manage our business well during the recent supply chain interruptions, as pallet availability shortened which we had foreseen early, a non-proprietary pallet pool was introduced which has assisted our clients and business significantly,” he said.

with the use of A-doubles and B triples, which has certainly been a great help to us,” said Fairless.

“Equally, A-doubles have assisted our import/export programs. We do a lot of work to and from the Melbourne wharf now and we are establishing a significant footprint in regional Victoria for both exports

“We do have other clients outside of dairy, the wine industry is one, we do maturate wines, we have a significant footprint in frozen vegetable and fruit sectors, both import and export, and we certainly have a significant input into import and export across several product lines.”

The company already has more than 20,000 privately owned pallets in the network across wide ranging industries both within and outside of our warehousing management footprints.

"This is an area where we feel further growth is likely," said Fairless.

Kyabram Cold Storage has also put a renewed emphasis in rationalising its transport imprint across its network, with consideration given to both rail and roads.

“Now our footprint specialises in fewer operators in our national network. Being close to the NSW border also means we have been able to maximise our commercial footprint

and international imports to and from Australia. Often you here industry suggest that regional warehousing has no place and metro consolidation is the pathway to modernisation and commercial acceptability, we have a differing view and when you consider our position to all capital cities and our network to road and rail matched to the congestion throughout metro Melbourne our position is strengthening.

“We reach consumer market’ as well or better than major distribution centres with reduced resources and down time.

“We continue to innovate to help our warehouse utilisation and we are

providing a flexible footprint that looks to help a number of different clients.”

All these offerings from Kyabram Cold Storage align with the company’s core values, which are a commitment to excellence in customer service, a continued reputation for its warehousing capabilities, including inventory management and accuracy, and to improve its offerings through continued training of staff.”

Fairless said the company is suited to store food products at virtually any environment required, whether that be freezer, blast freezing, dry ambient, or control atmosphere storage as we have such a specialised footprint with 60 separated cool rooms of varying size.

Temperature controlled internationally recognised grading rooms also provides prospective and existing clients the opportunities to grade, sample and test products under the Food Industry Standard conditions, utilisation of this facility is often taken up by non-Kyabram Cold Storage clients / customers.

Fairless said regulatory licencing’, from the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, Australian Certified Organic Certificate of Compliance, Certificate of Export Registration with the U.S Food and Drug Administration, and council certificates of registration of food premises, allows the company to provide quality assurance for their customers. F

Kyabram Cold Storage's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions showed the company's ability to pivot while maintaining quality. www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 43

COLD CHAIN

Trailer innovations are strengthening cold chain supply Schmitz Cargobull prides itself on providing trailers that are designed for the food and beverage industry with its smart trailers winning over stakeholders. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

S

chmitz Cargobull offers the food and beverage industry a range of smart trailers designed to streamline, simplify, and reduce the costs of transporting food products around the country and the company’s work with the QMC Logistics is a prime example of this.

The logistics company specialises in the national transport of perishable food items, with depots across multiple cities in Australia. One such company that utilises its trailers is QMC Logistics.

QMC Logistics general manager, Angus McKenzie, said the company first contacted Schmitz Cargobull for new temperature-controlled trailers for its transport of meats to the consumer market.

“We rent our trailers and then our truck drivers use their own trucks. It was the company that we rent trailers from that first made us aware of Schmitz Cargobull,” said McKenzie.

“In 2020, we purchased two of their trailers and after running them for about six to 12 months we were really impressed and concurred with the word of mouth about how good Schmitz thermal trailers were.”

One of the selling points of the trailers for QMC Logistics was the savings the company made through fuel efficiency.

“The fuel savings were a big

QMC Logistics said that Schmitz Cargobull smart trailers are ideal for its cold chain needs.

positive. After those first six to 12 months we worked out we had made a 17 per cent saving on our fuel consumption, which compared to our other trailers was a great number,” said McKenzie.

“These days there isn’t a lot of margin for error in transport so if we can save on fuel throughout the year than it helps our bottom line.”

As much as the savings on fuel were an advantage – money that the company invests back into its operations – there were other factors that resulted in QMC Logistics purchasing more trailers for its fleet.

“This includes the design of the trailers, the thicker walls, the double loader bars that come down from the roof,” he said.

“In a lot of older trailers, each time a driver needed to use the double loader bars they got them from under the vehicle and put them in the van.

Whereas Schmitz’s design has loader bars go to the roof and when they are needed it’s as simple as pulling two levers which means the driver can get them down with ease.”

Loader bars are placed horizontally between the sidewalls of a trailer, or vertically between the floor and ceiling, to prevent damage and keep stock in place.

“There was a whole lot of advantages to the trailers, which ultimately won us over and we now have seven,” said McKenzie.

McKenzie said the decision to purchase more Schmitz Cargobull trailers was a ‘no brainer’, especially after receiving great feedback from its drivers.

“Some put more emphasis on trailers looking good, but our focus has always been on reliability and good thermal, meaning on hot days it will hold its temperature,” he said.

“The ease for drivers is also another advantage. We got great feedback.

They said they sit very well on the road, possibly the best trailer they have towed. Some trailers might give you a

44 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Cold chain logistics is as important as storage and Schmitz Cargobull has a range of smart trailers to fill that need. drift on the road, but our drivers are full of praise.”

Part of the efficiency aspect of using these trailers, according to McKenzie, is the thermal wall’s ability to hold in the cold and limit the output from the motor.

“You don’t want a fridge motor to be revving high constantly on a hot day. Because these trailers have thermal in the walls, the fridge motor isn’t revving and trying to keep the temperature down because the thermal walls do that work for you and maintain it,” he said.

“They’ve made those walls thick so they cushion produce from the outside temperature when it’s really warm.

Once that fridge motor gets that cold it doesn’t have to constantly work hard because of the design of the trailer. It holds the temperature.”

Advancements in the capability of both truck engines and trailer motors have also provided added value to the cold chain, in terms of logistics, which has proven invaluable to QMC Logistics.

“Now you have a fridge motor that also uses less fuel and a trailer that holds temperature really well so combined they are great additions to our company,” said McKenzie.

“We do long distances. We go across the country, except Perth and Darwin, but we do a lot in between so our guys are doing long trips and for them the peace of mind is critical.

“It’s also very important to us and our customers because we know that when we load freight into the trailer you won’t have any doubts about how the trailer will hold up under extreme conditions, such as Australian temperatures.”

Schmitz Cargobull provides a host of services to its clients, beyond providing trailers for those times where you need a new part, Schmitz Cargobull has a spare parts shop that identifies the best spare parts for the required job.

“We probably wouldn’t go back to any other trailer now. Also, their buying price in the market is competitive for the product we get,” said McKenzie. F

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SUSTAINABILITY

The industry is exceeding government expectations on sustainability This year is the first with key targets in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Priority Road Map, yet the industry is already exceeding expectations. Food & Beverage Industry News explains.

T

he Australian food and beverage industry’s future is being shaped by a focus on the importance becoming more sustainable and robust, with government investment and innovation helping to drive key changes.

The industry has entered its second year under the Federal Government’s Food and Beverage Manufacturing Priority Road Map, a plan designed to strengthen manufacturing capabilities by overhauling six key areas.

The priority road map is part of the government’s $1.5 billion investment into the Modern Manufacturing Strategy which looks to improve multiple industries, including food and beverage.

One of the major goals of the road map is to see Australia’s food and beverage industry double in value by 2030 through a focus on smart food and

beverage manufacturing, innovative foods and beverages, food safety, origin, and traceability systems.

The road map sets out four areas of approach to achieve the final goal, one by the end of 2022, another by the end of 2025 and finally the result in 2030.

The first major goals expected to be achieved by the end of 2022 and centre on several key areas such as increasing manufacturing capability, boosting translation, integration, and collaboration, and identifying new industry opportunities through R&D and smart manufacturing.

This will improve processing and packaging through co-investments in translation, integration, and collaboration.

The four over arching areas of focus for each step starts with smart food and beverage manufacturing for consumerdriven products, innovative foods and

beverages, and food safety, origin, and traceability for quality assurance.

Each has different goals to reach at the two-year, five-year, and 10-year mark of the industry road map.

In terms of second year goals, an increase in the use of smart manufacturing is the first critical component.

Smart manufacturing will look at automation of control systems with use of robotics and monitoring systems for hygiene, temperature, and other variables.

Second is laying the foundations for the application of Industry 4.0 technologies, while the third is wholeof-government responsibility to be coordinated and clear programs for manufacturers laid out.

And finally, government and industry partnerships to help identity policy changes to help achieve the

overall vision of the road map.

The map defined innovative foods as products with higher nutritional value and the ability to improve health.

Interestingly, the market has already seen growth in areas like sugar-free beverages as the consumer demands healthier alternatives.

It stated that consumer preferences would shift to convenient pre-packaging meals and high value products, such as products with high proteins. This has so far proven correct with major readymeals providers like My Muscle Chef and Hello Fresh experiencing rapid growth.

“Now, driven by both imperative and opportunity, we are adopting a whole-of-government strategy that will see Australian manufacturers scale-up, become more competitive and more resilient,” said Karen Andrews, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology..

The food and beverage industry is now in its second year under the Manufacturing Priority Road Map. 46 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

SUSTAINABILITY

Digital connectivity is playing key roles in creating a more sustainable industry.

The use of digital labelling, such as QR codes and blockchain technologies, is a good example of innovation driven change to the industry.

New digital labelling and QR code technology offer solutions that increase food safety and traceability systems.

Experts from GS1, for example, are helping to introduce the industry to the next wave of barcodes and have already received promising feedback.

Other visions for the industry include the adoption of Industry 4.0, and a focus on collaboration between industry, government, and research for both global and local development.

Industry 4.0 was developed to allow manufacturers and other businesses to optimise their operations through a higher degree of oversight.

“By playing to our strengths, strategically investing, and harnessing our world-class science and research, we can open up new markets and take more of our quality products to the world. Making us more prosperous,” said Andrews.

Sustainability is another critical component underlining the road map’s main goal of securing a strong food and beverage industry for the future.

Despite 2022 being the first year set out for targets on the road map many manufacturers, producers and retailers were already working towards renewable energy and as a result some met targets well before expectation.

Throughout 2021 many large manufacturers and retailers within the food and beverage sector, including major supermarkets like Coles, announced renewable energy plans, or in some cases having already achieved them.

Coles’ chief sustainability, property, and export officer Thinus Keevé said he was extremely proud that Coles had not only created a clear pathway to achieving its 100 per cent renewable electricity target on schedule but had also set the plan in motion less than a year after announcing the target.

“As part of Coles’ Sustainability Strategy, including Together to Zero, we set the ambitious target to be powered on 100 per cent renewable electricity by end of FY25. The agreements with Origin Energy, ACCIONA Energía, and ENGIE puts us on the path to achieve this,” he said.

“We can now say with confidence that Coles will be 100 per cent renewable from July 1, 2025, which is an incredible achievement.”

Coles became the first Australian retailer to announce a renewable power purchase agreement in 2019 with global renewable power generation company MYTILINEOS, previously known as METKA EGN. Meanwhile, Nestlé switched to 100 per cent renewable energy in 2021, which means prominent brands like Kit Kat, Milo, and Nescafé are now being made at factories where 100 per cent of the electricity is sourced from wind power.

The move comes as Nestlé Australia announces it is now switching to 100 per cent renewable electricity, four years ahead of its global target of 2025, in line with the road map.

The company has partnered with CWP Renewables to make its first renewable power purchase agreement (PPA), bringing the company one step closer to reducing its net emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and achieving net

zero by 2050.

The 10-year agreement covers Nestlé’s six Australian factories, two distribution centres, three corporate offices, 20 retail boutiques, and laboratory.

CWP Renewables’ Crudine Ridge and Sapphire wind farms in NSW will generate enough electricity to cover the electricity used across Nestlé’s sites each year – the equivalent of powering approximately 19,000 households per year.

“Achieving our sustainability commitments as we progress towards 2050 can’t wait, and neither can we.

I am proud that we’ve been able to accelerate switching to 100 per cent renewable electricity for our sites, but there’s still more to be done. This is one more step on our road map,” said Nestlé Oceania CEO Sandra Martinez.

The switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity in Australia will mean Nestlé will avoid around 73,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year,

which is the key factor in sustainable and renewable energy galvanising the industry for the future.

A major retailer, Coles, and a major Australian manufacturer, Nestlé, are great examples of how the industry is responding positively to the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Priority Road Map. And both cases give some indication of how these changes can positively impact the environment by reducing emissions.

The companies that supply the food and beverage industry with its traditional forms of power are also overhauling their approach, companies like gas and engineering provider BOC. In 2021 BOC announced a new power purchase agreement (PPA) with energy from waste facility Avertas Energy and Shell Energy, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 16 per cent.

The PPA will enable BOC to support decarbonisation of Australia’s largest food and beverage manufacturers and other industrial customers.

BOC has purchased enough certificates to supply the food and beverage sector with carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen, produced with 100 per cent renewable electricity from 2023.

The entire industry, from engineers, to manufacturers and producers right through to retailers, is full of stories like the above. Stories which demonstrate the industry is trending towards the strengthening manufacturing capabilities while creating a more sustainable approach.

After 2022, the next major goals are set for 2025. Those targets will be dependent on how the industry adapts to these changes over the coming three years. F

Automated machinery is another critical factor in future sustainability. www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 47

FOOD PROCESSING

Support grows for Gold Peg’s continuous cooking systems The RotaTherm continuous cooking system, from Gold Peg, utilises technology from Bürkert Australia to provide a flexible cooking solution for the industry. Food & Beverage Industry News explains.

A

ustralian company Gold Peg International manufactures continuous cooking systems that are distributed across the world with critical components supplied by Bürkert Australia.

First developed by company founder Bob Smith in the 1980s, the company’s RotaTherm is a direct steam-injection continuous cooker available in a range of models and for a variety of food applications.

Gold Peg’s clients include global companies with plants in several countries, through to manufacturers with single or multiple plants.

Compared to batch cookers, continuous cooking systems offer a variety of features that allow food manufacturers to produce a clean, high-quality product, efficiently, while reducing waste and energy usage.

By utilising a continuous direct steam-injection cooking process manufacturers can produce a large

Continuous cooking systems offer more features than batch cookers.

volume of high-quality product in less time than a batch cooker.

The key features and added values of the RotaTherm continuous food processing system includes: on-stop production capability of • N up to 156 hours (6.5 days) before cleaning is necessary.

• F lexible parameters to adjust cook temperature, heating profile, pressure, and cooling temperature.

• A fully enclosed hygienic system resulting in improved product safety.

• A full clean-in-place (CIP) system that requires minimal intervention. ptimally processes low- to high• O viscosity products, homogenous or with large particulates, to pasteurised and UHT temperatures While RotaTherm is Gold Peg’s flagship product, the company also manufactures the GPiCS continuous Mozzarella Cooker Stretcher, and the FreeTherm and ShearTherm batch cookers – all featuring Gold Peg’s direct steam-injection technology.

Made in Australia, delivered worldwide

In 2017, Hochland Natec GmbH, another processing equipment company, partnered with Gold Peg. The joining of Natec and Gold Peg led to the creation of the food processing ‘Natec Network’, under the Hochland Group.

With this, there was investment to streamline the design and build process of Gold Peg’s automated cooking equipment, which is manufactured by the team in Victoria, Australia, including all control and valve functionality.

Project value drivers for Gold Peg put a heavy focus on their customer’s needs and delivering optimal process and equipment performance with minimised lead times.

In order to deliver its equipment worldwide, Gold Peg ensures that it provides ease of installation, commissioning, and testing, supporting multiple major control systems and 48 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

network/fieldbus architectures, to meet the customer’s existing engineering standards.

It is also important that the equipment can be serviced, and spares can be available, anywhere in the world where the systems are used.

This is where Bürkert Australia comes into the picture.

Gold Peg’s RotaTherm continuous cooking system utilises Bürkert Type 8801 angle seat valves with a Type 8691 control head and Type 8802 globe valves with Type 8692 digital positioners.

The valves are used for isolation and temperature control, as well as CIP isolation for the batch controller units.

Subhead: Global support and universal integration Bürkert was chosen to supply the valve technology for Gold Peg’s cooking systems partly because it’s an international company that can provide service and support for its valve and control technology in any country where Gold Peg’s cooking systems are being used.

The Type 8801 and Type 8802 are both part of Bürkert’s ELEMENT Range.

The ELEMENT actuators combine the engineering excellence of the classic actuators with a fresh look.

Chemical resistance and solid modular connections mix with the lines of a stainless-steel valve with no external tubes or connections.

The ELEMENT actuators are built to take advantage by internal control air supply so that each time the actuator strokes, the spring chamber is replenished by clean instrument air.

This means no corrosion of the actuator springs, no dirt inside the actuator, no humidity transmitted into the control head through the spindle, no biological contamination inside the actuator, and longer life of the valve itself.

Highly cylindrical, precisionmoulded parts reduce the chances of friction making these actuators suitable

for both on/off and control duties.

“I believe we have something very unique with the ELEMENT range,” said James Emerson, national food & beverage manager for Bürkert Australia.

“It’s a proven performer in the food and beverage environment, with the ability to directly connect via the latest automation protocols, which makes the range hard to ignore for any project manager seeking to future-proof plant processes.”

Gold Peg use these valves for hygienic applications, and their compact design makes them easy to integrate into the cooking machines.

They are designed for decentralised automation and control of processes, supporting multiple network interfaces, including IO-Link, AS-Interface, EtherNet/IP, Profibus/Profinet, Modbus TCP, and Bürkert’s system bus (büS).

The housings of the Bürkert control heads and actuators are easy to clean and feature IP protection and chemically resistant materials for use in hygienic processing in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

“The Bürkert angle seat valves are a great fit with our equipment,” said Didier Henri, project engineer at Gold Peg International.

“They perform the function needed, are reliable and low maintenance – all of which are important to the overall performance of our equipment and therefore the Gold Peg reputation.

“The valves are performant, reliable, versatile due to their integration with various control platforms and easily serviceable due to Bürkert having a worldwide representation.

“When a customer approaches Gold Peg with their standard equipment list, it is important to know that we have an existing relationship with Bürkert to support the customer and therefore be successful in the project.”

Gold Peg will be exhibiting at the AUSPACK trade event from May 17 to 20 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. F

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SPRAY DRYING

Fluid Air is the future of spray drying and microencapsulation Spray drying has emerged as a critical innovation for the food and beverage industry and can create efficiency gains in production. Food & Beverage Industry News explains.

F

luid Air is helping define the next generation of spray drying technology by creating scalable powder manufacturing solutions.

PolarDry technology utilises electrostatic charge and milder temperatures to achieve conversion, leading to large efficiency gains for a business.

The future of food manufacturing is driven by innovation and high value adding and nutritional, functional, and bioactive ingredients are key to sustainability.

Consequently, the drive for highquality ingredients also requires innovation in manufacturing technologies. PolarDry electrostatic spray drying is a novel technique developed to meet the demands and challenges associated with conventional spray and freeze drying.

Fluid Air, a division of Spraying Systems, has launched the PolarDry commercial range of spray dryers and sales in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia after growing in the years following market launch.

What is PolarDry Electrostatic Spray Drying?

PolarDry electrostatic spray drying is a low-temperature drying technique that combines gas-liquid atomisation and electrostatic charge in a single-step process for conversion of liquid feed to powder.

Since the late 19th century, spray drying technology has seen use on an industrial-scale and the technology has evolved only incrementally with the fundamentals remaining much the same as today.

In both traditional spray drying and in the PolarDry process, liquid droplets are atomised and sprayed into a stream of drying gas.

Then, heat is transferred from the drying gas to the liquid and the solvent is evaporated resulting in a dry, powdered material.

With PolarDry technology, spray drying has advanced to implement

PolarDry takes advantage of electrostatic charge and milder temperatures to create large efficiency gains for producers.

an electrical charge at the drying step, and this allows efficient drying at low temperature and improves encapsulation efficiency for lipids and volatile components.

How is Fluid Air revolutionising the process?

Conventional methods of drying are used in food preservation, and spray drying of liquids and encapsulation of oils is common practice in Australian manufacturing.

Although spray drying has many viable applications, it also has limitations, and high temperature processing is the greatest concern.

Many active ingredients are sensitive to heat, often resulting in denaturation, product degradation and loss of quality.

When it comes to drying encapsulated oils, traditional processes yield low retention.

Low temperature drying alternatives exist, and freeze drying is often the preferred solution. Freeze drying overcomes heat-related issues and plays a prominent role in preservation.

However, it is a batch process and throughput is limited.

There is a clear need for continuous, non-batch commercial scale drying technologies that maintain a products integrity.

This gap in process capability was

50 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

recently filled by the PolarDry range of electrostatic spray dryers.

By delivering an electrostatic charge during the atomisation process of liquid droplets, water is evaporated at lower temperatures than possible in traditional spray dryers.

The electrostatic, spray-drying technology is a streamlined, one-step continuous manufacturing process that allows water evaporation at significantly lower processing temperature (<90°C) and, in tandem, enables an agglomeration process to take place before particles are completely dry.

This is done by driving the water or solvent to the outer layer of the atomised droplets and the solids to the core.

This in turn lowers the required evaporation temperature and eliminates active ingredient loss, degradation, or denaturation.

Harnessing the electrostatic effect, non-polar active components can be driven to the core and efficiently microencapsulated, reducing surface active losses, and resulting in greatly increased encapsulation efficiency.

Unlike traditional high-heat spray drying, electrostatic spray drying takes place in an inert gas environment where oxygen is replaced by nitrogen.

This expands applicability to oxygen sensitive materials and not only

appeals to anaerobic microorganisms, but it is well suited to spray drying of oxygen-sensitive lipids and other reactive materials.

This technology handles a variety of products ranging from microencapsulated oil emulsions, living microorganisms, bioactive proteins such as lactoferrin and immunoglobulins, other biological materials, and to a lesser degree, inorganic materials.

PolarDry process features: • low operating temperature allows for efficient drying of heat sensitive materials; • greater encapsulation efficiency for lipids and volatile components; • “all-in-one” modular equipment design features a small footprint that reduces maintenance and installation costs; • SAFE - nitrogen inert; • contained, robust processing; • inner liner makes for easy clean-up/ changeover; • process products with low glass transition temperature (Tg); • recycled process gas with negligible emissions virtually eliminates regulatory issues; • complete product line that is scalable from R&D to productionsize models; and • substantially shorter process time than freeze drying. F

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LUBRICATION

Cut carbon output by up to 30 per cent with automated lubrication SKF’s automated lubrication technology has helped customers increase uptime while saving money and creating a more sustainable production line. Food & Beverage Industry News explains.

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ccording to experts from SKF, a Swedish company that specialises in bearing and lubrication technology, switching to an automated lubrication system in the food and beverage industry can slash CO2 output by as much as 30 per cent.

“At the moment, companies and the industry are very focused on sustainability going forward,” said Cenk Ozbilgen, business development and technical support manager at SKF. “What we achieve with our customers is to install an intelligent connectivity between all products with a uniform and energy efficient lubrication system.”

Ozbilgen said there are many advantages in using automatic lubrication systems. Including reducing waste and bearing failure, cleanliness, less labour and improved health and safety.

“The overall cost of manual lubrication is often overseen by the industry” he said.

“They need to consider downtime and loss of production cost per hour, average parts cost and associated man hours per repair, time required lubricating equipment, lubrication frequency, number of accidents caused by manual lubrication tasks, and costs of lubricants & lubricant management.”

It is anticipated that poor manual lubrication causes up to 50 per cent of all bearing failures.

“From a sustainability point of view, you are increasing the carbon output by a lot,” said Ozbilgen.

“From manual to automatic you can reduce that grease consumption by 30 per cent and by extension emit less carbon dioxide.”

Ozbilgen said the advantages of switching to an automated lubrication system, was an obvious choice for the food and beverage industry as sustainability be-comes a hot button issue moving forward.

“Put some reasonable connectivity behind it, sensors, lubrication systems, things of that nature, and the benefits are almost immediate,” he said.

Ozbilgen used large bakeries as an example for moving away from manual lubrication and onto an automated system.

He said when done manually, a worker will wait at the end of the conveyor and lubricate the chains as it continues into the oven to bake the food product. However, this creates the conditions for possible over lubrication, and in turn, potential contamination of the food.

Also keeping in mind that deploying automatic lubrication systems can free your skilled maintenance technicians from time consuming basic activities to provide extra value.

Another example is SKF’s work is with a meat processing factory’s overhead conveyor.

Using automated lubrication systems can reduce waste, use less labour, and improve health and safety.

52 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

SKF implemented a centralised automatic lubrication system in place of the existing manual system, and this increased uptime and reduced maintenance costs.

In terms of cost savings, prior to switching to an SKF automated lubrication system the meat processing factory was losing $3,000 for every hour of downtime, and in total 35 hours per month, which equated to $105,000 in lost capital due to down-time.

Overall, the installation was calculated to have saved the meat processing factory at least $100,000 in downtime costs per month.

Ozbilgen also highlighted the importance of connectivity for clients so that they can get real-time data from the factory and act accordingly.

“We have sensors for vibration so you can see if any machine is going to fail, but you can also see whatever is happening on the lubrication side as well. This then leads to smart lubrication systems, which can adjust themselves according to the problems identified,” he said.

SKF is currently working on a project where if the system recognises vibration is-sues it can identify if the problem is lubrication starvation.

“You still might have some problems on the bearings and other machines so the system can act accordingly and make necessary extra lubrication cycles when required,” said Ozbilgen.

Meanwhile, Graham Thomas, business development manager at SKF, said the company complemented its automated lubrication system offerings with a focus on safety regulations and food recalls.

“We constantly develop new market offers for the food and beverage industry specifically. Food and beverage products are a very big focus for SKF with bearings and bearing units along with lubrication technologies,” said Thomas.

“Even seals and power transmission products, it is a constant line of development for SKF.” Another case study from SKF

Producers must consider downtime and loss of production from manual lubrication. detailed how the company optimised lubrication of beverage filling machines using SKF Lincoln progressive lubrication.

The beverage industry is becoming more competitive and growing consumption now demands 24-hour production that leaves little time for maintenance stops, so maintenance tasks must be done while equipment is operating and SKF were able to achieve that in this case.

For example, targeted at more than 80 per cent, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) often is around 60 per cent, and machinery breakdowns affect availability. However, automating essential tasks like lubrication eliminates human mistakes, simplifies lubrication management, reduces lubricant consumption, and enhances line efficiency.

The analysis results shows that the actual lubrication system was not working at all, as it was completely corroded.

SKF Lincoln Automatic Progressive lubrication system provided the means for an optimum lubrication to the various components of the filling machine, with stain-less-steel components.

“The industry is under constant pressure to reduce maintenance costs and increase uptime and lubrication systems and other technologies and SKF is helping facilities achieve that goal,” said Thomas. F

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HYGIENE

The right washdown hose is a more sanitary way to do business Choosing the right industrial washdown hoses can mitigate the risk of worker injury and cross contamination between production batches. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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he washdown process is an important part of food and beverage manufacturing because it helps mitigate the risk of contamination to products. However, the importance of reliable washdown processes can sometimes we overlooked.

Scott Weston, National Business Manager at Continental ContiTech Australia, said having a robust and reliable washdown hose provides a host of advantages.

Continental prides itself on offering the food and beverage industry connected, environmentfriendly, safe, and convenient industry and service solutions around industrial fluid transfer, including washdowns.

“Our mission at Continental is to provide the industry with solutions that incorporate quality and safety, securing customer investments which in turn supports their business. That is what we really try to do within the industry,” said Weston.

“Our washdown hoses are flexible enough to be used across many areas within the food and beverage sector.

From abattoirs, breweries, distilleries to wineries and even into local pubs and supermarkets. The hoses are suitable and should be regarded as the industry standard to meet the tough handling and cleanliness regulations of the Food & Beverage industry.”

A unique feature of Continental’s industrial hoses is the exclusive use of Microban technology.

Microban antimicrobial technology is becoming popular within the food and beverage industry because of its ability to protect products during the manufacturing and washdown process. It extends the life cycle of the hoses and limits the risk of failure and contamination in the manufacturing process.

The technology is designed to protect products from the growth of bacteria, mould, and mildew, all of which can cause a range of issues in

Industrial washdown hoses play an important role in food manufacturing and selecting the right hose can increase sanitation. the production process if not carefully managed.

“That takes us into the washdown range, which is used after production, so it is about getting your facility clean and ready for the next batch or service” said Weston.

“This range is designed around that idea, and it incorporates a good, better, and best line up, depending on the different performance and added value of the product itself.”

The range of washdown hoses offered by Continental is comprehensive and designed to specifically suit the needs of each application in the food and beverage industry. This includes the various applications such as exposure to fatty acids, temperature of the fluid, the chemicals being used and whether Food & Drug Administration

54 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

(FDA) conforming materials are a requirement.

“That is how we have established the Continental washdown range.

So, when we talk about the actual application, it is about cleaning the facilities after the fact and preparing equipment to produce the best product available. The main objective with the Continental washdown range is to eliminate the exposure of contamination to the products being manufactured and allows the operators to do this in a safe manner,” said Weston.

Weston said that in his opinion that many hoses observed as being used in the washdown processes, particularly at food manufacturing facilities, simply are not suitable and will be degrading the finished product.

“It doesn’t really clean the

product in my opinion. What we do is use specific compounds that aren’t going to taint the product and equipment being used to prepare and manufacture,” he said. “It is designed specifically for that application in order to protect the quality of the finished product.”

Continental industrial washdown hoses also promise a longer life span, which has a positive impact on protecting the customers investment as well as worker safety.

“A lot of washdown processes are high temperature. The fluid that they are pumping through to kill the bacteria can be in excess of 90 degrees Celsius,” said Weston.

“Along with the use of chemicals, we make sure our products are tested to a temperature range that can withstand the washdown process,

HYGIENE

which is also critical for worker safety because it prevents leaks or bursting, which can spill scalding water directly onto the operator.”

One way Continental ensures its product quality is through extensive development and testing of the products which includes third party approvals such as conformance to FDA stipulations. The compounds used are developed in house by the many Continental chemists and R&D engineers.

“We go that extra mile to help protect the industry and the people within it,” said Weston.

“We also use blends that are specifically formulated for this application, which is the same for all of our products to suit each specific application.

Some of these industrial washdown hoses include the Blue Fortress 300 with Microban Antimicrobial Protection. Continental works exclusively with Microban to incorporate the technology, which ensures the highest quality washdown hoses offered by a manufacturer.

Applications include washdown service in food processing plants, dairies, packing houses, bottling plants, breweries, canneries, and

creameries.

Its abrasion and oil-resistant cover also provides maximum protection against the adverse effects of oil and animal fats. Meanwhile, the cover of Fortress washdown hose incorporates Microban’s antimicrobial built-in product protection.

The Continental Blue Fortress 300 washdown hose, is the regarded as the market leading offering as it has been developed to withstand hot water up to 99˚C for clean-up service, as well as incorporates Microban technology and conforms to FDA requirements.

Continental also offers the whole assembly around industrial washdown hoses to double down on its assurances of a safer piece of equipment that will ultimately last longer and improve efficiency.

“What we always recommend in this application is what we call a crimped fitting to secure a Continental DINGA spray gun,” said Weston.

The crimped assembly process is far superior and recommended by Continental for all beer, beverage, and food hoses. The addition of protection rings will also help elevate the fittings and prevent them from touching the floor which may cause damage and

Among ContiTech’s offerings is the Blue Fortress Washdown Hose which, like all ContiTech hoses, uses Microban technology. contamination.

“The most effective washdown assemblies are constructed using a crimped fitting and Continental DINGA spray gun as opposed to the more commonly used method of using screw clamps or an open-ended hose.

“We recommend these to prevent the nozzle blowing off, it isn’t just the hose but the whole assembly that we offer and encourage customers to look at is a safer and more productive alternative.”

The use of this DINGA gun

helps to save water and energy costs, which along with its chemical-free cleaning capability, contributes to the protection of the environment.

Food safety is one of, if not the, most critical factor when it comes to food production and manufacturing and industrial hoses present a strong tool in combating these risks.

“Limiting downtime is always an important part of the manufacturing process so we aim to provide the best possible technology for industrial washdown hoses,” said Weston. F

INSTR UM ENTA TIO N & CALIBRATION PTY LTD S P E C I A L I S T S www.ams-ic.com.au AMS have been suppliers of instrumentation and calibration equipment to all industries since 1973 representing some of the world’s leading manufacturers of the equipment in their field.

The Liquid Measurement Experts

Dew-Point, Humidity and Oxygen Specialists

Combustion Gas Analysis

Analytical Process Division

Gas Analysis

Leaders of Inline Process Control Solutions

www.ams-ic.com.au sales@ams-ic.com.au www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 55

FOODTECH

After two years of cancellations due to COVID-19, FoodTech is returning to Queensland in July.

Registration opening soon for FoodTech Qld 2022 Take the opportunity to reconnect with business peers and discover what’s new in food and drink production with FoodTech registrations opening in April. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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ustralia’s triennial destination event for the industry returns in 2022, and this year FoodTech Queensland has found a new home on the Gold Coast from July 7 to 8 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Event organisers have carefully curated the show floor with food and drink production suppliers, plus the brand new FoodTech Qld Conference stream which is set to run across the two days.

This year’s event also features several networking functions designed to truly make the most of the attendee’s time in the Gold Coast.

For those who are new to the event, FoodTech Qld is brought to you by the organisers of Australian food

manufacturing trade event, foodpro. A source of several innovations that still help to shape the industry today.

Carefully curated show floor Attendees will have the opportunity to explore a line-up of world leading exhibitors covering the breadth of the food and drink production and processing sector.

The show floor covers everything from processing machinery and plant equipment, packaging solutions and ingredients, through to supply chain technologies and food science.

The 2022 exhibition show floor has been designed to maximise business relationships and create the opportunity for valuable conversations to take place, which is of even greater

56 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

importance post-pandemic.

FoodTech Qld’s world leading exhibitors have the products, services, and expertise to make sure businesses can drive production efficiencies and boost end-consumer demand in this competitive, and thriving, food and beverage market.

FoodTech Qld conference The education element of FoodTech Qld is also evolving in 2022, with a dedicated two-day conference stream with content led by The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), long time industry partners of FoodTech Qld and foodpro.

AIFST has a strong reputation for facilitating education and training to

assist food industry professionals.

FoodTech Qld will also be working closely with the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), the peak professional body for packaging training and education in Australasia.

Content will be focused across themes including ‘The Agrifood Industry of the future’, ‘The Future of Food’ and ‘Innovation & Design for the Future’. The conference program has been curated to highlight ideas about the future of food and allow attendees to hear from experts from across the industry – with a key focus on sustainability in both business and food production.

The full conference line-up will be available soon, and two-day conference tickets can be purchased

FOODTECH

Registrations for the event will open this month after organisers carefully curated the show floor.

at registration – conference tickets include access to a host of networking functions, refreshments, and plenty of opportunity to explore the show floor.

FoodTech is run on four over arching tenants that help to define the event, explore, source, learn, and connect.

Safety guidelines FootTech organisers have worked hard to ensure the safety of all attendees and have put together a system which meets COVID-19 guidelines.

Attendees will be asked to preregister online prior to the event before reading and consenting to the regulations and data collection required for contact tracing. QR codes will also be utilised across the event.

Queue management, crowd control, visitor flows at exits and entries, and rigorous cleaning are other areas organisers have put particular focus to ensure a COVID-safe event.

FoodTech will continue to follow the advice of the State Government.

Gold Coast offerings Both visitors and exhibitors will be able to take advantage of the Gold Coast backdrop with ample

FoodTech 2022 will provide an opportunity to reconnect with the industry stakeholders in person.

“These events have been designed to create a relaxed environment for peers to catch up face-to-face in a light and social setting.” networking opportunities.

These events have been designed to create a relaxed environment for peers to catch up face-to-face in a light and social setting.

There will be pre-show social events hosted poolside at The Star Gold Coast, where attendees will have the opportunity to catch up before

they even hit the show floor.

As an example, after the first day of show, there is a cocktail function at the Home of the Arts (HOTA), where attendees can relax and talk about the day’s events.

Tickets to these events will be available for all attendees, and to make the visit as smooth as possible,

transfers to FoodTech Qld networking events are included in the price.

How to attend Registration to attend FoodTech Qld will be officially opening in early April, all professionals involved in the food and drink manufacturing and production industry are encouraged to register.

Conference tickets will also be available to purchase alongside the free exhibition. For early access to event registration, be sure to subscribe to receive event updates. F

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 57

MEASUREMENT

How flow meters and controllers transform the production process When it comes to the finer points of food and beverage manufacturing, such as flow measurement and control, having the right pieces in place can make all the difference.

Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

Flow measurement technology from AMS ensures a consistent product outcome.

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n the food industry there are a string of processes in which liquid flows need to be measured or controlled for the best product outcome and to avoid potential issues along the way.

AMS, who specialise in instrumentation and calibration, knows all too well the importance of using flow meters and controllers in the manufacture of food and beverage products.

Over its 50-year existence the company has cultivated partnerships with companies such as calibration specialists Beamex, and flow measurement experts Bronkhorst AMS was one of the first overseas distributors for Beamex, a Finnish manufacturer of calibration solutions, one of which being the Beamex CENTRiCAL calibration bench.

Even though process instruments are often calibrated in the field with portable calibration equipment, there are circumstances when it is considered more effective and efficient

to perform calibrations in a workshop.

Better accuracy can also be achieved when the calibration is performed in controlled conditions, whereby high-accuracy workshop calibration equipment is being utilised by the technician.

In the event of harsh or even dangerous field conditions, calibration in a well-designed workshop with equipment ready for use is ergonomic and practical. Workshop calibration can also compliment field calibration In terms of flow meters, AMS’ work with Bronkhorst is a good case study of what both companies offer the market.

Flow meters and flow controllers are also used in aeration processes for beverages or ice creams, and for dosing applications such as adding ingredients like flavourings, colourants, and aromas.

But besides food processing applications, flow control is also used in sterilisation processes of packaging.

58 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

There is a variation in confectionary available on the market and each brand has its own taste, texture, and appearance. As such, a flexible approach to flow control is necessary.

Erwin Broekman, area sales manager at Bronkhorst, visited HaasMondomix in the Netherlands to learn what he could from the machine building company, which specialises in equipment for the food industry.

With ultrasonic volume flow meters, Haas-Mondomix measures the number of additives, flavourings, and colourings that are added to the production process.

“Our goal is to create a highly accurate, liquid independent line of flow meters meeting the highest hygienic standards to serve the needs of our customers, especially for applications where low flow solutions are important,” said Erwin Eekelde, Bronkhorst product manager.

Some of the features that ultrasonic flow meters bring to the food and beverage industry include being fluid independent with a bult-in PID controller and continuous batch dosing.

Meanwhile, in the chocolate confectionery industry, there’s a high number of variations in flavours that makes liquid flow meters, in combination with a dosing pump, a suitable solution for dosing flavours and functional ingredients.

When combining the flow meter with a plunger pump, higher accuracy and repeatability can be achieved and this results in less waste of often expensive flavours and fragrances.

This way, manufacturers will get a consistent quality and fewer rejects, which will reduce raw material costs.

For ice cream, aeration is used in the production process because air makes up anywhere from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the total volume of ice cream products.

Aeration is also used in the

production of whipped cream.

For these kinds of applications, Hansa Industrie-Mixer has mixing machines and foam generators available.

Hansa Industrie-Mixer machines come with an ISO 9001 Certification, which sets out the criteria for quality management systems and have been manufactured in Germany for 40 years.

The company offers everything from basic foam mixers to more advanced and complete systems, making them a suitable for manufacturers of all sizes. The company also maintains research into the sector for continued innovation and development.

And while many advancements have been made in aeration technology, and by extension packaging technology, there are still hurdles that need to be overcome, such as food waste.

Globally, food is lost or wasted at different points in the supply chain but companies like AMS and Hansa Industrie-Mixer work continuously to strengthen the production and packaging processes.

To reduce spoilage of food and increase the shelf life, packaging needs to be sterilised, and this is the point where something like Controlled Evaporation Mixing (CEM) systems come in the picture.

CEM technology was developed as an innovative Liquid Delivery System (LDS) that can be used for atmospheric or vacuum processes. This helps reduce the chances of spoilage on the supply chain.

Some of the key features of controlled evaporation mixing is its ability to accurately control liquid mixture while also presenting a fast response time.

Controlled evaporation mixing also allows for flexible selection of gas and liquid ratios depending on specific requirements. F

AIP president and two board members become CPP’s Members of the senior leadership at the Australian Institute of Packaging proudly received the Certified Packaging Professional designation based on their continued expertise.

Author - Nerida Kelton MAIP, Executive Director – AIP, Vice President – Sustainability & Save Food

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he AIP is pleased to advise that the AIP president and two board members have become the latest Certified Packaging Professionals for the Australasian Region.

The Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) designation is the leading mark of excellence internationally and a must-have recognition of industry proficiency and achievement for packaging professionals. CPP credentials demonstrate that a packaging practitioner possesses packaging knowledge, experience, and skills to the degree that they deserve recognition as a true packaging professional, a cut above their peers.

Attaining the CPP designation is an excellent investment in professional development and the credential defines the packaging professional and allows organisations to seek out and hire the right professional based on verified knowledge, skills, and industry contributions.

Jason Fields, FAIP, CPP, procurement category manager – packaging, JBS, George Ganzenmuller Dip.Pkg.Tech. FAIP, CPP, innovation manager, Opal Fibre Packaging, and Kevin Truong Dip. Pkg.Tech. MAIP, CPP, packaging development manager, Primo Foods have 80 years of packaging experience between them, with two graduating with the internationally recognised Diploma in Packaging Technology.

According to Jason Fields, attaining the CPP designation was a significant personal achievement and his first formal packaging qualification since his first degree many years ago.

“Attaining the CPP is such a milestone for me, as whenever I see other people with the designation, I know I am talking to someone with

strong technical industry knowledge who possesses the fundamental understanding of all packaging materials and understands how primary, secondary and tertiary packaging materials work as a total ‘package’,” he said.

“Now that I have my CPP I am extremely proud to be recognised as a part of this group of packaging professionals across the globe.”

George Ganzenmuller added that he saw attaining the CPP as a great way to complement his earlier Diploma in Packaging Technology Degree and as a means of bridging his own knowledge base.

“I saw the CPP process as both a learning and validation process for my own career path, as well as a positive reinforcement with my work and industry collaborations,” said Ganzenmuller.

“The CPP is an on-going process that prompts individuals to stay current, stay active within the profession, and most importantly, encourages continual improvement

and education in our chosen field within the industry.

“I feel the CPP program is a proactive and positive way to stay relevant, up-to-date and connected with the networks we create. It is the trust and respect within collaborative partnerships that helps drives success.”

Kevin Truong undertook the CPP program as he was looking for the next educational challenge after graduating from the Diploma in Packaging Technology.

“Applying for and obtaining the CPP was a natural choice after spending nearly 14 years in the packaging industry,” he said.

“Obtaining the CPP designation not only ticks off one of my important career goals, but also makes me feel good. For me the CPP designation is the true testament for the contributions that an individual makes in the packaging industry, be it directly or indirectly, so that said individual can be proud of their contributions and achievements thus far.

“I also look forward to contributing and achieving even more in the exciting future that this industry offers. A huge thank you must also go to the AIP for offering the CPP designation in the Australasian region.”

“Our industry is such a dynamic, ever-evolving and growing sector, which is currently navigating significant environmental and social changes,” added Ganzenmuller.

“It is so important to continually recognise the skills, creativity and professionalism of all packaging technologists and designers within the industry who help companies around the world navigate broader industry challenges.”

The CPP program is owned by the IoPP and is exclusively delivered through the AIP in Australasia and is internationally recognised by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). Contact the AIP today to find out how you can become a Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) in the Australasian Region. F

AIP has strengthened its expertise with three senior employees becoming Certified Packaging Professionals. www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 59

MARKETWATCH

Deal activity maintains momentum Corporate activity in the food and beverage industry in the months of February and March 2022 continued to be strong. Seven transactions were announced over the one-month period to mid-March 2022.

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SX-listed oyster producer, Angel Seafood Holdings, has entered into a scheme implementation deed with Laguna Bay Group, whereby Laguna will acquire the remaining shares of Angel Seafood Holdings. Laguna Bay Group has offered a cash consideration of $0.20 per Angel Seafood share. The offer is subject to shareholder, court and FIRB approval.

ASX-listed Halo Foods (formerly Keytone Dairy) acquired global online health and fitness platform, The Healthy Mummy for $17 million.

ASX-listed Mad Paws acquired Pet Chemist Online, a leading online supplier of pet medication and premium pet healthcare products for $25 million. The purchase consideration will be settled through a combination of cash and script, with the valuation of the up front

Date

Target Name

Acquirer

Sector

11 Feb

Angel Seafood Holdings

Laguna Bay Group

Seafood

14 Feb

The Healthy Mummy

Halo Foods

Health and nutrition

23 Feb

Pet Chemist

Mad Paws

Pet food

8 Mar

Bucket Boys

Batch Brewing Co

Craft beer

9 Mar

Jalna Dairy Foods

Lactalis

Value-added dairy

15 Mar

Perfection Fresh

Consortium of investors

Fresh Produce

16 Mar

Cordina Chickens (controlling stake)

PAG

Poultry

consideration based on 2.5x annualised 1H FY22 operating revenue.

Well-known yoghurt brand, Jalna Dairy Foods, was acquired by French multinational dairy producer, Lactalis. Jalna is one of Australia’s best-known Greek yoghurt brands with distribution through Woolworths and Coles. It was reported that the

transaction was priced at more than $200 million excluding the property assets.

A consortium of investors acquired a partial interest in Perfection Fresh.

The consortium of investors includes Equilibrium Capital, Temasek and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. The capital raised from the

new investors will be used to expand Perfection Fresh’s reach into Asia and other international markets.

The Cordina family has sold a controlling stake in the Cordina Chickens business to private equity investor, PAG. PAG will invest alongside the Cordina family, with Louise Cordina continuing to operate as chief executive officer of the business.

The outlook for the food and beverage industry at the end of the first quarter of 2022 remain positive.

The impact of the recent floods in Queensland and northern NSW and the increased cost of inputs will impact margins. Labour shortages and price inflation are expected to become important considerations for food and beverage manufacturers in the short term. F

Ben van der Westhuizen and David Baveystock are directors of Comet Line Consulting, an advisory business that specialises in acquisitions and divestments

Among the seven transactions for the quarter was Jalna Dairy Foods being acquired by Lactalis.

60 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

within the Australian food & beverage industry. For more information visit www .cometlineconsulting.com.au.

AFCCC

Critical times for the cold chain, which only education and training will fix Mark Mitchell, chairman of the Australian Food Cold Chain Council details the biggest issues facing the sector as we near food waste targets in 2030.

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he Australian cold chain is facing its biggest challenge yet. The current focus on halving the country’s horrendous food loss and waste by 2030 has lit a huge fire under the cold chain, and its glow has revealed the many failures of food carriage that far too many in the cold chain would prefer to deny.

Somebody must be responsible for the 7.6 million tonnes of food that never makes it to a table every year; for the $37.6 billion cost of that waste; for the 17.5 million tonnes of CO2 that is belched into the atmosphere because of the land, water, energy and fuel used to produce and distribute this wasted food.

Most participants in the cold chain, hand on heart, will welcome any move to stop wastage, but don’t believe they are actually part of the problem. This attitude is particularly prevalent in the food transport industry.

This is what comes of working in isolation. A chain, by its definition, means linking together in a common enterprise. But many of the links in the Australian cold chain are broken, and only a concerted effort by the industry will restore it.

Every company that handles food in refrigeration should embed quality management systems throughout their entire process. When the AFCCC meets a lack of appetite for improvement of cold chain processes, this reluctance to participate can be generally related to an inability to recognise that there is another, and bigger layer of responsibility on top of any number of refrigerated spaces, data acquisition technologies and intelligent refrigeration controls.

The food cold chain must be seen as a second layer, or a combination of the whole range of assets used

by companies to transport, store and distribute food from farm or manufacturing facility to the consumer. Once these processes are incorporated into quality management systems, the chances of limiting food waste become increasingly higher.

As the AFCCC has said many times, there is no shortage of technology to monitor and identify fault-lines in the cold chain. What’s lacking is the knowledge required to act on the information that technology delivers.

Which leads us to the conclusion that the only way the cold chain can be repaired is through education, and we mean serious training.

The cold chain is just two words, but it should be three words – training, training and training.

Individual enterprises in the cold chain honestly believe they know it all. Their own processes, taken in isolation, may be very efficient, but when their product goes out the door and into a refrigerated transport, they believe their responsibility ends as they wave the truck goodbye. No it doesn’t.

There are very few compliant end-to-end cold chains in Australia.

Long distances, commercial pressures and multiple use of thirdparty providers continue to be the main reasons the majority of chains are broken. There is also a great falsehood held by a significant number of stakeholders that individual links in the chain can be observed as compliant, and therefore product validation is possible. This is an erroneous approach due to the fact that non-verification of all the links in the chain cannot provide product validation at the end.

The AFCCC and its partners have

The cold chain remains fractured in Australia and the ACCC wants that to change.

gone to extreme lengths to provide relevant training for cold chain practitioners, introducing Australia’s first practical training program on the selection and use of thermometers.

Perhaps because the thermometer is such a simple device, everyone thinks they know how to use it. If that’s the case, how come temperature abuse has been identified as being one of the biggest contributors to food loss and wastage?

There are plenty of people walking around with thermometers in their hand, but very few understand how to use them, calibrate them and are unable to make decisions that will identify broken links in the cold chain.

The AFCCC had hoped that its low-cost training program would produce a new generation of skilled people who in turn would lead the culture change charge.

Industry hasn’t exactly beaten

down the doors to get at the training.

Employees, it seems, need to be motivated by their supervisors and managers, but motivation is sadly lacking in their world.

It’s not as if training resources have been neglected. There is plenty of training available in a multitude of places, including government, packaging, and food husbandry organisations.

One would think it incumbent on all companies dealing in chilled or frozen foods, to have adopted regular internal training on food standards for all staff. Safe Food Queensland, and its equivalent in other states would be a good starting point.

All of us in the cold chain collectively have to lift our game, and we need to sign up every cold chain practitioner from every loading dock, every transport and every cold room in the country to higher levels of training. F

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 61

NEW PRODUCTS

Where the controller becomes a modular control cabinet The MX-System is a uniform modular automation component that can be used to replace traditional control cabinets with modules in many applications.

The system consists of a robust aluminium baseplate in protection class IP67 with integrated module slots that feature EtherCAT for communication and an integrated power supply (safety extra-low voltages as well as 400 V AC and 600 V DC). The largest expansion stage can even accommodate a connected load of 400 V AC/63 A. Corresponding modules are available for the mains connection and all other control cabinet functions. When it comes to connecting the field level, the modules use connection plugs that have been tried and tested for many years in the field of automation technology. A system combination of baseplate and modules has a protection class of IP67 and can be mounted directly on the machine. The system reduces the amount of effort involved for the manufacturer, especially during the planning and installation phases, while the integrated diagnostic functions reduce the complexity for the end user. This all combines to result in a modular control cabinet system with a high protection class that can be mounted on the machine without the need for additional protective housings.

Beckhoff Australia www.beckhoff.com (03) 9912 5430

ICP Australia introduces a new three-phase Smart Power Meter ICP Australia has introduced ICP DAS’s PM-3133 Series, which is inclusive of 3-phase smart power meter. The PM-3133 series gives you access to real-time electric usage for three-phase power measurement.

With its high accuracy (<0.5 per cent, PF=1 ), the PM-3133 series can be applied to both low voltage primary side and/ or medium/high voltage secondary side and enables the users to obtain reliable and accurate energy consumption readings from the monitored equipment in real time under operation.

Furthermore, these compact size and cost-effective power meters are equipped with wired clip-on CT (various types, support input current up to 400 A). The PM-3133 Series operates over an input voltages range 10 ~ 500 VAC that allows worldwide compatibility, and with two channels relay outputs, it can be linked with sirens or lightings for alarm messages.

The series also supports Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP or CANopen protocols for easy integration.

Features include: • • • • • • • • • •

Bi-directional energy.

True RMS power measurements.

Energy analysis for 3P4W, 3P3W, 1P3W, 1P2W. Current measurements up to 100 A with different CT ratio.

Voltage measurements up to 500 V. Clip-on CT for easy installation.

W accuracy better than 0.5 per cent (PF=1).

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).

Supports Modbus RTU protocol.

Supports 2 power relay output (Form A).

62 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

• IEC 61010-1 and EN 61010-1.

• Multiple data format.

ICP Electronic Australia www.icp-australia.com.au (02) 9457 6011

NEW PRODUCTS

VariBlast compact safety gun for hard-to-reach places This air gun has enough power to produce variable force with the simple adjustment of the trigger valve.

You decide how much force is needed for the application by squeezing the trigger a little or all the way for maximum force! This cast aluminium gun can be equipped with any of our 1/8 NPT engineered air nozzles. The VariBlast Compact Safety Air Gun is small, comfortable, and powerful while remaining light and ergonomic.

Applications include part cleaning, chip removal, liquid blowoff, part cooling, and part drying.

Features: • • • • • • • • • •

lightweight; comfortable to operate during extended use; cariable flow trigger; highly focused blast of air; small nozzle and extension can fit into tight spaces; reduced compressed air cost; improved blowoff performance; improved safety; meets OSHA noise level requirements; and meets OSHA pressure requirements.

Compressed Air Australia (08) 8983 3999 www.caasafety.com.au

PSENrope provides extra safety when emergency stop functions are deployed Whether on the assembly line or machine: where safety in the production area is concerned, the safe rope pull switches PSENrope are a proven, reliable solution.

PSENrope switch off functional processes by manual operation. PSENrope provide maximum safety when it matters: the emergency stop function can be triggered at any point along the rope. With a rope length of up to 75 metres, they are suitable for safeguarding large plants. The safe rope pull switches PSENrope are robust and flexible, making them a proven, reliable solution where safety in the production area is concerned. As the operating range of rope pull switches is limited only by the length of the rope, even large plants can be safeguarded using PSENrope. The PSENrope is suited for use in the packaging sector by laying down essential safety requirements, particularly with automation and primary packaging.

Benefits: • • • • • • •

Simple installation and convenient management.

Flexible to use even when protecting large systems.

Extremely rugged thanks to robust finish and strong metal or plastic housing.

Highly robust due to sturdy metal or plastic housing.

Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

High level of safety as wiring space is physically separate from mechanics.

Cost-effective thanks to the combination of emergency stop and pull-to-release.

Pilz Australia www.pilz.com (03) 9560 0621

www.foodmag.com.au | April 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 63

XYLEM WE SOLVE YOUR WATER CHALLENGES

PRODUCTS | TECHNOLOGY | SERVICE NATIONAL COVERAGE – LOCAL SUPPORT Your Food & Beverage Water Processing Solutions Partner

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