Food & Beverage Industry News June 2022

JUNE 2022

How a personal goal led to a successful food business PLUS: AUSPACK review | Digitisation | Traceability

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2 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

L

ast month I was able to attend my first industry event, AUSPACK since the beginning of the pandemic.

The common theme among visitors and exhibitors alike was how good it was to finally be on a showroom floor again and mixing with industry peers.

For me personally, it was my first chance to meet many people from within the industry for the first time while gaining valuable insight from the series of expert talks which were held over the four days in Melbourne.

Automation continues to dominate the current and future landscape of the food and beverage industry and the long list of advantages it is creating are too numerous to list here. But one thing was shown beyond a shadow of a doubt, automation will continue to dominate industry conversations going forward.

Packaging is a critical area where sustainability goals can be achieved quickly, due to the continued innovation in the space, many of which were on display at AUSPACK. Traceability was another key area of focus at the event, especially after GS1 was highlighted for the continued innovation of 2D barcode technology.

Through better traceability many industries that rely on a solid supply chain, and cold chain, will be granted greater security.

Collaboration was another thing I took note of during my time at AUSPACK, seeing how so many different companies within the numerous sectors of food and beverage manufacturing work together, from sensor technology to pallet wrapping, demonstrates

how the success of the industry is built on supportive technology and machinery working together seamlessly.

It was also exciting to see company spokespeople being flown in from around the world to represent their offerings in Australia. The food and beverage manufacturing industry requires a global network to ensure the best technologies are being employed as widely as possible.

The net zero sustainability and efficiency goals set out by industry and government are helping to shape the future of the industry. Having easier access to the best offerings from anywhere in the world is a key component of continuing this process.

My experience on the showroom floor also helped me to better understand what is important to stakeholders and decisionmakers, which will inform this magazine going forward, helping us provide you with the stories that matter most.

Next up we have FoodTech, from July 7-8, and I look forward to once again connecting and networking with the industry in a face-to-face capacity, this time in Queensland.

It will be an invaluable experience to be at FoodTech, which aims to share new opportunities and push the boundaries of what food technology can achieve.

As an event which runs only once every three years, it will also give me a chance to meet more people from across the industry.

Until then. Have a great month.

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CONTENTS

INSIDE

26

07 NEWS 22 MEET THE MANUFACTURER FodBods is the first product in Australia to receive FODMAP Certification.

26 AUTOMATION Niras knows the importance of SME’s looking into automation.

28 AUTOMATION Centric Software PLM is maximising traceability for the industry.

30 AUTOMATION Krones continues to help digitise the food and beverage industry.

32

32 AUTOMATION Spraying Systems Australia provides greater efficiency for producers.

34 TRACEABILITY GS1 was recognised at AUSPACK for its work on 2D barcoding.

37 ENGINEERING CRAM is now an internationally recognised engineering company.

38 DIGITISATION Heat & Control has a powerful sorting range from Key Technology.

40

40 EXPORTS A new Food & Beverage Export Catalogue has been launched online.

42 AUSPACK A recap of the 2022 AUSPACK packaging expo in Melbourne.

44 INGREDIENTS Kerry Ingredients is encouraging investment in foods and beverages.

46 PACKAGING Select Equip is the exclusive distributor for Keymac Packaging Systems.

48 WEIGHING EQUIPMENT

Tecweigh provide several food-grade manufacturing solutions.

44

50 FOODTECH Ways the industry can minimise waste through packaging innovations.

52 HYGIENE Continental’s range of hoses makes production safer and cleaner.

54 AIP 55 AFCCC 56 AFGC 58 NEW PRODUCTS

4 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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Bega Cheese anticipates recovery following $40 million hit B

Bega expects the leverage ratio to reduce in FY2022.

ega Cheese reported in a trading update to the ASX yesterday that although the brand is likely to experience a $40 million hit this financial year, COVID-19 associated costs are easing and the market is recovering.

The food manufacturer has been majorly impacted by the pandemic, floods in Central Australia and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the recent lockdowns in Shanghai have disrupted product deliveries in China.

“There have been increases in input costs associated with the outbreak of war in Ukraine and now also concern on the certainty of deliveries of products destined to the China market scheduled through the port of Shanghai due to lockdowns in that city,” a company statement said.

As a result, Bega Cheese has predicted normalised earnings before interest, tax depreciation and amortisation of $175-190 million for the year and is continuing to manage several one-off costs, following more than $20 million impacted in the first half of the year.

Despite this, international dairy prices have strengthened, the company said in the ASX announcement.

“Bega Cheese’s balance sheet remains strong, and the company continues to execute its capital program focused on site and supply chain efficiencies, capacity increases and product innovation in high growth categories,” the company statement continued.

“Bega Cheese expects its leverage ratio to reduce in FY2022 to approximately 2.0.” F

Over 100 million soft drinks to switch to 100 per cent recycled A

round 111 million soft drink bottles will now be made with 100 per cent recycled plastic in Australia each year as Asahi Beverages continues its transition to eco-friendly materials.

The change will apply to all 450ml and 600ml bottles of soft drinks sold

by Asahi Beverages including popular brands Pepsi Max, Solo, Schweppes and Sunkist.

The move follows Asahi Beverages’ bottled water brands Cool Ridge Still Water and Frantelle’s, which have been sold in 100 per cent recycled PET for several years. It brings the total number of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles produced by Asahi Beverages to more than 640 million each year.

“Today’s announcement means consumers can now have confidence when they buy our 450ml or 600ml soft drinks that the plastic bottle they’re drinking from has been sustainably sourced,” Asahi Beverages group CEO

Robert Iervasi said.

“Using only eco-friendly materials is a big part of our ambitious sustainability agenda. Some of our brands have been around for more than 150 years. If they’re to be around in another 150 years and beyond they need to be sustainably produced.”

According to PepsiCo ANZ CEO, Kyle Faulconer, Asahi Beverages is collaborating with them to move to recycled plastic across iconic beverages like Pepsi Max, one of the biggest brands in the cola category within Australia.

“Asahi plays an important role in helping us drive toward a circular economy and reduce plastic waste.

This move forms part of our global commitment to PepsiCo Positive which guides our business on how we inspire positive change for the planet and people,” Faulconer said.

Asahi Beverages’ and PepsiCo’s other soft drink bottles – 1.1L, 1.25L

The change will apply to all 450ml and 600ml bottles of soft drink.

and 2L – will start transitioning to 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles next year.

Asahi Beverages last year formed an industry partnership with Pact Group, Cleanaway and Coca-Cola Europacific

Image credit: Zety Akhzar / Shutterstock.com

Image credit: Yati Yahaya / Shutterstock.com

&

NEWS

Partners to build two new PET plastic recycling plants. The first, in Albury NSW, was officially opened on 11 March, while the second, in Altona North, Victoria, will be complete in 2023. F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 7

NEWS

Woolworths opens $184 million Heathwood Distribution Centre W

oolworths has unveiled its Heathwood Distribution Centre, 20km southwest of Brisbane’s CBD. The 42,000sqm temperaturecontrolled facility will complement Woolworths’ current Queensland network, servicing 280 Queensland and northern NSW Woolworths stores with faster, fresher and more efficient deliveries of chilled and frozen goods.

The building is targeting a 5 Star Green Star certification for sustainability, which, if successful, will be Woolworths’ first 5 Green Star certified Distribution Centre in Queensland.

Creating over 200 local jobs during its construction and around 300 ongoing jobs for Queenslanders, the Distribution Centre has been partly operational since November 2021 to support Woolworths’ network in the lead up to Christmas.

“The importance of a strong, responsive and resilient supply chain has come into sharp focus during the pandemic and the most recent extreme weather events,” said Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci.

“As well as strengthening our

The new centre services 280 Queensland and Northern NSW Woolworths stores.

network capability, this new state-ofthe-art facility is an important part of our ongoing commitment to investing in Brisbane – and across broader Queensland.”

Private sector investment in new infrastructure and jobs is crucial to rebuilding Queensland’s economy in the wake of COVID-19, according to state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“Throughout the pandemic and again, during severe weather events this

year, Queenslanders have gained a great appreciation for the important role distribution centres play in their lives,” said Palaszczuk.

At full capacity, the Heathwood Distribution Centre will distribute more than a million cartons of chilled, frozen, and fresh meat per week.

With the co-location and connection via an automated air bridge of Woolworths’ meat supplier Hilton Foods Australia, approximately 390

truck movements will be removed from Brisbane roads each week by consolidating delivery loads to stores.

With sustainability at the forefront of the build, the facility features 4,000 solar panels that will provide 100 per cent power for the site during peak periods, a discharge rainwater tank which captures three million litres of rainwater and gentle run off, grassed areas across the grounds and provision for electric cars and trucks. F

Exporting to India is now cheaper O

n 2 April, the Federal Government announced the signing of the AustraliaIndia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) to further strengthen the international relationship and make Australian exports to India cheaper.

Tariffs will be eliminated on more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exports to India (valued at more than $12.6 billion a year), rising to almost 91 per cent (valued at $13.4 billion) over ten years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the agreement would create enormous trade diversification opportunities for Australian producers and service providers bound for India, valued at up to $14.8 billion each year.

“This agreement opens a big door into the world’s fastest growing major economy for Australian farmers, manufacturers, producers and so many more,” said Morrison.

“By unlocking the huge market of around 1.4 billion consumers in India, we are strengthening the economy and growing jobs right here at home.

“This is great news for lobster fishers in Tasmania, wine producers in South Australia, macadamia farmers in Queensland, critical minerals miners in Western Australia, lamb farmers from New South Wales, wool producers from Victoria and metallic ore producers from the Northern Territory.

The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) welcomed the

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

Tariffs will be eliminated on more than 85 per cent of Aussie goods. agreement, as it eliminates the current 30 per cent import tariff levied on Australian sheep meat on entry into force.

“AMIC has been focused on achieving this fantastic outcome for the benefit of our sheep processing

members and exporters, for a very long time,” said AMIC Board director and AMIC Sheepmeat Policy Group chair Roger Fletcher.

“This deal is a testament to the quality and desirability of Australian sheep meat across the world, and we are excited to be able to add to the growing list of satisfied global consumers who demand Australian red meat.”

AMIC CEO, Patrick Hutchinson, said they have been concentrated on advocacy with a range of stakeholders to pursue market opportunities in India.

“What has been achieved is a clear outcome of what can be done when industry and government work closely together to maximise market opportunities,” he said. F

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NEWS

Australian farms join Coles to launch carbon neutral beef range C

oles has become the first major Australian supermarket to launch a certified own brand carbon neutral beef product, which will reach shelves in Victoria this week and be rolled out nationally over the next 12 months.

The Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef range will include seven premium quality cuts of beef, from eye fillet to porterhouse steak, produced under the federal government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.

Coles has been working with beef farmers to calculate and reduce their emissions by 19 per cent below the national average.

“When we announced our Sustainability Strategy just over a year ago, we said we’d work with all our stakeholders to achieve our Together to Zero emissions ambitions and to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket,” Coles CEO Steven Cain said.

The packaging for the beef range is fully recyclable and made from 90 per cent recycled and plant-based sources via

Coles’ packaging partner, Plantic.

“As part of our ongoing sustainability journey, Coles is exploring further opportunities to partner with our suppliers on sustainability initiatives, so we can ensure a better future for generations to come,” said Cain.

As part of the carbon neutral beef program, Coles works with farmers to identify ways to reduce emissions from their operations, such as using renewable energy, changing herd management practices for more efficient reproduction and to maximise growth, and use of genetic selection to improve herd health.

Over the past two years, Coles has been working with Dr Stephen Wiedemann, principal research scientist at Integrity Ag & Environment, to study innovative ways tree planting and vegetation can help reduce net carbon emissions on beef farms through carbon sequestration.

Carbon stored in trees is then included in the farm’s “carbon account” and reduces the overall emissions associated with the farm’s production –

Coles is also purchasing Australian Carbon Credit Units. a process known as carbon “insetting,” where the process of reducing emissions is carried out at or directly related to their source.

Coles is also purchasing Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the Armoobilla Regeneration Project in south-west Queensland to cover emissions that fall outside the scope of the insetting measures, such as those involved in processing and transporting

the beef to stores, ensuring that the range achieves carbon neutral status.

Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef will carry the Climate Active stamp to help customers identify the certified beef on shelves. Climate Active certification is awarded to businesses and organisations that have credibly reached a state of achieving net zero emissions for their products, services or other initiatives. F

Labor selects new Agriculture and Manufacturing ministers T

he new Australian Labor government has selected Murray Watt as minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Tim Ayres as assistant minister for Manufacturing and Trade.

The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC), representing the post-farmgate domestic meat industry, welcomed the new ministers. The AMIC will work with the new Labor ministry across a range of portfolios.

“We’re calling on each of these Ministers, as well as the new leadership team, to recognise the Australian food chain, recognise the importance of the Australian meat supply chain and work with us to address our key issues as a

priority, including workforce shortages, biosecurity, trade barriers, logistical challenges and sustainability,” AMIC CEO Patrick Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said that AMIC stands ready as a trusted advisor on industry issues and broader meat and livestock issues in Australia.

“We’re Australia’s biggest agricultural exporter, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers, and one of the largest rural and regional employers,” he said.

“The impacts of COVID-19 over the past two years on the food supply chain, and in particular the Omicron impacts in January this year, showed the huge impact and strain on the Australian supply chain due to worker shortage.

Labor has appointed Tim Ayres as assistant minister for Manufacturing and Trade.

“This is a serious impact on food security and the viability of our farmers. If we do not have an adequate workforce to manage the livestock

supply and throughput process, which is about to return to record levels, the entire industry will suffer, including Australian farmers.” F

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

NEWS

Market for Australian wine grows with $1.8 million grant A

ustralian Grape & Wine has been awarded a $1,817,000 Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation grant to improve trade and grow demand in diversified international markets for locally produced premium wine.

Following the announcement, a $989,000 grant was given to Wine Australia to support a wine industry consortium and build an online pricing and market data digital analytics platform for greater transparency throughout the supply chain.

The funding would support Wine Australia to work with ABARES on improved wine grape price forecasts and build on the success achieved by Australian Grape & Wine in expanding export market opportunities in Japan and South Korea.

The grant will help Australian Grape & Wine improve market access, tackle trade barriers, and generate growth in

key target export markets, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, India, and Scandinavia.

The benefits go beyond the wine sector, driving jobs and growth across regional Australia and helping contribute to the goal of increasing the value of Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.

The funding will focus on three key pillars of work to improve trade and grow demand for Australian wine exports, Australian Grape & Wine CEO Tony Battaglene said.

Wine Australia will see better market data, insights, and information available to the sector, helping all players make better business decisions and mitigate against bargaining power imbalances.

This project would fill a significant knowledge gap in the domestic market, Wine Australia general manager Rachel Triggs said.

The grants will help to improve trade and grow demand.

Wine Australia will partner with Australian Grape & Wine, using its experience in market insights, platforms, and marketing.

The work will also utilise the expertise of Austrade, the Australian

government’s agricultural counsellors, and the broader diplomatic network.

The Australian government’s grant to Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia will support the growing demands in the wine industry. F

Single use plastic bags now banned Australia-wide N

SW became the last state or territory in Australia to ban single use plastics bags yesterday, with retailers facing up to $275,000 for providing them to customers. Other measures will be introduced to reduce plastic waste in Australia in the coming months.

In addition to the 1 June lightweight plastic bag ban, from November the NSW government will ban: • single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds; • expanded polystyrene food ware and cups; and • rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

An estimated 2.7 billion items of plastic waste will be saved from landfill over 20 years and is part of a state push

to reduce plastic litter by 30 per cent by 2025.

So-called “compostable” and “bioplastic” alternatives to the above items will also be banned. These items don’t biodegrade unless they’re treated in an industrial composting facility, creating just as much of a problem as conventional plastic.

To ensure small businesses are ready for the changes this year, the NSW government engaged the National Retail Association (NRA) to deliver a comprehensive retailer education campaign.

Minister for Small Business, Eleni Petinos, said the NSW government is supporting more than 40,000 businesses across NSW to phase-out single-use plastics.

“The NSW government has worked with stakeholders to support small

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

businesses to understand how they will be affected, how to comply with new

It’s estimated 2.7 billion items of plastic waste will be saved from landfill.

laws and what alternatives they can use to single-use plastics,” Petinos said. F

NEWS

Arnott’s plans packaging transformation using mono-material A

rnott’s has committed to transitioning its soft plastic packaging from multi to monomaterial, making it fully recyclable by the end of 2023. This is well ahead of the 2025 National Packaging Targets set by the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) and its “best practice” guidelines for soft plastic packaging.

The move will remove non-recyclable materials from the packaging for Arnott’s entire ANZ biscuit range, resulting in full recyclability of that packaging through the Australian RedCycle and New Zealand Soft Plastics Recycling schemes.

Consumers will start to notice the change with the roll out of thinner, fully recyclable packaging across the Farmbake range, a widely popular product for NZ consumers also available at Australian independent grocery stores. The change to the Farmbake packaging will generate a plastic reduction of nine tonnes each year.

Arnott’s will transition the

remainder of its soft plastic packaging to fully recyclable material in the next 18 months, as trials are completed.

This change will ensure all Arnott’s packaging is fully recyclable.

Arnott’s Group director of Packaging Development, Alberto Peixeiro, said Arnott’s was working hard to achieve 100 per cent recyclable packaging comprised of mono-material structures and more simplified packaging formats.

Arnott’s Group chief transformation officer, Simon Lowden, said the announcement is just one of the ways that the business was applying pressure to meet and surpass the sustainability objectives set in 2021.

Arnott’s is currently at 75 per cent recyclability (units) across its packaging portfolio, with an intention to get to 100 per cent by 2023, ahead of the original 2025 target.

Arnott’s improved its Sustainability performance score as part of the APCO Performance Summary from

71 per cent to 81 per cent, and from “Leading” to “Beyond Best Practice.”

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International experts forecast food cyber risks for ag-tech F linders University has highlighted cybersecurity risks in using smart ag-tech in partnership with King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, and Aix-Marseille University in France, conducted via complex IT and math modelling.

“Smart sensors and systems are used to monitor crops, plants, the environment, water, soil moisture, and diseases,” King Abdulaziz University lead author Professor Abel Alahmadi said.

“The transformation to digital agriculture would improve the quality and quantity of food for the everincreasing human population, which is forecast to reach 10.9 billion by 2100.”

This progress in production, genetic modification for drought-resistant crops, and other technologies is prone to cyber-attack – particularly if the ag-tech sector doesn’t take adequate precautions like other corporate or defence sectors,

researchers warn.

Flinders University researcher Dr Saeed Rehman says the rise of internet connectivity and smart low-power devices has facilitated the shift of many labourintensive food production jobs into the digital domain – including modern techniques for accurate irrigation, soil and crop monitoring using drone surveillance.

“However, we should not overlook security threats and vulnerabilities to digital agriculture, in particular possible side-channel attacks specific to ag-tech applications,” Rehman said.

“Digital agriculture is not immune to cyber-attack, as seen by interference to a US watering system, a meatpacking firm, wool broker software and an Australian beverage company.”

According to Flinders University co-author Professor David Glynn, a side-channel attack, which extracts

Researcher Dr Saeed Rehman said the rise in internet connectivity facilitated the shift. cryptographic or sensitive information from physical hardware operation, could easily be carried out.

“These attacks could be easily carried out with physical access to devices, which the cybersecurity community has not explicitly investigated,” Glynn said.

The researchers recommend investment into precautions and awareness about the vulnerabilities of digital agriculture to cyber-attack, with an eye on the potential serious effects on the general population in terms of food supply, labour, and flow-on costs. F

Australia to become global player in alternative proteins market A The expansion of plant-based products has led to a $7.5 billion growth opportunity.

ustralia is on the brink of becoming a global player in alternative proteins, with the market significantly expanding to include a variety of plant protein-infused foods, according to AltProteins22.

AltProteins22 is Australia and New Zealand’s first alternative proteins conference, which was held in Melbourne on 18 May and supported by the Victorian government.

Cheese made from dairy proteins “sans cow” could hit our supermarket shelves as early as Christmas, while cultivated meat such as kangaroo meatballs and chicken schnitzels grown from animal cells could be on sale in a years’ time, joining the existing 250+ plant-based meat alternatives currently in stores.

The expansion from traditional plantbased meat products has given Australia’s farmers and manufacturers a $7.5 billion

growth opportunity to create new jobs and boost Australia’s agriculture industry.

A remarkable export opportunity is right on our doorstep, with the greatest increase in demand for protein coming from Asia – home to more than half of the world’s population – where the call for plant-based meat products alone is expected to increase by 200 per cent in the next five years in markets like China and Thailand.

Co-founder and executive director of Australian Plant Proteins, Phil McFarlane, was a key speaker at AltProteins22. He said that recent investment in alternative proteins, including $378 million by government and the private sector, is a small drop in the ocean compared to the ongoing investment opportunity needed to make Australia a manufacturing hub that produces high-grade plant-based protein ingredients. F

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

NEWS

Victoria’s premium lamb producers go global T

he Victorian state government is backing local lamb producers to strengthen international exports to new and established markets while supporting jobs.

Leading chefs will spend the week learning about Victorian lamb and the state’s producers, inspiring them to create their own signature dishes and promote Victorian lamb when they return home.

The Lambassador program is delivered by Meat and Livestock Australia with support from a $2.5 million grant from the government’s Global Victoria’s Export Recovery Fund and Agriculture Victoria’s Food to Market program. The program has been running since 2015 with delegates

travelling to Victoria from around the world.

“Teaching world-class international chefs more about Victoria’s high quality, premium lamb and the exciting range of culinary possibilities it presents through the Lambassador program is an innovative way to promote and boost the industry’s global export potential,” Meat and Livestock Australia general manager International Markets Andrew Cox said.

The return of the in-person program will see the group travel to regional Victoria to see where Victorian lamb is farmed, learn more about how it is produced, discover new cooking techniques and experience some of the state’s best food and wine.

The program will help to grow global exports.

The Lambassador program began in Japan and will now be expanded to new regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America over the next two years.

Victoria is the largest sheep meat

exporter in Australia with exports valued at $1.4 billion. The program will help to grow global exports by boosting the profile and understanding of lamb in important overseas markets such as Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea. F

Australian wineries and vineyards begin transition to net zero S ustainable Winegrowing Australia has released its inaugural Impact Report, detailing the wide range of sustainable practices being successfully implemented by vineyards and wineries across Australia.

The report outlines the program’s first national data set and the significant steps being taken towards net zero emissions for the sector, with 100 per cent of members measuring and reporting their scope one and two greenhouse gas emissions.

The Sustainable Winegrowing Australia program, governed by the Australian Wine Research Institute, Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia, is a community of changemaking grape growers and winemakers who want to make a positive difference for people and the planet.

“More than half of Australian wine consumers are driven by sustainability and this number continues to increase alongside the growing global demands for products that demonstrate sustainable practices,” Australian Grape & Wine

CEO and Sustainable Winegrowing Australia chair Tony Battaglene said.

“The Sustainable Winegrowing Australia program has almost 900 members, ranging from small independents to large well-known

The transition will focus on four key areas, energy, water, waste, and people.

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

household brands, leading the charge for sustainable-minded wine lovers.”

The new report outlines what is possible regarding sustainable practices, and the standard of continuous improvement that the sector should be

held to.

The Impact Report also highlights areas of strength for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia members across four key areas – Energy, Water, Waste, and People and Business. F

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NEWS

Full Harvest accelerates expansion of B2B produce marketplace F ull Harvest, a B2B marketplace specialising in surplus and imperfect produce, has announced multiple milestones as it successfully scales its operations to help solve the $2.6 trillion global food waste problem.

“In just a few short months, we’ve been able to make incredible progress toward our mission to solve the produce distribution efficiency problem and reduce on-farm waste,” said Full Harvest founder and CEO Christine Moseley.

“Our new B2B marketplace tools improve the online produce buying/ selling process even further, and even more products are using our Verified Rescued Produce on store shelves.”

Full Harvest deepened its bench of proven industry experts, appointing seasoned online marketplace executives Nicolas Genest as chief technology officer and Brenton Keath as chief financial officer. Rounding out the Full Harvest leadership team, Genest will lead the company’s continued marketplace expansion efforts, while Keath will guide its financial strategy.

The B2B tools aim to improve online produce buying.

Both will help support Full Harvest’s push to break into new markets, strengthen industry partnerships and enhance its distribution channels.

Full Harvest also appointed product expert, Omar Chaudhry, to VP of Product.

Dedicated to helping ecommerce

companies meet evolving market needs, he will support the company’s continued product strategy and help ensure an intuitive user experience.

Due to an oversubscribed round, Full Harvest closed another $5 million in growth financing from Rabobank’s Food & Agri Innovation Fund (RFAIF)

and JAL Innovation Fund, increasing their total Series B to $28 million.

With the backing of Rabobank as well as JAL Innovation Fund, Full Harvest has widened its access to a larger network of connections that will be integral to the next phase of its rapid growth. F

Price transparency for perishable agricultural goods G overnment funding totalling $1.75 million will go to ABARES and an industry consortium led by Fresh Markets Australia to address price transparency in perishable agricultural goods supply chains.

“The more perishable your goods are, the weaker your position at the bargaining table,” minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said.

“Australian horticulture produces some of the finest produce in the world, and it’s essential that our growers get a fair price in the marketplace.

“A grant of $653,950 provided under

The government funding will total $1.75 million.

the government’s $5.94 million program to improve market transparency across perishable agricultural goods supply chains, will be provided to Fresh

Markets Australia to help develop and build of a web-based application that provides trusted, verifiable, daily updated market data across all fresh fruit and vegetables.”

Fresh Markets Australia general manager, Gail Woods, said the project will investigate, develop, pilot, and implement FreshData – a Verifiable Market Price Reporting scheme.

“FreshData will be accessible online, overlaying historical weather and other data to enable the horticulture supply chain to gauge whether prices received are competitive and to deliver price signals to interpret if there is an under or over supply of produce,” Woods said.

“The project aims to provide growers with information to inform investments in future supply capacity.”

ABARES will conduct a representative survey of apple and pear growers to gain a detailed picture of farm performance, with results from the survey to be published on the ABARES website. The study will be undertaken using $1 million of existing funding from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

The funding directly addresses key recommendations made by a recent Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Inquiry into Perishable Agricultural Goods industries. F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 19

NEWS

Government grant for sugar exports A

$592,900 federal government grant will help sugar exporters diversify into new, high-growth markets by reducing trade barriers and lowering price-distorting subsidies.

The sugar industry project will provide research and analysis to support international and bilateral trade negotiations and improved access to key existing markets.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud, said the grant would help the sugar industry effect its five-year strategy to increase market access and reduce trade barriers.

“This project will build on past successes in improving trade outcomes, like successful challenges in the WTO and the signing of free trade deals,” Littleproud said.

“With potential gains in the order of $1.2 billion from the freer flow of raw sugar between 2022 and 2040, tapping into this will require the best

The grants could lead to gains of $1.2 billion from the free flow of sugar. information and analysis to inform the best approaches to improve our access to high-value markets.”

Representing sugarcane growers, CANEGROWERS CEO, Dan Galligan, said the strategy aimed to diversify raw sugar exports into non-traditional markets, improve hi-pol sugar testing at Japanese ports and

align Australia’s verified sustainability credentials with international frameworks.

“We want to secure the sugar industry’s long-term viability which will increase the vibrancy of the regional communities it supports and contribute to Australian agriculture’s ambition of growing to be a $100 billion industry by

2030,” Galligan said. ““The grant will support the industry’s first ever Trade Policy and Market Access strategy. The strategy recognises the importance of collaboration and well-informed industry experts supporting government-to-government negotiations.” F

Mushroom growers call on food industry for knowledge

The research program will engage key stakeholders in the sector.

A

ustralian Mushrooms has teamed up with Nutrition Research Australia in a new nutrition education program, calling on food industry professionals to help uncover ways the Australian mushroom could solve some of the nation’s biggest

nutrition problems.

With the Australian food industry representing around $172 billion, the industry has a profound influence on the nation’s overall health.

The Australian Mushrooms research program will engage key

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

players in the food industry, including hospitals, aged care, quick service restaurants and food manufacturers to identify opportunities for Australian mushrooms to be included in menus to improve health outcomes.

Before the program kicks off, Australian Mushrooms would like to find out what the current level of mushroom usage and knowledge is within the industry, calling on food industry professionals to tell them what they know about the mighty mushroom via a quick survey.

By completing the survey, participants will have the chance to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards and will pass on valuable insights to the mushroom growers and nutrition researchers aiming to improve Australian health.

After finding out current

knowledge levels, the team will work alongside culinary education organisations, such as TAFEs, to incorporate mushroom nutrition education into curriculums. This will help provide tools and resources to the food service industry at the grassroots level.

As consumer demand trends continue to lower their intake of animal foods, the team aims to spread awareness of mushrooms as being a nutritious option that could hold the key to supporting nutritional needs, and lead to several improvements in the health of Australians.

This three-year research project is managed by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association and funded by Hort Innovation, using the mushroom research and development levy funds from the Australian government. F

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MEET THE MANUFACTURER

First FODMAP certified product in Australia gains success When Vanessa Hutchinson launched the healthy snack company, Fodbods, it was to fill a hole in the market for those who suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but a larger segment of the market was also eager for the product. Adam McCleery writes.

F

odbods was first cooked up in the kitchen of owner and founder, Vanessa Hutchinson, who had been living with the challenges presented by Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The challenges, especially in a fast-paced working atmosphere like startups, of finding the right food that was also FODMAP friendly was difficult, and the impact on day-to-day life was exhausting.

“Starting Fodbods was really to solve my own problem initially,” said Hutchinson.

“I was introduced to the low FODMAP diet and when I started following it all my symptoms went away and I live a perfectly normal life But I had a busy job where I was travelling a lot and that made it challenging for my diet.

friendly option on hand when needed. Hutchinson shopped around only to discover FODMAP friendly food options, outside of cooking ingredients, were virtually non-existent.

“That’s when I stated making my own protein bars at home and carrying them with me. I realised in this process there was a huge gap in the market for healthy and convenient FODMAP friendly food,” she said.

“There are a lot of foods around cooking and breakfast cereals and ready-made meals, but nothing prevalent in the industry, if you go into a service station there is nothing to find, planes, airports, the same.

“I started speaking to dieticians, Monash University, and FODMAP Friendly, they all agreed there was a

“There are a lot of foods around cooking and breakfast cereals and ready-made meals, but nothing prevalent in the industry, if you go into a service station there is nothing to find, planes, airports, the same.”

Fodbods was created with IBS in mind, but found a wider customer base as consumer trends changed.

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

“IBS effects one in five people which is a huge part of the population the low FODMAP diet was developed by the Monash University and is now the best-known treatment for IBS, it helps 75 per cent of sufferers.

“That means that effectively 15 per cent of the population is intolerant to FODMAPS, which is massive. Many people predict that low FODMAP will be the next gluten free.”

After following the FODMAP diet Hutchinson discovered she was feeling much better and many of her symptoms disappeared, but if she ever reverted back to a non-FODMAP friendly food she instantly felt ill.

The challenges then were making sure she had a FODMAP

lack of product.”

Hutchinson then went into research and development mode while also setting up her company, all the while gaining valuable insight from key minds in the FODMAPS and IBS research sectors.

“We actually work with a lot of sports dieticians because athletes get IBS more than everyday people because they are putting their bodies under stress,” she said.

“They struggle to get enough calories in because they don’t have those options. I started exploring further, speaking with consumers and customers, and investigating forums.

“I felt like I had to solve this problem because IBS is so much more

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

than physical symptoms, there is anxiety around it which is where the convenient part comes in.”

Knowing that she was going to need to scale up in order to achieve her goals, Hutchinson started looking at manufacturing possibilities for Fodbods.

“From day one I knew that I wanted to do it at scale and couldn’t be making them in my kitchen if I wanted to grow,” she said.

“It took a lot of research. Looking at other products and experimenting with different low FODMAP ingredients.

“There are so many ingredients used in other bars that we can’t use in ours, dates, cashews, and so on. We had to pull together low FODMAP ingredients create new combinations with those parameters.”

One of the problems, Hutchinson said, which Fodbods aims to address is helping people have a more energy sustained health bar that isn’t just empty carbs.

“I just wanted them to be made from simple ingredients you recognise and use at home,” said Hutchinson.

“It started as me in my kitchen, I made over 200 samples to begin, altering the ingredients and tonnes of taste testings.

“We would have tasting days and then broaden out to public spaces for feedback. Eventually I landed on the recipe. Making sure we stayed under the threshold was probably the hardest part.”

Once the Fodbods recipe had been settled on, the next major thing was to get FODMAP certification, which no other protein bar in Australia had achieved to that point.

“The process for getting FODMAP certification is hard in itself because it requires all FODMAPs to be under a very low threshold. Product sampled must be independently tested in a laboratory and we had a number of samples fail early,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson also had to find a manufacturing partner to help scale up production to an industrial level before seeking certification.

“Once we had the recipe it was about finding the right manufacturing partner. They get inquiries all the time so you must pitch them for your business,” she said.

“I had to explain what I was trying to achieve and why the bars would be successful.

“I found a wonderful

Vanessa Hutchinson said being FODMAP certified was a huge step for the company.

manufacturing partner who worked closely with me to get it right.

They also only work with natural ingredients so that really helped.”

The initial challenge, Hutchinson said, was that her manufacturing partner had not worked with the specific ingredients needed for FODMAP friendly products, but through collaboration the end result was achieved.

“The other thing is, ingredients can undergo changes during the manufacturing process which can create FODMAPs, which is really strange,” she said.

“Even if you’ve used all low FODMAP ingredients during the process, some of the sugars or carbs can break down. Nuts, for example, when roasted can become higher in FODMAP.” Hutchinson and her manufacturing partner worked together to test samples and make sure they had the best base possible while also reducing the risk of FODMAPs becoming present during the process.

“We had to do a lot of iterations to get the consistency right and it would work on their machinery. Once you have the base it’s a lot easier because

you only alter small things like flavours,” she added.

After nailing down the recipe, and getting FODMAP certified, the next step to hitting the market was finding the right distributor.

“We needed to find the right one for a product like ours, who can understand and articulate why Fodbods are different to the other bars on the shelf. Once the ball got moving it picked up momentum, but you must be prepared to work hard,” said Hutchinson.

“Everyone has a different approach to distribution, they might only want

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 23

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Owner and founder, Vanessa Hutchinson, started the company out of her own kitchen before scaling up her manufacturing. to be direct to consumers because that’s where margins are the highest, or straight to the supermarket because that’s their model.”

Because Fodbods aims to help as many people as possible, Hutchinson said, the aim is to get the product in front of as many people as possible.

“We just want Fodbods in as many hands as possible, so the next logical step was to speak to supermarkets,” she said.

“We help off on approaching supermarkets because we wanted to make sure we had everything down pat first.”

Hutchinson was successful, and Fodbods became the first FODMAPcertified protein bar in Australia.

The Fobods brand will continue to grow as it hits supermarket shelves in the very near future, while its position with its current list of distributors will also remain, meaning Fodbods will be available to an even wider market.

“The early success was because

Sports science proved a valuable resource for Fodbods.

“If people have choice and find other options, they’re not looking for a solution. We were able to cut through the noise quickly because we are the only FODMAP-certified product in Australia.” there was a genuine gap in the market for healthy, convenient FODMAP friendly food,” said Hutchinson.

“If people have choice and find other options, they’re not looking for a solution. We were able to cut through the noise quickly because we are the only FODMAP-certified protein bar in Australia.

“We have a huge vegan customer base; I think it’s two per cent of Australia’s population that is vegan, and they are always looking for healthy and vegan friendly products.”

Capturing a larger segment than first anticipated has been attributed to a number of factors, mainly all linked to the changing habits of consumers who have become more and more health conscious.

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

“COVID-19 might have also played a part in consumer trends changing,” Hutchinson added.

“I think people being at home and having more time to think about their bodies and being conscious of how fragile health is, they did start paying more attention to what they were eating.

“We grew quite a bit during COVID, with people ordering from home and wanting that healthy option.”

Word of mouth has also been a big driver in the early success of Fodbods.

“We do a lot of sales online which helps us understand our customers,” said Hutchinson.

“Without changing our recipe, we can make small adjustments to the manufacturing process. For example,

some people want their Fodbods to be a little chunkier, so we chop up the peanuts less, those changes come directly from customers.”

This direct feedback from customers, combined with success through word of mouth, Hutchinson said, is why the product is able to meet the changing demands of the market.

“Having Fodbods in your bag for someone with IBS is a huge weight of their shoulders because they aren’t stressing about what they will eat next,” she added.

It’s opened up an entirely new customer segment for the company, there is one side of the market looking for a protein bar and Fodbods are all natural, plant based, gluten free, and made from simple and clean ingredients.

“Then you have the other side of the market who would never think about a protein bar but are looking for a healthy and convenient Fodbod option that makes them feel good.” F

NIRAS is a leading independent advisor within the Food & Beverage industry when it comes to investments, projects execution, production optimization, sustainable solutions, and green energy transition of your manufacturing facility. We can draw on our specialists across the world, but our local experts know the exact conditions and challenges of your local context.

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Excellence in project delivery Local support with a global mindset Leading in sustainable solutions Strategic masterplanning Smart upgrades Optimization and automation Robust manufacturing Electrification of industrial production Green energy transition

www.niras.com/sectors/food-and-beverage/

Edward Lynch Managing Director Melbourne, Australia +61 488 786 484 EDLY@niras.com

Glenn Jacobsen Market Director Melbourne, Australia +61 451 125 223 GLJA@niras.com

AUTOMATION

Automating small to medium meat processors – stepping into the present Niras, a knowledge consultancy group, is providing valuable insight into overcoming the challenges small and medium meat processors face, including retention of staff. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

S

mall and medium processors in the meat industry are confronted by many challenges which currently include attraction and retention of staff, safety, and cost competitiveness against increasing automated larger producers and processors.

Knowledge consultancy group, NIRAS, has valuable global insight and local understanding of the challenges facing the meat production industry and their impacts on product output and cost competitiveness.

NIRAS Market Leader, Food & Fibre, Glenn Jacobsen, said the meat industry had undergone minimal automation and operational changes in his three decades in the industry, especially when compared to other manufacturing sectors, placing small and medium manufacturers at risk of increasing pressure from their larger competitors.

“It’s one of those things where when you look at all other areas of manufacturing, and the step changes that have occurred in the last 30 years in industries such as clean manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, electronics, even other FMCG, and then you go into small to medium businesses and they are dark cold rooms with guys in thermal jackets manually palletising product and it’s amazing to see how nothing has changed in such a long time,” said Jacobsen.

While larger players are investing in material handling, labour saving and safety improvements such as automated palletisation, carton handling systems, and buffering systems, like a multishuttle or ASRS systems, smaller producers, with limited resources, struggle with capitalisation, however NIRAS are seeing a tipping point where these small producers are no

There are many benefits which come from adding automation.

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

longer competitive due to lack of labour and the inefficiency of non-automation.

Price of entry to automated solutions has decreased significantly in recent history and can for example reduce pallet handling costs anything from $70 per pallet down to $10-12 per pallet.

It is also increasingly challenging to find and retain labour to service material handling areas let alone remain competitive.

“More than 80 per cent of the companies we have spoken to in the industry have highlighted staffing as a major issue,” said Jacobsen. “To be frank, those backend areas like carton loadouts, and palletising are the hardest areas to work in the meat industry with cold environments and the heaviest lifting.

We also saw within that area there was a significant high instance of near

misses in terms of work cover and time lost.”

This investment can be confronting given the relative technical complexity, and shortage of quality independent advice available, however NIRAS are working with industry and industry groups to find cost effective and staged solutions to start small to medium producers on the technology trail .

There are significant opportunities to looking at incremental solutions like exoskeletal suits, and site automation around lifting as very few small processors can afford to invest in fully automated solutions.

The difficulty in attracting and retaining a dedicated workforce demonstrates the essential nature of adopting more automation just to survive.

The red meat industry has reached a threshold, which sees the small and medium enterprises having to make big decisions to survive and thrive going forward.

Realistically one of the major hurdles to automation in the meat processing industry is the lack of uniformity, by its nature, which puts it at odds with many other industries where product is far more uniform.

“The difference from most other manufacturing is you take a whole lot of components and assemble them into a single product, so you end up with a consistent stream of products at the backend of the process, because you might be doing a thousand boxes of one product before moving to product B, product C, and so on, and the process is set up to cope with that” said Jacobsen.

“Whereas meat processing is very different. You have a component you bring into the process and breakdown into a series of smaller ones, so what you then have coming out of the processing area is this randomness that is unlike most other industries. You have randomness of products coming into the carton handling area so where that becomes difficult for a small to medium

AUTOMATION

Niras helps companies come up with affordable and viable solutions.

processor is that investment to automate is substantial. Effective automation requires consistency and repetition.”

The challenge from an industry perspective is how to get effective solutions for small to medium players.

It is estimated that the majority of smaller operators are nowhere near positioned to be able to invest in automating the backend of the process.

Many smaller producers and manufacturers have already been acquired recently by larger Companies and NIRAS expects that trend to continue.

Everything from the production process to logistical capabilities will require changes in order to keep up with the larger competitors and NIRAS is a company which is helping those clients come up with affordable, and viable, solutions.

“When we actually look at the whole logistics and distribution equation, the small guys will continue to struggle, and we will probably see more businesses start sorting and storing off site,” said Jacobsen.

“I think there is opportunity for businesses to take away that risk for them, randomly palletise their product

and it goes to a third-party provider who will sort, palletise, handle, store, and distribute. Some of the main issues these sites are having around staffing shortages, truck drivers, delivery windows, loading containers, it’s massive and is incredible how much of a cost it has on the business while not adding any appreciable value.”

These investments have quickly become a necessity, rather than a choice, as the gulf between small and medium producers and the larger ones is increasing daily.

There have been two fundamental shifts from a technology provider perspective, we have seen other FMGC sectors being busier than ever and we have seen massive investments in large scale warehouses, both placing tremendous demand on the technology providers.

This has saturated the technology suppliers and allowed them to be very selective in regards project portfolios, and reduced tendering competition, with technology providers focused on the larger producers and accounts. Ften now not even interested in tendering smaller projects such as a 2,000-carton sorting system.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jacobsen. “The amount of equipment suppliers at the moment that are happy to say they are too busy to tender; in 30 years I have never seen equipment suppliers so busy in the big end of town.”

NIRAS has deliberately focused on this sector in order to support those smaller producers and manufacturers continue to compete.

“I think it will get to the point where someone externally, which is where NIRAS helps, is finding alternatives to standard players in the market and we are a global organisation with offices around the world and we are able to tap into our network and find other technologies and see what is being used successfully,” Jacobsen continued.

“We see a lot of technology that starts to get adopted by red meat is a cross-pollination from other large capital industries that can afford those changes. Our unique advantage is our exposure to solutions across a broad range of industries globally” said Edward Lynch, Managing Director of NIRAS Australia.

“The ability to compete with the same technology in meat processing had

reach an end” said Edward Lynch. “It has become a necessity, and interestingly, we persisted for six to nine months thinking it was backend COVID scenario, but we had a client say it’s been the worst they’ve ever had, and it is because of lack of availability of staff,” “The employee schemes aren’t filling the gap and going forward it looks like this employment crisis will continue because the people just aren’t there.”

However, the same workforce issues aren’t exclusive to the processing sector as similar impacts are being experience by the technology providers themselves.

“We have a couple of projects now where three years ago the same company delivered a particular piece of equipment in 39 weeks and at the moment, we are talking 80 weeks for total delivery time, it has doubled,” Jacobsen added.

While the future will undoubtedly see continued reduction in the cost of installed technology, the benefits are there now to be realised by small to medium producers who can implement capital smart solutions tailored to their specific businesses, at the same time alleviating the new world challenges of acute labour shortage. F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 27

AUTOMATION

A Centric source of traceability Centric Software’s Graham Jones and Adam Lowe speaks to Food & Beverage Industry News about how Centric PLM maximises traceability for the industry.

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ccording to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), traceability is important as it enables corrective actions, like product recalls, to be implemented quickly and effectively when something goes wrong. Centric Software is facilitating better traceability for Australian food and beverage businesses through its Centric PLM system.

FSANZ also notes that “an effective traceability system can help isolate and prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers.” Centric PLM does this by providing one centralised digital location that tracks and manages all product-related data across its lifecycle.

This ensures that as the product is developed and evolves over time, there is one single source that is continually updated and holds all the relevant information for the manufacturer – including ingredients lists, certifications, expiry dates and so on.

“Centric has a standard out-of-thebox system that doesn’t require any code, you just need to configure it to get the system that you want,” Centric Software sales director for ANZ Graham Jones said.

“The efficiencies that you gain by having the single source of truth spread everywhere, across packaging and ingredients and so on, are vast. Let’s say you need to change an ingredient in a product – if you don’t have this system, you’ve got to dig through all your various recipes and find out where else this ingredient is used.”

Adam Lowe, Food & Beverage pre-sales consultant for Centric Software, said the Centric PLM software can connect all associated records to the product, from initial concept to placement in assortment and merchandise plans, ensuring traceability from end-to-end.

“At the core of food and beverage are the ingredients going into the recipe – but it’s not just ingredients that you throw together, it’s the process as well as what you do with them and how are they processed, from raw material to the finished product. Centric PLM provides an end-to-end coverage process for those products,” he said.

Centric PLM allows food and

beverage customers to: • Collaborate to enhance product innovation; • Improve product margins with costing control; • Speed up the time to market; • Optimise product portfolios; • Collaborate with suppliers; • Boost sustainability, quality and compliance; and • Provide a single source of truth to trace ingredients, raw materials and final product information.

The browser-based interface streamlines the entire process and makes it simple to use. Additionally, an agile approach to implementation training enables even better usability for customers.

“Centric takes an agile approach to its implementation training, so you’re getting value faster,” Lowe said. “The iterative agile approach means that you can prototype very quickly, enter a continuous improvement cycle based on that, and perhaps start with the core capabilities before moving on to more sophisticated parts of the system when the customer is ready.”

As part of the configuration process, Centric Software’s PLM system caters to varying attributes for different clients, according to Jones.

“Every single customer has a slightly different process and they have different attributes they want to store against their products,” he said. “As business consultants, we work with the customer so they can add those attributes using the user interface.”

Centric PLM provides valid master data that holistically supports product recalls. While an ERP system is able to hold some relevant data relating to the product or ingredient, it doesn’t provide an outlook of other products where that ingredient is used. With Centric PLM, everything is available at a glance through a single source of information for product recipes – linking to the ingredient sent to suppliers and the end-products created using that ingredient.

By creating a complete, validated view of all the information, Centric PLM also substantiates certification claims such as halal, vegan, vegetarian,

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

Centric PLM provides one centralised digital location that tracks and manages all product-related data. gluten free and dairy free. Jones provides an example.

“Prior to finding us, one of our customers got into trouble by claiming that one of their products was vegan,” he said. “Some sleuth out there figured out that it wasn’t vegan and the labelling was wrong, so they had to go through a corrective action on that. If they had had the PLM at the time, they wouldn’t have got into that situation with making claims that they can’t substantiate, because the system will not allow it.

“When you try to put vegan on the label it will say that it can’t, because there’s a non-vegan ingredient in the recipe. Certifications claims, traceability, and regulatory compliance are a lot easier to manage with the Centric PLM than using spreadsheets.”

Having already had a great customer response to the Centric PLM, Centric Software’s challenge now is to market the software as a benchmark for universal digital transformation within businesses that are typically siloed.

Enabling this message would foster more collaborative environments by streamlining processes across R&D, product development, testing, marketing and sales.

“There is a certain level of education involved for breaking through those siloed areas and broadening the view of what people might think they need,” Lowe said.

Jones agrees. “And that’s where

they’re going to get the real benefits, financially and efficiency-wise, by getting everybody using the same system and collaborating together.”

Centric Software also engages with customers to remain updated on current trends and requirements within the food and beverage industry. With two to three point releases per year, customer feedback and industry research ensures that the Centric PLM is continuously updated in accordance with the food and beverage sector.

“Centric is profitable, backed strongly by Dassault Systèmes, and we’re growing rapidly.” Jones said. “It means that we can add functionality as the market determines. For example, sustainability is a big thing right now, so we’ve added heaps of functionality around that, proving claims and so forth.

Our growth, success and profitability guarantees that Centric PLM is going to stay ahead of our competitors.”

Likewise, food and beverage customers will be able to continually optimise their own products and processes through the one system that can do it all.

“Centric PLM means faster time to market, risk mitigation against all those potentials for legal claims, and efficiency, as it minimises rework via a single system,” Lowe said. F Learn more about Centric PLM for food and beverage at www.centricsoftware.com.

+ Exhibition + Conference

The destination for food innovation The destination food event is moving to a new home in 2022. Join us in the Gold Coast to discover the latest advancements in food and beverage manufacturing.

You can look forward to exploring an exhibition floor

7-8 July 2022 Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

of top industry suppliers, alongside the opportunity to discover the latest insights in a conference stream curated by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), and in partnership with the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).

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AUTOMATION

Digitalisation in the food and beverage industry Krones tells Food & Beverage Industry News how they are helping to digitise the food and beverage industry using an IIoT platform.

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he COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the trend to digitalisation in almost all areas of life, including in the food and beverage industry. Though the branch has already taken the first steps and implemented digital solutions in the past, there is still a high potential for development. But what does digitisation in the production mean?

In the past few years, there have always been different views and descriptions and companies had to find the right path for themselves. In general, digitalisation in the production environment has made a name for itself under the term “Industry 4.0.” It refers to “intelligent networking of machines and sequences used in an industrial setting with the aid of information and communications technology.”

Taking the step into a digital environment makes a lot of sense for companies on many levels. It can be used to design production sequences more efficiently and to optimally plan and make use of existing resources (systems, materials, employees, etc).

Collecting and analysing data from ongoing production allows sequences to be designed more flexibly and with the greatest possible degree of automation.

In addition, on the basis of the data obtained, deductions can be made with regard to condition monitoring and even predictive maintenance.

They are then also less susceptible to malfunctions or stops.

In short: digital production helps uncover a wealth of optimisation potential –and this is precisely why it is one of the greatest forces adding impetus to and influencing the production of the future.

The central technology and basis for the employment of Industry 4.0

Digital production helps to uncover a wealth of optimisation potential, Krones says. is the Internet of Things. It describes the network of physical objects, a.k.a. “things,” that are embedded with sensors, devices, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.

However, you do not need to look too far ahead to find such potential.

As in many other industries, the food and beverage industry is already home to a large number of digital solutions along the value chain today. The only pre-requisite: the willingness to embrace and accomplish such a digital transformation.

But to make working with data possible at all, one thing is quite crucial: the connectivity of the machines and lines. Connectivity means that a computer, program, device or system is generally capable of connecting to the internet, another computer, etc. This connectivity forms the basis for the exchange of data – and thus the basis for all digital solutions.

Nonetheless, connectivity on its

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

own is not enough – for only when the individual machines and lines are permanently connected is it possible for companies to benefit from the acquired data. It is therefore imperative to establish a digital ecosystem right from the outset. This refers to connected IT resources that can function as a unit, for example a variety of hardware solutions and connected software systems. Digital ecosystems are made up of suppliers, customers, trade partners, applications, third party suppliers of data services and all of the technologies related to them.

Collaboration and interoperability are the key to the ecosystem’s success.

Krones’ prime focus in digitalisation is on complete plants and on filling and packaging lines. The aim here is to offer customers maximum scope for optimisation and cost savings in production. In a first step, in the Krones Ecosystem, the company is creating the basis for integrating all machines in a line and collecting and analysing machine data. Inferences are drawn from the data using artificial

intelligence. This in turn enables the development of new digital services that Krones make available to operators of lines on the proprietary Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which is named Krones.world.

Line operators will have access in future to custom-tailored software packages under service level agreements. End-to-end data tracking and analysis not only benefit our customers in production, these functions also help Krones right from the installation stage. They accelerate and simplify installation, thus reducing the time and human resources needed on site for commissioning. Because the lines are digitally connected, Krones can also service them remotely. The digital functionality also has a positive impact on service, maintenance and troubleshooting. Production downtime is largely avoided. In a second step, once customers’ lines are integrated into the Krones Ecosystem, they can be controlled and tracked directly via the IIoT platform. F

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AUTOMATION

Spray drying innovation is leading to large efficiency gains Spraying Systems Australia and Fluid Air's Polar Dry machine promises up to 70 per cent of the product to be retained during the spray drying process, a huge jump compared to older models. Adam McCleery writes.

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Fluid Air's Polar Dry is the latest and most advanced offering from Spraying Systems Australia.

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

praying Systems Co. experts in spray technology, have introduced new spray drying technology, their PolarDry Electrostatic Spray Drying (ESD), to the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Their new innovation promises to enable their customers to better retain the biological activity of heat and oxygen sensitive products after drying, compared to more traditional methods that use extreme heat.

Businesses across Australia already depend on spray technology from Spraying Systems Australia. Servatus in Queensland is the first to adopt the innovative electrostatic spray drying technology and techniques to help produce their micro biotherapeutics.

“Fluid Air’s testing facility in Melbourne has advanced analytical capabilities to support our Australian and New Zealand customers and give the best possible solutions,” Fluid Air’s applications scientist, Dr Akm Masum.

This includes a Fluid Air’s Electrostatic Spray Drier (PolarDry Model 001) for cus-tomer trials in our ISO 7 certified clean rooms.

“We can dry almost all liquid feed into powder form; however, our PolarDry technology is best suited to food and biological materials that are sensitive to heat and oxygen.

Electrostatic spray drying use low drying temperatures (90-150°C inlet, 30-60°C outlet) as opposed to traditional high heat spray drying (150250°C inlet, 70-110°C outlet),” said Masum.

"Lower drying temperatures during electrostatic spray drying causes less damage to the products that we make.

This help to preserve the bioactivity of heat sensitive materials, such as microorganisms, proteins, bioactive materials, pharmaceuticals etc.

“Electrostatic spray drying occurs at inert gas environment where oxygen is replaced by nitrogen. This is achieved by using nitrogen from an external source. Whereas, in traditional high

AUTOMATION

heat spray drying, hot air is used as a drying medium. Using nitrogen as a heating medium helps to retain the value of oxygen-sensitive materials, such as encapsulated oils, anaerobic microorganism, etc.

"Nitrogen, being an inert gas, is less reactive, which helps, which helps preserve the properties ofoxygensensitive materials. This benefits ESD powders to maintain better oxidative stability in fresh and stored powders,” Fluid Air’s testing centre is also flexible, depending on the specific needs of the client.

“It depends on the customer, if they have any specific testing requirement based on what we already have, we can fulfil that. In addition to drying the liquid feed into powder, we also can analyse the liquid feed before drying and the powder properties after drying,” said Masum.

"We have almost everything that

and non-agglomerate powder. We can measure it with an amazing technology.”

“We also can measure the particle size of powder particles using a Mastersizer via laser diffraction technology.”

Celio Furquim, Queensland sales manager at Spraying Systems Australia, said due to the confidence in the technology, Spraying Systems was happy to offer some free testing to show the technologies capabilities.

“These machines cost a lot of money, so we are happy to work with our customers to ensure their business benefitte before they commit to the purchase,” said Furquim.

"We take that time because we have confidence in our product. Efficiency gains is a massive benefit that we provide."

Furquim used a recent example to help clarify how the technology is most

“Our technology is continuous, which means you can get your product within hours, instead of across two to three days with traditional spray drying and freeze drying. Our technology is also scalable.” we need for powder characteristics. For example, we can measure the moisture content, water activity and glass transition temper-ature of the powder."

The company also has the capability to measure the surface morphology of the product using a scanning electron microscope.

“It’s amazing to see how the powder looks after drying, we have a microscope here to see the powders’ surface, from smooth, spherical, regular and agglomerate powder particle to an irregular, non-spherical

beneficial to the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

“A trial we did overseas a company that makes lemons into lemons lollies.

They were drying the powder and normally at high temperature they would only get eight per cent of the lemon into the final confectionery product. When they did it with our product, they got about 70 per cent,” he said.

“That’s the way to view the way this technology works.”

Masum went into some more detail

about what exactly that means for manufacturers and producers.

“Normally with traditional high heat spray drying technology there is a reduction in bioactivity after drying of biological materials but in our electrostatic spray drying technology there is almost no loss after drying,” he said.

“Also, when we store our products for longer period, the bioactivity is maintained.”

In terms of food and beverage applications the biggest results have already been seen in high value dairy products and pharmaceuticals.

“Our technology is already in the market to some extent in ANZ, especially in Queensland. We are continuously working with the technology and the customers to find the right applications of our technology,” said Masum.

Freeze drying is an effective drying method to preserve the bioactivity of heat sensitive materials, however, its limitations lie with the batch process and lesser throughput because of not being continuous.

"In addition to lower drying temperatures, PolarDry ESD technology is continuous, which means you can get your product within a short period of time instead of across three to four days with freeze drying.

Our technology is also scalable,” said Masum.

Furquim said being scalable, with large and small machines, was another key benefit to the technology, allowing it to be applied in many levels.

“We are really looking at any products that needs to be freeze or heat dries to cre-ate powder,” he said.

Spraying Systems Australia is also

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continuing to invest heavily in the research and development side of the new spray drying technology because its full capabilities are yet to be realised.

“We are getting academic papers in that are proving the further capabilities of the technology and we are still learning about what applications it can be applied to,” said Masum.

“For example, recently we were asked about honey so we started our research into that to find how it could be applied.”

A case study from Spraying Systems showed how a food company was using drilled pipe mounted above a conveyor to apply an antimicrobial agent to peppers.

The flow from the pipe was constant and only one side of the peppers was coated with the antimicrobial.

The company realised a more sophisticated approach to food safety was required and turned to Spraying Systems.

As a solution, Spraying systems help apply four AutoJet Food Safety Systems which improved food safety for the food company. The peppers are now protected from harmful pathogens due to full coverage and consistent application of the antimicrobial.

An additional benefit for the company is a dramatic 75 per cent reduction in antimicrobial use now that the application rate is precisely controlled by the system.

The reduced use of chemicals has lowered the operating costs and advanced the company’s sustainability initiatives.

All in all, the cost of the four systems was recouped in less than two years. F

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Authorised by the Queensland Government, William Street, Brisbane www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 33

TRACEABILITY

GS1 was awarded the Packaging Design: Innovation Award at AUSPACK 2022.

2D barcodes recognised for innovation at AUSPACK GS1 was recognised by the APPMA at the AUSPACK packaging expo last month for its continued work on helping the food and beverage industry adopt 2DBarcode technology. Adam McCleery writes.

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S1’s Australia’s work on 2D barcode technology was put in the spotlight at the 2022 AUSPACK packaging expo in Melbourne last month after taking out the top prize for innovation in the packaging sector.

While still an emerging technology with many more benefits yet to be uncovered, 2D barcoding has already become a major talking point in the industry, as its future potential continues to grow with continued research.

GS1 Australia retail account

director, Michael Davis, sat down with Food & Beverage Industry News after the awards night to speak more about what 2D barcoding technology can, and will, mean for the future of the industry.

“Firstly, we need to acknowledge our industry partners who we supported at AUSPACK,” said Davis.

“The reality is, as a standards organisation, we can’t do any of this without our industry partners. For global standards to work, they need to be adopted by industry. So, without engagement nothing we do will achieve

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

the purpose that it is intended for.

Davis said the company was hopeful of making the finals of the awards, while winning was a huge positive for GS1 Australia as it continues to drive 2D technology into the industry.

“The team were really happy with the outcome and the recognition,” said Davis.

Davis said the traceability challenges that are being solved by 2DBarcode technology is an important aspect of the new barcoding that will strengthen, position and support brand owners and help mitigate traceability

issues that lead to a host of supply chain and production risks.

“Supply chain is one area, but 2DBarcodes go right through to the point of sale, and beyond, which means brand owners are getting the full benefit,” said Davis.

“We have Woolworths on board and other retailers are in the discovery phase of what’s required to adopt 2D barcoding.

“Australia, as a market, has the opportunity to become a world leader and you can’t do that without brand owners, manufacturers and retailers

TRACEABILITY

working and collaborating together.”

The slow realisation around the benefits provided by 2DBarcodes is now reaching a point where companies are increasingly interested in learning more about the technology as it is adopted more widely across the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

“It really is a journey. We’ve had a linear barcode for 50 years and everyone accepted that as the solution but now we have 2D as an emerging option which shows the value of what can be achieved,” said Davis.

“It’s early days, if you look at a global level in the spectrum of the industry, we are only really at ground zero.”

GS1 globally has a 2027 ‘sunrise’ date for the wider adoption of the technology, which will also give the organisation a chance to further study the full capabilities of 2D barcoding, which has already proven its worth as the APPMA award demonstrates.

“The sunrise date is creeping up very quickly though, so we need to start working with and educating industry now,” said Davis.

As mentioned before, the importance of industry partners such as Woolworths taking up and piloting the adoption of 2D technology is an invaluable part of the process.

“That is part of a benefit of partnering with industry companies because their business partners are aligned with us,” said Davis.

“Our role is to support industry and utilising fit for purpose standards for adoption.”

The journey is a long one, in part because of the multi-step process of adoption and integration, being both a hardware and software solution.

“You work through the requirements, but the critical piece is the productivity,” said Davis.

“What we are seeing with retail partners is understanding those productivity gains or impacts because this is a game of inches. That’s a critical piece.

“Once they have adopted and worked out the solution it’s about how we get those gains through production lines and supply chains.

“The future benefit is understanding the whole journey of the supply chain, having everything aligned so people know what stock or farm was involved, the ingredients, everything through the journey. And moving forward, it will also assist in processes such as forecasting.”

As consumers become more

GS1 has seen first hand the benefits of adopting 2DBarcode technology.

educated around the use of 2DBarcodes, coupled with the changing trends in consumer diets and brand loyalties, companies who ignore the shift towards using 2DBarcodes run the risk of missing out on the benefits.

“I think the risk is if you don’t move towards 2D, because today’s engaged consumers have a thirst which is being driven by technology and the simplicity of things, the risk is in not adopting, versus the benefit to adopt,” said Davis.

“The health conscious, the nutritional elements, all the allergens.

Consumers are far more informed now and instead of wanting to think about codes on packaging, they can now start to truly understand if each product is right for their needs.”

Davis said the use of QR codes during the COVID-19 pandemic had in some ways helped reinforce the advantages of 2DBarcode technology.

“Consumers are driving the demand for 2D barcoding and they are speaking with their feet and making decisions on brand and product selection based on information provided,” he said.

“Therefore sellers, whether online or in store, are responding to that and the flow-down is the brands and manufacturers need to be able to represent that shift in trend.”

One of the most obvious,

yet impactful, benefits at the manufacturing level is being able to create greater security for stock that has left the site for transport to a supply partner.

2D technology allows for much greater traceability so that producers can track the product along every step of the supply chain through batches, production dates and days.

“It protects the brand and consumers in a simpler way,” said Davis.

Davis has also witnessed first-hand that the most common ‘barrier to entry’ into 2D barcoding is mostly the understanding of the technology.

“A common barrier has been understanding the need and the why, but once people understand that they start to look into it and contact GS1,” he added.

“Even with our retail partners they might know it is a good idea, but it’s when they dig a little deeper and see the potential benefits, it creates a light bulb moment, no matter where you are in the supply chain.

“If we can keep moving the message and the dial forward to the 2027 date and enhance the adoption through the entire supply chain process it will become the norm, there is no doubt about that.”

Davis and GS1 Australia are encouraging food and beverage manufacturers and producers who are thinking about looking into 2D barcoding to do so quickly, to ensure the best possible outcome in the future.

“It’s very much a ‘now’ discussion because it isn’t something you can turn on overnight night, there are things like system integration, understanding manufacturing and printer capability and alignment with retail partners,” said Davis.

“It’s a time piece, and if you fall behind you will stay behind, until such time as you are ready and capable of adopting the 2DB technology.”

Small and middle-sized enterprises (SME) are also being encouraged to adopt 2DBarcodes because of the added loyalty those food producers can receive from consumers.

“SME’s are mostly built on loyalty and trust in their brand and this will enhance their value proposition, especially with consumers becoming more aware of the technology,” said Davis.

“For a lot of the smaller companies, their products aren’t just liked, they are loved, so if they can tap into emotive pieces and then get the benefits through 2DBarcodes then it’s a good thing for their future.” F

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

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ENGINEERING

Food & Beverage gets a leg up from CRAM Motion Australia announced the acquisition of CRAM, specialists in fluid power, electro-hydraulic engineering, and design. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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tarting out as a four-person hydraulics workshop in 1994, CRAM is now an internationally recognised engineering company under Motion Australia. Their team of 1,800 employees spans across 180 locations, offering valued support to the mining, manufacturing, and fabrication industries.

Highly specialised in areas such as fluid power, electro-hydraulic engineering, and design, as well as comprehensive maintenance plans, the team at CRAM are dedicated to offering premium support. Their fullservice in-house design and fabrication workshop boasts unique capabilities including mechanical overhaul and heavy fabrication.

“Our overarching vision is to be a full spectrum provider in making machinery move,” says Ryan Kendrigan, general manager at CRAM. “We take care of hydraulic and pneumatic projects, their interface with electronics and other industrial support work. We cover machinery components, repair, refurbishment, overhaul – we will come out to site to analyse equipment and see how we can improve it.”

CRAM’s involvement in the food and beverage industry is far-reaching, operating largely in hydraulic, pneumatic and special purpose manufacturing. This often involves on-site visits to install or update production machinery, as well as general services like repair, fitting and welding.

Spanning from light services through to bespoke turnkey solutions, CRAM works closely with customers to offer ongoing support.

“The food industry is so diverse,” said Ryan. “We often look at closed loop systems on equipment requires precise positional control. We can take care of anything that requires movement in these specific environments. That could involve welding, pressure vessel piping systems and the ancillary equipment around that. Whether it be mobile

CRAM is now an internationally recognised company under Motion Australia.

equipment on farmland, or the complex array of equipment in processing plants, there are ways that we can provide value and improvement.”

Recent work in a large Australian starch and gluten mill has seen CRAM delivering hand-on support across their industrial sites, including boiler house fittings and upgrades to wheat product dryers. The team also carried out diagnostic services on starch mills, specialised installation of gluten drives, and oxygen cleaning for ethanol processing valves. As Ryan points out, wherever product is being transported or processed, CRAM’s involvement will go a long way.

“What we do is quite varied. On a food processing plant, there are multiple stages that need attention,

including milling, drying, extruding, drop shifting, conveying and pumping systems. Because the solutions we provide are so extensive, customers can rely on us to cover many bases, not just one. If we can get involved at those key stages, there will certainly be opportunities to make things more efficient.”

CRAM’s technical framework values compliance with industry standard regulations and a commitment to premium grade product. Their management systems are ISO 9001 and AS/NZS 4801 certified, also meeting the ISO 14001 Environment Management standards.

The company is constantly looking to the future, integrating research and development at every stage of their

business growth. Acknowledging the ever-changing market, CRAM pays close attention to customer-specific needs, offering tailored engineering approaches. As a part of Motion Australia’s expansive industrial supply network, they seek to meet world class standards for quality servicing.

“Our long-term goal is to provide holistic services and tangible benefits at each step along the manufacturing line. It is about making it easier for businesses by addressing any major point of movement on site - no matter what the type of motion is, we are always capable of providing value. We are driven by the day-to-day needs of customers, and strive to be the most reliable and accessible option across Australia.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 37

DIGITISATION

The key to a fruitful sorting process A powerful, easy to use digital sorting range from Key Technology is advancing the food industry by reducing operating costs and improving accuracy in removing foreign material – thus maximising product quality and yield.

The VERYX range has achieved success and become the most advanced sorting technology in food processing.

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ith a long-standing history of providing quality equipment to the food industry, Heat and Control has been committed to offering the most innovative solutions to the food industry for over 70 years. Key Technology offers a range of innovative sorting, grading and vibratory conveying solutions and this equipment compliments Heat and Control’s large portfolio of single source solutions. ”Our partnership initially began in 1980. We started off building and selling Key’s vibration conveyors (or “shakers”) for the Australian and New Zealand market,” Heat and Control product manager Mark Holden said.

“In 2005 we parted ways, but by 2018 increasing demand from our customers for a complete solution brought us back together.”

VERYX Digital Sorters Developing and maintaining an effective, verifiable inspection process is no longer an option for processors.

Choosing the right inspection system for products is an important decision and can be a complex process.

“Key’s advanced sorting technology can detect foreign objects — while operating simply, efficiently and at high speed — and simultaneously collecting and retaining important production run data,” said Holden.

“The VERYX line has achieved tremendous market success and has earnt a reputation as the most advanced sorting technology in food processing.”

VERYX 2.0 Originally introduced in 2015, in late 2021, VERYX further evolved and Key introduced VERYX 2.0 as a direct response to industry’s need to satisfy more stringent standards while also improving profitability.

The new line sets a new standard for digital sorting, featuring a new mechanical layout, next-generation LED illumination, enhanced laser scanner technology and new powerful software driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

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

Key Technology sales engineer and account manager, Joseph Boster, explains how the new sorters work.

“VERYX 2.0 has a modular platform of belt- and chute-fed sorters (of varying sizes) which can be easily configurated for different product applications and production capacities,” said Boster. “We typically use camera and laser sensors with the product fed through the line of site as a mono layer by a high speed belt or a special convex chute. A Key Iso-Flo Vibratory conveyor spreads and separates the product before it transfers to the high-speed conveyor of convex chute so it is a single layer when scanned by the camera and laser sensors.

“The sensors can recognise and reject product that is defective and foreign material. Once the computer recognises the product should be rejected, it will tell the pneumatic actuators to remove the bad product from the stream of good product, using a puff of air.”

Many applications are possible, across a multitude of food processing sectors where foreign material and product

defects must be removed. Applications include nuts, dried fruit, frozen fruit and vegetables, and fresh cut products.

“VERYX 2.0 is an ideal solution if you’re sorting nuts such as almonds and walnuts, or dried fruit products like raisins, sultanas and mango as well as fresh or frozen vegetables, fruit and berries,” said Boster.

“New LED technology provides clearer sensor images, and enhanced detection of product defects which is ideal for individual ‘quick frozen’ fruit and vegetable products and fresh cut products such as sliced or diced fruits, leafy greens, salads, green beans or capsicums.”

VERYX can even determine if there is product which is not of a high quality standard, for example wilted lettuce, spinach or even maturity of nuts.

“This equipment easily detects the things you’re expecting (like the pits in dried fruit) and the things you’re not,” said Boster.

“Foreign material could be things like stones or small insects from the field or pieces of plastic belt from belt

DIGITISATION

conveyors, glass, or a multitude of other material which can be really hard to detect. It can even identify when there’s mould in the product stream on a single piece of product, and insect damage.”

Pixel Fusion VERYX 2.0 digital sorters can view all aspects of the product through a 360 degree range of visibility. According to Holden, this creates a complete image of the product.

“One of the things that VERYX does is collect data from both the cameras and laser sensors to come up with one complete image of the product using pixel fusion,” he said.

“Even though the product goes through the sorter quite quickly, the pixel fusion is able to pick up each individual piece of product, even if the products are overlapped.”

It can also recognise and retain information within the system and provide feedback to the processor, to ensure the quality of the product, as it is sorted.

“This allows for a higher throughput, because it can meet a specific grade, without removing more than is necessary, and hit targets by making sure it has removed all the products they don’t want,” said Boster.

Key Technology introduced VERYX 2.0 to respond to the industry’s stringent standards.

BioPrint hyperspectral imaging technology As part of the VERYX system, BioPrint hyperspectral imaging technology enables defects to be picked up more quickly and efficiently by identifying the colour, size, shape, structural composition and biological properties of each object.

According to Boster, the BioPrint technology is particularly well suited to the nut industry.

“The Bioprint allows us to recognise defects which are typically challenging for the nut industry, like moisture content or shells stuck in the product. It contributes to a higher yield and better quality of product,” he said.

Complete line solutions Working with a single source supplier means processors can expect to receive a complete turnkey solution, which is tailored to their specific needs.

“Key Technology produced their first digital sorter in 1982 and has been developing the technology for 40 years,” said Holden. “Our partnership provides a combined expertise across the whole line process. Working with a single source supplier will allow all your upstream equipment to be matched with Key’s sorting equipment, to give you complete confidence in the whole system.”

Dedicated service technicians are available in both Australia and New Zealand — and a 24-hour hotline

for technical issues allows immediate access to assistance by connecting the equipment to the internet. If assistance is required, Key Technology experts are easily able to view the sorter’s performance and make adjustments if the operator is unable to.

“One of the great things about working with Heat and Control is they have local experience and people on the ground which we don’t have,” said Boster.

“Our combined fields of knowledge and expertise are proving vital for the customers we currently service in Australia and our partnership allows us to provide them with a complete solution which is highly customised and can be integrated seamlessly.”

Since its launch in 2021, VERYX 2.0 has enjoyed positive customer feedback: “This powerful technology has improved our product quality; at the same time it has increased our yield by over 2,800 pounds (1,273 kg) per day.”

“VERYX Information Analytics collects data about every object flowing through the sorter. We can monitor realtime data and identify trends so we can adjust upstream processes.”

“Our VERYX BioPrint gives us total confidence. We’re always supplying a safe, clean product to our customers.” F

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

EXPORTS

The Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue helped expand Four Daughters’ global brand awareness.

Exporting Queensland’s food to the world A new Food & Beverage Export Catalogue has been launched online to connect export-ready Queensland agri-food suppliers with overseas buyers, Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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ccording to the Food and Agribusiness Industry Growth Centre, trading as Food Innovation Australia (FIAL), in the Capturing the prize report, there is an opportunity to unlock more than $200 billion by 2030 for Australia.

For Queensland, the food and agribusiness opportunity could be worth almost $43 billion by 2030 in value added, resulting in 176,000 new jobs and more than tripling the current size of the sector.

FIAL’s mission is to provide export ready food suppliers with an avenue to promote their products and connect with new domestic and international buyers via an online environment.

FIAL general manager Commercial, Rod Arenas, said the world will need to produce 70 per cent more food by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing population.

“Exports can also encourage salary increases, with 28 per cent more staff earning on average 11 per cent higher wages than non-exporting businesses,” Arenas said. “Given the economic, supply chain and geopolitical challenges we’re currently experiencing, it’s arguably more important than ever for the sector to secure strong and reliable

buyer-supplier relationships.

“We are poised to underpin a future where buyer-supplier relationships are built on problem-solving and value creation via technology. Digital tech holds the key to simplifying processes, and reaching buyers interested in sourcing Australian products in a whole new way.”

In continuing to facilitate access to high quality Australian food products, FIAL has developed the Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue. Supported and funded through Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), the catalogue is a free online resource that connects overseas buyers with exportready Queensland food and beverage companies.

By matching business opportunities to Queensland exporters, the catalogue provides a one-stop-shop to almost 1000 pre-qualified global buyers. Additionally, virtual “Meet the buyer” events are held to facilitate opportunities for specific markets.

Food & Beverage Industry News asked two Queensland exporters how the Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue has supported their journeys in delivering their products to the world.

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

The catalogue is helping The Lime Caviar Company to educate the global industry on Australian finger limes.

Four Daughters In south western Queensland, 50km west of Meandarra (between Roma and St George), a family-owned and operated beef grazing enterprise named Four Daughters supplies 225 non-branded head per week to domestic supermarkets under Meat Standards Australia.

“We background cattle, we breed cattle and we also finish our cattle in a feedlot so that we have the same

consistency of finish for our beef every week,” Four Daughters co-owner and third generation grazier Karen Penfold said.

However, Penfold admits that it was never their intention to venture into exporting.

“We had no intention actually of exporting beef to the world, so I suppose the message there is, it can be done,” she said. “We went with the

EXPORTS

opportunity when it arose and we’ve just navigated our way through the challenges of export. It was a very steep learning curve.”

Although challenging, learning about the export process has been rewarding for Four Daughters.

According to Penfold, the key to navigating those challenges was engaging with the right networks, referring to successful one-to-one meetings with buyers on the platform.

“We were fortunate to have a massive amount of support from Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE), which ran an Emerging Exporters Program in conjunction with Shell QGC,” she said. “Through TSBE, if they didn’t have the answer, they had the contacts.”

This was how Four Daughters came across the Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue. This resource continues to aid brand awareness for the business.

There’s so much happening in the world of exporting, so knowing our business is in the catalogue makes a big difference and interested eyes from across the world can make contact – and it’s amazing where you do get people contacting you from,” Penfold said.

Prior to COVID-19, Four Daughters’ own branded Premium Black Angus product hit the market in China, leading to further trials in Singapore and Hong Kong before releasing a Four Daughters Premium Angus Burger. These burgers are currently being trialled in Singapore and the UAE with plans for expansion into new global markets.

“Export-ready is a big statement and I don’t know if you ever believe you really are export-ready,” Penfold said.

“You do all you can to be prepared, and until you dive, you don’t know if you’re ready to go. Building a strong network has been invaluable.”

mouth,” The Lime Caviar Company carefully extracts the finger lime pearls co-owner Ian Douglas said. from the skin, which are then packaged Originally producing fresh finger and quick-freezed. This ensured the limes for distribution in Australia, “finger lime caviar” would be available Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE, year-round, retain a long shelf life, and the business sought to export more exported to new global markets. widely. However, fruit fly barriers “We launched the product onto the imposed in most countries prevent world market to about 14 countries finger lime growers from doing this. just before COVID-19 set in, and the Additionally, the picking season for immediate reaction was that chefs all finger limes only spans a few months, around Australia started using the and once picked have a limited two to product,” Douglas said. three weeks shelf life.

“During Food & Beverage Industry News, 150thex COVID-19 195 mm, period, we The Lime Caviar Company’s continued to export it to half of those Digitalisation F, CC-en91-AZ076 04/22 solution was to develop a process that countries, and now that markets are

opening up we hope it attracts great demand again.”

To encourage this growth, Trade and Investment Queensland drew the Douglas’ attention to the Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue.

The catalogue is helping The Lime Caviar Company to educate a global industry on Australian finger limes as a commodity. F If your business is export-ready, register for free in the Queensland Food & Beverage Export Catalogue at www.fial.com.au/queensland.

The Lime Caviar Company A unique Australian native citrus, finger limes grow exclusively in rainforest areas from Byron Bay up to Noosa. Used by Indigenous Australians as an essential food additive before it was introduced to the Mediterranean regions in around 300 BC, the finger lime has a rich history. And The Lime Caviar Company is exporting it as a gourmet product.

“Inside the skin of each finger lime are these beautiful little round pearls that look like caviar and they are full of delicious lime juice. When you bite on them, they pop and burst in your CC-en91-AZ076 04-22.indd 1

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 41 02.05.2022 13:35:10

AUSPACK

AUSPACK 2022 a success and undergoes rebranding After the successful return of the AUSPACK packaging expo the APPMA announced the rebranding and restructuring of the AUSPACK exhibition. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

A

USPACK saw a host of packaging and processing companies descend on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s showroom floor to finally showcase everything the industry has to offer.

One of the key points to take away from the expo early in the story is its restructuring and rebranding to APPEX, Australasian Processing and Packaging Expo.

The APPMA made the exciting announcement during the APPMA Awards for Excellence gala dinner which also saw packaging companies recognised for their contributions to the many areas which encompass the packaging industry.

The key message behind the rebrand is to encompass every area of the Australian packaging and processing industry more fully, APPMA CEO Mike Moran said during the announcement.

“We’re proud of how AUSPACK has grown, and the value that it gives exhibitors and visitors,” said Moran.

AUSPACK is more than just a

packaging-only exhibition, it is a show aimed at encompassing the total processing and packaging sector, from machinery, ancillary equipment, materials, packaging, and food processing, right through to industry service.

“Now is the right time to truly bring everyone together across the spectrum of processing and packaging into one show.

APPEX will be one exhibition for the industry, run by the industry.”

APPEX is now scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 15 of March 2024, before running every three years instead of every two years like AUSPACK before it.

“Three yearly is an optimal cycle for a large show with more exhibitors and visitors, it is a neater flow with other international shows and facilitates better alignment with developments in new technology,” said Dingley.

The expo will also be anchored in Melbourne going forward, which aims to create a stronger foundation to the future of the event, organisers said.

“APPMA chose Melbourne for its

The return of AUSPACK saw exhibitors and visitors from all over the globe attend.

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

position as Australia’s premier venue for holding larger shows, with facilities allowing APPEX and Processing & Packaging Week to grow while still retaining AUSPACK’s renowned experience,” said Dingley.

One of the key drivers behind restructuring the expo was in support of the APPMA’s aims to promote, integrate, and foster collaboration and participation at every key step of the processing and packaging machinery industry.

“APPEX being run by the industry means that exhibitors, APPMA members, and key players will all have a strong voice in the shows development,” said Dingley.

“The APPMA will continue to reinvest the exhibition’s profits to further support and develop the processing and packaging industry, Australia wide, and with more on offer for visitors, the Australian marketplace overall benefits.

“The Board is excited to reveal this next step for Australia’s manufacturing industry. It is one that our research has shown will even better showcase the

innovation of Australian manufacturing businesses, which are at the forefront of the Australian economy.”

The full spectrum coverage Dingley spoke of was already on display at the 2022 AUSPACK expo with exhibitors from multiple branches of the industry, from IT and digital solution providers to machinery manufacturers, all giving a first-hand display of what is on offer now and into the future for the food and beverage industry.

Optimism was also in the air at the expo, with many exhibitors telling Food & Beverage Industry News how eager both themselves and visitors were to finally be back in the real world after the COVID-19 pandemic caused so many delays.

Representatives from packaging and processing machinery and technology solution providers such as Heat & Control, Select Equip, Insignia, SMC, Robotic Automation, all spoke highly of the show and the leads it was generating for their companies.

All agreed that while digital meetings had played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and still provide a key benefit in the aftermath, that nothing compares to being able to showcase the processing and packaging offerings at an event like AUSPACK. For example, label manufacturers Insignia, brought its laser printing technology to the show and gave Food & Beverage Industry News a first-hand display of some of its capabilities.

“With confectionary for instance, there is a light foil so to avoid the laser penetrating the packaging you will instead of it going onto the packet it goes onto the pin seal which means if they do have a puncture, it won’t get to the actual product,” said a spokesperson.

“There are different methods for different applications.”

Meanwhile, industrial equipment specialists Heat & Control, were displaying its optical sorting machine which uses advanced camera and laser technology to provide greater sorting

AUSPACK

The major announcement at the expo was its rebranding to Appex. capability. By doing so, the machine can save more of the good food product that can sometimes be lost in the sorting process.

A benefit to being on the showroom floor is that you can be watching a laser printing display before turning around and seeing the latest in pallet wrapping automation, before stepping over and speaking to a sustainable packaging consultancy group for information on the cutting-edge green packaging.

O F Packaging, for example, used its stand to showcase how a better

Appex will now run every three years in Melbourne. and more refined circular systems and economy around plastic packaging can be achieved. The stand also highlighted new alternative packaging materials and methods which provide a more sustainable packaging approach.

But AUSPACK is also much more than just the showroom floor. The event also hosted an extensive, and comprehensive, series of seminars about every aspect of the packaging and processing industry.

The speaker seminars provided valuable insight into everything

from current and emerging trends in manufacturing and processing, to the bigger picture and long-term issues like food safety and sustainability.

Coupled with the steady stream of seminar series talks, the Leaders’ Forum, provided valuable insight from a long list of some key stakeholders and decision makers in the food and beverage industry including Brooke Donnelly, CEO of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, and Professor Edward Kosior, founder, and CEO of Nextek.

A key showpiece for the 2022

AUSPACK expo was the APPMA Awards of Excellence, which saw the finalists highlighted and the winners of the awards celebrated.

Among the winners were GS1 Australia which won the Packaging Design Innovation Award for its work on 2D barcodes, while LACO Automation & Service won the Sustainability Award for its Circular Plastic Australia jvc – Recycling Plant.

Appex will return from to Melbourne in 2024 from the 12th to the 15th of March. F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 43

INGREDIENTS

Sustainable nutrition in Australia John Cahalane, president and CEO of Kerry Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), shares how Kerry is investing in Australian food and beverage as it evolves into a more health-focused sector.

K

erry is a world-leading taste and nutrition company that was founded in 1972 on a greenfield site in Ireland. Guided by their in-depth understanding of international market dynamics, insight into consumer trends, shifting taste preferences and evolving nutritional requirements, it has grown strategically.

Developing taste and nutrition solutions for global food and beverage markets, Kerry has become the co-creation partner of choice through its broad technology foundation, customer-centric business model and integrated solutions capabilities.

Recently, it has demonstrated a renewed focus on the Australian food and beverage market in particular.

Having recently travelled to Australia to shore up business, Kerry APMEA president and CEO, John Cahalane, shared his views on the

food and beverage landscape both nationwide and globally.

“Proactive health concerns are at the forefront of purchasing decisions across all generations,” Cahalane said.

“Kerry research shows that consumers in all age groups globally, including Australia, are interested in food and beverages with functional benefits – with demand for immune support, joint health and digestive health particularly high.”

For Australian consumers, the demand for functional foods, beverages and supplements has continued to grow. For example, since COVID-19 began one in four Australians say they are buying more fortified products.

“Kerry’s 2021 Global Consumer Survey on Immune and Digestive Health showed that a strong immune system and healthy gut are top reasons why Australians would buy a healthy

lifestyle product, and that consumers preferred food and beverages over supplements to support their nutritional needs,” Cahalane said.

In terms of health benefits in foods, immune health ranked number one at 54 per cent, followed by digestive health at 47 per cent with 53 per cent of Australian consumers strongly associating probiotics with good gut health, second only to fibre. Notably, 74 per cent prefer to get their health benefits from food and beverages, and 34 per cent rely on fruit and vegetable juices to strengthen their immunity and digestive health.

However, consumers were more likely to buy a product if it is supported by scientific data, and the likelihood to purchase comes down to research and transparency, with 47 per cent of Australian millennials saying they are more likely to buy a healthy lifestyle product if they have done their own research on the ingredient and its benefits.

Kerry in Australia

Kerry APMEA president and CEO, John Cahalane.

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

Kerry place in this Australian food and beverage landscape is substantiated by a continued emphasis on their fundamental target markets, while branching out into emerging categories that are more focused on health.

“For Kerry, revenue growth in our business across Australia and New Zealand over the coming years will come from a focus on our core end use markets of Meat, Beverage and Savoury and emerging categories such as Supplements & Functional Food and Beverages and Plant-Based Food & Beverages,” Cahalane said.

According to Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), one of the major challenges identified for the food and beverage industry is the ability for businesses to easily adapt and respond to rapidly evolving consumer needs, and changing business and market conditions. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has also identified nutritional value, addressing customer demand, and agile supply chains as major drivers in the sector.

By establishing the Development

and Application Centre in Brisbane last May, Kerry Australia and New Zealand is both facilitating access to the global market for local suppliers and following Kerry’s globally recognised innovation strategy. This strategy is centred on creating value for the consumer, which reflects the industry’s changing needs and can unlock opportunities for growth in Australia.

Sustainable nutrition According to Kerry research, consumers in all markets want better taste, and more authentic, natural and local experiences. They want enhanced nutrition for better health and overall well-being and more convenient and affordable options to match modern on-the-go lifestyles. To top it off, sustainability is important: consumers want products that are made with cleaner labels and natural, easily recognisable ingredients, transparency, and more responsible sourcing of those ingredients.

This has put significant pressure on manufacturers, food service companies, restaurants and other end-use suppliers who want a partner that can not only help them meet consumer demands now, but also predict new upcoming trends.

“Our sustainability strategy, Beyond the Horizon, supports Kerry’s ambition to reach over two billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030,” Cahalane said.

“Through Kerry’s holistic support, deep innovation expertise and our extensive solutions portfolio covering food safety and security, clean label, positive and balanced nutrition, proactive nutrition and personalised nutrition, we help our customers move along the Sustainable Nutrition spectrum to produce healthier, nutritious products that satisfy consumer demands, feed a growing population and are better for people, society and the planet.”

More than 80 per cent of Kerry Ingredients’ portfolio delivers balanced and positive nutrition to one billion consumers around the world. Their integrated solutions are applied across a taste and nutrition strategic framework

INGREDIENTS

Australian consumers are demanding functional foods and beverages. that is focused on: • Authentic taste; • Plant-based; • Preservation and food protection; and • Health and bio-pharma.

“At Kerry Australia, we locally manufacture and supply our sustainable nutrition solutions for Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific through our robust network of manufacturing sites and distribution centres,” Cahalane said. “Being able to bring together the breadth of Kerry technologies under one roof is key to improving our speed to market and our agility to meet customers’ needs.”

On opening their Australia and New Zealand Development and Application Centre in Brisbane, Kerry supports over 100 local and regional food manufacturers to conduct intensive R&D projects via the onsite New Product Development facilities, with lab testing, sensory market analysis and manufacturing pilot lines.

This greatly reduces the innovation cycle and the requirements for customers to run trials within their own manufacturing facilities, thereby improving their efficiency and ability

to meet tight time lines to launch new products.

“After a difficult year for Australian food suppliers, improving supply chain access and providing support to manufacturers to innovate are essential for their recovery,” Cahalane said.

“Customers can take advantage of Kerry’s research and development global network which will provide access to global insights, market knowledge and culinary expertise, helping them develop solutions and products that are popular with and appeal to the local market.”

In July 2021, Kerry Ingredients also expanded their ProActive Health portfolio through the acquisition of the Spanish biotech company, Biosearch Life. This added three new branded technologies to the portfolio, including: • Hereditum – a range of premium probiotics that are isolated from human breast milk and suitable for use in infant nutrition, functional foods, and dietary supplements; • Eupoly-3 – a range of ultra-purified Omega-3 fish oils with a very clean taste profile specifically developed for dairy, infant formulas, and functional foods and beverages; and • Exxentia – a range of over 250

botanical extracts, including several branded extract ingredients that support joint, heart and women’s health.

“With consumers in Australia taking a more proactive approach to health, and by integrating these technologies into our ProActive Health portfolio, we can be our customers’ most valued partner in creating healthier, sustainable food and beverages Australian consumers want,” Cahalane said.

Kerry also acquired Niacet in September 2021, which Cahalane says is a global leader in preservation.

“APMEA faces food production challenges due to climate change and longer supply chains, driven by demographic changes and rapid urbanisation,” he said. “Niacet has a clear leadership position in bakery and has cost-effective low-sodium preservation systems for meat and plantbased food.”

By adding Niacet technologies to their clean label food protection and preservation technologies portfolio, Kerry can strengthen their position with complementary technologies while accelerating their growth.

“We will build upon the commercial

reach of Niacet’s brands by adding the breadth and depth of our global network, innovation and application centres of excellence, as well as our taste and nutrition expertise,” Cahalane said.

“This means we can help customers in Australia and the region get products to consumers safely and over wider areas of distribution with less waste of valuable food resources and higher levels of food safety.”

More recently, Kerry completed the acquisition of US-based Natreon, a supplier of branded ayurvedic botanical ingredients. Natreon supplies branded and scientifically studied and tested ayurvedic extracts to the dietary supplement and functional food and beverage industries worldwide.

“This latest acquisition significantly expands our leadership position and Proactive Health portfolio of sciencebacked branded ingredients, furthering Kerry’s technology growth,” Cahalane said.

“We are always interested in working with potential partners and companies to build and strengthen our portfolio in realising our vision of Sustainable Nutrition, regardless of where they are located.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 45

PACKAGING

Company given boost by new sleeving machine Select Equip is the exclusive Australian distributor for Keymac Packaging’s newest high speed Keymac K101-2 which is designed to address industry demand for preglued sleeves. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

S

elect Equip, the exclusive Australian distributor for Keymac Packaging Systems, reports that industry demand for preglued sleeves is at an all-time high within the ready meal, meat and snacking on the go industry sector. With this demand comes the need for higher speed machines with the introduction of the Keymac K101-S (up to 75 packs per minute).

Key Benefits: • Compact footprint 1.5 meters • Change over in 5 minutes by operators • Minimum moving parts, Low maintenance cost • Pre-glued sleeves can be provided by any supplier • Installation time 30 minutes With Significant market growth in the use of preglued sleeves and competition to attract labour at an all time, the Keymac K101-S is a simple efficiency and automation step that can installed on any line that uses rigid and semi ridged primary packaging. Widely used in the food packaging industry, sleeving machines are highly preferred due to Graphic and sustainability Appel cardboard.

Pre-glued sleeves are 100 per cent recyclable, flexibility to handle a wide

The Keymac K101-S presents preglued sleeves for the industry. range of pack sizes and shapes.

Select Equip’s Market & sales director James White advised that “the key manufacturers engaged in

The Keymac range of fully automatic pre-glued sleeving machines is addressing industry demand.

46 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

the production of ready meals with cartoning and sleeving are continuously focusing on optimising costs, product innovations, and sustainable packaging options to attract more end-users.” He said, “having a fully automatic machine that is capable of inserting trays or tubs in square, round and oval shapes into pre-glued sleeves is a must in today’s market.”

With Australian manufacturers looking for the latest technology within tray sleeving machines that can pack a variety of applications such as flexible and rigid packaging and the issues with labour, it is expected that semi and full automated sleeving machines will be on the rise due to their need for ease of use, additional labour savings requirements and the rise in consumer product demand.

The Keymac range of fully automatic pre-glued sleeving machines offers many unique features and are

unmatched for performance and reliability. Their low maintenance requirements and reduced running costs make these machines an excellent choice to provide our customers with the next step in achieving greater efficiency, and productivity that will facilitate growth.

White advised that “the new higher speed K101S Keymac Sleever has the same compact footprint and size range capability as the K101 but can achieve speeds up to 75 packs per minute. The machine is fully adjustable without the need for costly change parts and has been specifically designed for a 5-minute changeover.” And as companies realise the benefits and efficiency automation can bring, they are expected to incorporate it into their manufacturing process.

The Keymac range of products are available in Australia exclusively through Select Equip. F

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WEIGHING EQUIPMENT

The volumetric auger feeder is intended for precise dosing.

Bespoke, food-grade weighing and dosing solutions Tecweigh, an Australian Made dynamic weighing specialist, have several food-grade solutions that Food & Beverage Industry News readers can implement to optimise their manufacturing processes.

W

ith bespoke solutions used in bulk handling applications for dry materials, Tecweigh design and manufacture their in-motion weighing and metering products in Australia, sourcing most components locally.

With 25 years of manufacturing experience to provide quality weighing equipment to the Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney areas, Tecweigh are based in Melbourne, Victoria. For the food industry in particular, their stainless steel volumetric auger feeder

and weigh belt feeder set Tecweigh apart from their competitors.

The volumetric auger feeder features a simple design and has an internal agitation system that promotes product flow. Meanwhile, the weigh belt feeders – built for accuracy, dependability, and food grade hygiene – offer great performance and easy calibration.

Volumetric Auger Feeder Tecweigh’s business development manager, Barry Gamble, explains that the volumetric auger feeder is intended

48 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

for precise dosing and flow control of dry powder or granular products.

Gamble says the augers are available in sizes from 12mm to 152mm in diameter, and there are various feeder sizes capable of dispensing between one and 20,000 litres per hour.

“It’s a screw auger, where its speed and diameter will determine how many litres per hour it can move, as opposed to kilograms per hour,” he said. “It’s all about how dense the product is. It’s suited for accurate dosing of powders and granular products into food; one

major application is salt, spices, and seasonings in the snack food industry.”

Toolless disassembly The volumetric auger and Feedtube assembly is easy to remove, using a single lever operation. If an operator tries to remove the auger and Feedtube during operation, a safety sensor fitted to the mounting shuts down the drive motor.

Prevents bridging Many feeders on the market have solid metal sides with the auger turning

WEIGHING EQUIPMENT

around at the bottom. This can lead to the product caking up and becoming stuck, which is known as bridging.

“In response to this, we have a flexible polyurethane hopper with external massaging paddles that prevent the product from bridging or ratholing,” Gamble said. “The flowability of the product is key to consistent loading of the auger which ensures reliable and accurate rate control. The options are single drive, where one motor will drive the massaging paddles and auger directly at the selected speed. For difficult or low flowrate products, a dual drive option with two motors is available, in this case the auger and the massaging paddles are driven independently.

“Dual Drive is the preferred configuration for Gravimetric or Loss-in Weight applications. Tecweigh feeders can be equipped with load cells, so you can measure kilograms per hour instead of litres per hour. Then using this weight feedback, the auger speed is adjusted to maintain an accurate dispensing rate as confirmed by weight during the process.

The paddle speed can be reduced by comparison with the auger rotation to keep the material flowing smoothly through the hopper with minimal ‘mechanical disturbance’ affecting the weight measurement.”

This means that the food producer can determine how much product is being dispensed and if the speed of the paddle or auger needs to be altered.

“When refilling the inlet hopper, the weight signal from the load cells is ignored by the PLC and the last remembered speeds of the auger and paddles are maintained during the refilling process,” Gamble said. “Level sensors are not needed for the refill cycle as the actual weight in the hopper is visible to the process in real time.”

such as the belt width, belt speed and the height and cross section of the material bed.

“We custom engineer the product using the customer’s parameters of product bed depth, belt width, and belt speed to optimise and meet the flow required in either kilograms or tonnes per hour,” Gamble said. “It could have an Ethernet IP output to go into a PLC that can monitor the scale parameters in real time.”

High accuracy The accuracy of the weigh belt feeder is +-0.5 per cent for a single idler weighing system, or +-0.25 per cent for a dual idler.

Another factor Tecweigh has considered in their designs is how to contain the material on the belt for different applications.

“We are talking to a customer who produce salads and because it is a much a lighter product than say potato, the product bed depth bed needs to be higher to achieve the same throughput.

We use parameters around depth, belt width, and speed to achieve the optimum throughput.”

Maximum accessibility, minimal build-up Another feature of the Tecweigh weigh belt feeder is it minimises the amount of material build-up. On its continuous loop belt in the production line, once divested of its material the belt travels underneath where a spring-loaded belt scraper cleans it as it moves.

“The inlet and outlet chutes can be custom-made to fit the needs of the end user’s process,” Gamble said. “Sometimes

“The flowability of the product is key to consistent loading of the auger which ensures reliable and accurate rate control.”

“Another important factor is containment of material on the belt which can be by a wave edge belt, or if they want a larger bed depth, they can use stainless steel side rails,” Gamble said.

a tank or hopper is installed above, the head of product sits there and as the belt moves along and drags the product out at the speed that’s required. After weighing the product is dispensed off the end of the

belt through a flanged discharge chute” The weigh belt feeders also include built-in calibration weights.

“Firstly, you zero a clean belt–any small deviations in the weight of the belt are absorbed in the zero-tracking function of the WP20 Weight Processor,” he said.

“A calibration cycle is initiated and the WP20 process guides you through adding the weights and advises you when to take them off. Then the calibration process is complete.”

Carrying more weight Having been manufacturing in Australia for over 25 years, Tecweigh knows what works and what customers require in the food industry, among many others.

While this has meant that the stainless steel volumetric auger feeder and weigh belt feeder have been sold successfully over the years, the dynamic weighing specialist is now working to deliver a new range of advanced products.

“Despite COVID-19, our many loyal customers together with welcome new ones helped Tecweigh to record growth last year,” Gamble said. “We are working to keep the momentum going into the future with a new generation of weighing control systems, due for release later this year. Watch this space!” F

Weigh Belt Feeder While the volumetric auger feeder is used for small and precise dosing, the weigh belt feeder can be used for any product in larger quantities. Gamble explains how it works.

“For the weigh belt feeder, the product arrives on a non-weighing section of the belt then travels over the weighing section and then over a second non weighing section before leaving the belt,” he said.

“It’s about mixing the raw product, recipe mixing, or batching. It works on many products and ensures each product is given the correct ingredients in the right proportions.”

There are certain elements that can be custom made to cater to the clients’ needs,

The weigh belt feeder can be used for any product in larger quantities. www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 49

FOODTECH

How to minimise waste through packaging In the lead-up to FoodTech Queensland, Food & Beverage Industry News speaks with key speakers from Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) and Close The Loop Group around how food and beverage businesses can minimise waste through packaging innovations.

Education about food waste is a critical first step in the plan.

I

n committing to halve the food waste that reaches landfill by 2030, the Australian government’s National Food Waste Strategy has sparked much conversation in the food and beverage industry around how to achieve this. According to the latest National Food Waste Baseline, 2.5 million tonnes of food waste was created in consumers’ homes, 2.3 million tonnes in primary production, and 1.8 million tonnes in the manufacturing sector.

One potential solution to be explored is packaging – specifically, how informed packaging designs can help food and beverage businesses and their end-consumers minimise waste.

This 7-8 July, FoodTech Queensland

will investigate this idea further as part of the newly curated two-day exclusive conference at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Education The first step on the path to minimising waste begins with education. The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), long-standing industry partner to FoodTech Qld, is guiding this education through a variety of training courses, one-onone customised workshops, corporate in-house training and even specialised degrees focused on packaging. One of these courses has a particular focus on the role packaging plays in minimising

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

food waste.

“It’s really important to raise the profile of how to better design packaging at the start, to ultimately minimise food waste across the value chain and in the household,” AIP executive director Nerida Kelton said.

“We also have our PIDA Awards program, which recognises innovative save food packaging to help people better design their packaging and minimise food waste. We are a core participant in the Fight Food Waste CRC, and we are working on our own project which is developing save food packaging design guidelines for designers, technologists and engineers.”

Kelton views food waste as a vital

element of consideration that is not spoken about enough within the industry, compared with packaging waste and sustainability.

“However, the environmental impacts of food waste are much higher than the conversation that’s being had in terms of packaging waste at the moment,” she said. “For us, it’s really important to help people understand that packaging can play a role in minimising food waste.”

Close The Loop Group is also active in educating both industry bodies and its clients on the importance of packaging and the role it plays in protecting food.

“I think people can underestimate

FOODTECH

FoodTech Queensland will investigate how to minimise waste through packaging innovations in a new conference.

“The only way that we can achieve it is to collaborate across the entire value chain; we can’t do it in silos in different parts of the supply chain anymore.” the need for packaging, particularly when you consider that packaging plays a very important role in keeping food safe and preserving the product on the shelf,” Close The Loop Group CEO Joe Foster said. “Not only that, but the impact of that packaging on the rest of the world.”

Despite primary production and food manufacturing generating so much food waste in Australia, Foster believes we can achieve the federal government’s national goals to halve food waste by expanding this education.

“In terms of reducing food waste, education is key,” he said. “Labelling on packaging is also key, because there’s a lot of confusion from a consumer perspective on what it really means and when the product is truly expired.

“I think we also need to look at different ways of preserving food by using better packaging materials. There are packaging materials out there that are designed to preserve food longer, such as those that contain absorbers.

Packaging materials like that will work hand-in-hand with consumers trying to preserve food for that little bit longer.”

Kelton agrees that by promoting collaboration and open communication between consumers, industries and governments, halving the amount of

food waste being dumped in landfill is achievable. FoodTech Queensland is providing a platform to do just this at the conference and expo.

“The only way that we can achieve it is to collaborate across the entire value chain; we can’t do it in silos in different parts of the supply chain anymore,” Kelton said. “Associations like Stop Food Waste Australia will assist in driving this conversation as well, because we need to have the conversation with farmers, producers and households, and make them aware of the severity of the issue and what they can do. I think we are on the right path.”

How to reduce waste Another area of concern is the waste that the packaging itself can generate, not just the food it contains. For food and beverage businesses that opt to incorporate a circular packaging solution that won’t contribute to this waste, Foster said it’s important to consider the packaging hierarchy.

“In moving towards a more sustainable product, you always have to consider the packaging hierarchy,” he said. “This includes important factors that we cannot jeopardise such as food safety, machine performance, shelf life of the product, food safety barriers, oxygen and moisture barriers, and

commercial innovation.

“Close The Loop are very much involved in promoting a true circular economy, to ensure that when we design packaging we’re trying to make it more circular, reusable or recyclable.”

There are many Australian companies that have implemented more informed packaging designs to reduce waste across the board, such as Plantic Technologies, who are actively embedding save food packaging design principles for its customers. Or Junee Lamb, who recently won Bronze in the WorldStar Packaging Awards for its conscious packaging design that minimises the risk of lamb bones puncturing the packaging.

But to facilitate a circular economy in the food and beverage industry, Kelton believes there needs to be a balanced and holistic outlook on reducing environmental impacts.

“If you’re looking to make a strong commitment to lower your environmental impacts, then you need to look across everything that you do,” Kelton said. “We believe that food and beverage manufacturers need to understand the science behind the decisions that they make, making sure that they are, in fact, better decisions.”

Making better decisions and considering smart packaging ideas that will work for each individual business is crucial. For some, this may mean returning to their product and assessing what is really needed in its packaging.

“A lot of packaging that’s being used may have been in place for many, many years because it’s been inherited,” Foster said. “A company might find their product has changed over the past 10 years – so what sort of shelf life does it now have? What protection does it need in terms of temperature?

Then build those specifications so the packaging can reflect what will suit the actual product.”

Commercial benefits Ultimately, consumers are driving the conversation around sustainable packaging across the globe. This consumer demand displays potential commercial value for brands who incorporate it into their processes.

“It is important for brands to understand their collective responsibility in lowering their carbon footprints,” Kelton said. “And consumers will support that, because they see that they’re making the effort by not putting single use or problematic materials on the market and actively

trying to replace those materials with something that is capable of being collected, sorted, recovered and recycled.”

By taking the consumer along in the brand’s journey to deliver more sustainable packaging that reduces waste, there is a potential marketing benefit as well.

“There are too many brands that are not communicating that openly and they need to be honest in saying, ‘This is what we’re doing or plan to achieve,’ and then consumers feel like they’re part of that journey with you,” Kelton said.

In terms of cost, Foster admits that implementing sustainable packaging currently doesn’t come cheap. However, there is the potential for food and beverage manufacturers to see better cost effectiveness as such packaging designs are scaled up in the future.

“At the moment, we’re leveraging all the newest technology from the last five years,” Foster said. “It’s also because we’re trying to compete with international commodity-type packaging materials, and we’re making bespoke, sustainable materials that we don’t have to scale at the moment. But once we do start to scale, we will begin to see more commercial benefits in the packaging.”

FoodTech Queensland Kelton and Foster will both be at FoodTech Queensland on 7-8 July at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, joining fellow industry peers as part of the FoodTech Qld first, two-day conference program.

They’ll be discussing innovative packaging designs and how brands have actively engaged in implementing them, and how Australia is striving to meet the 2030 targets around food waste through packaging.

Along with expert suppliers showcasing their food and beverage solutions at the expo and the opportunity to network with leading professionals among the backdrop of the scenic Gold Coast, the winners of the PIDA Awards for 2022 will also be announced at FoodTech Qld on Friday 8 July. The awards will recognise companies and individuals who are making a difference through packaging innovation and design. F To hear from key representatives in the industry and discover packaging solutions to reduce waste, register for FoodTech Queensland at www.foodtechqld.com.au/register.

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 51

HYGIENE

Sustainable materials in hoses contribute to value chain Continental’s suite of hose and nozzle offerings promise a more efficient and valueadded application to the washdown process. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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hrough its research and development Continental continues to provide the food and beverage industry with a 360-circular economy in terms of sustainable materials and a full value chain contribution through use of its advanced hoses.

“That goes right back to sourcing raw materials, how much you use, the types of materials, but also through the quality and research and development of making sure products last and are fit for purpose,” said Scott Weston.

“This is to playing an active part in sustainability.

“By using high quality products like the ones provided by Continental, clients are able to protect their investment and contribute to a sustainable future.”

Continental is continuously developing compounds to meet, and exceed, industry standards which in turn create a string of benefits for the end user. The utmost importance is to simply convey the ingredients used whilst not impacting the taste or odour of the produce. Additional benefits include the reduction in washdown times and costs incurred by downtime due to faults in the CIP process.

“Sustainability is a hot topic and Continental is committed to achieving 100 per cent carbon neutrality and a 100 per cent responsible value chain. This will be designed and based on responsible sourcing and business partnerships to provide a quality product to exceed industry expectations. Sustainable warehousing, transportation, and recycling are all facets to achieving a circular economy,” said Weston.

“Continental aims to set benchmarks in quality through long term value creation.”

Continental’s Microban and antimicrobial technology is a key example of this value creation through setting new benchmarks as the first and only of its type within the Australian food

and beverage industry.

“Continental is the first company approved for the NSF61 standards for potable water. This validates that drinking water comes out as pure as it went in, and we guarantee that,” said Weston.

Being the hose manufacturing company to receive an NSF61 rating for hoses is another indicator of Continental’s drive towards innovation and exceeding some industry standards.

The use of pure water in the production of food and beverage products is a sure way to improve finished product taste.

“Cleaning being an important step in the production process, Continental have developed the compounds to be resistant to conventional cleaning and use of sanitised agents. It’s about making the cleaning process easier,” said Weston.

The Dinga gun nozzle is another offering from Continental specifically designed to cut water and energy costs, linking sustainability with efficiency.

“Like any good maintenance practises, cleanliness is always top priority. We’ve had reports from production facilities of bacteria mildew build up internally on other hose products. This can be extremely harmful and is usually the result of poor compounds being used. A poor maintenance schedule can also contribute,” said Weston.

When it comes to its offerings and product performance, Continental prides itself on quality and performance which has enabled the organisation to become a reputable global manufacturer..

“All Continental food and beverage hoses have a four to one pressure rating safety factor engineered into the design and construction of the product. That again is market leading, that’s because we trust the product’s performance and quality to exceed the market expectations,” said Weston.

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The life cycle of the hoses, especially because of their components, is another critical area for the company, ensuring the best quality it can which extends the life of the product.

This is a major contributor to playing an active role in shaping a sustainable future.

“When you’ve got hoses that are made with specific plasticisers, the chemicals and cleaning agents used can cause rapid degradation of a hose product. Because of this, Continental develop and test our own materials extensively to ensure longevity of the finished product,” said Weston.

“We also recommend regular maintenance intervals to include cleaning cycles and clean in place (CIP) processes to protect the asset and identify early signs of failure.

The compounds Continental use are also capable of withstanding the CIP process and cope well with the high temperatures which may degrade other products.”

With a focus on the circulareconomy and full traceability, Continental have developed the CrimpIQ controller. This is the next generation, intelligent, cloud-based controller for hydraulic and industrial hose crimpers to ensure the integrity and quality of the hose assembly process.

The CrimpIQ controller in conjunction with the Continental CrimpCloud is the most reliable, efficient and safest hose assembly fabrication solution in the market.

It connects equipment, software and people to build quality hoses and ensure hose and fitting retention.

“The Continental CrimpCloud is a connected solution which can take the hose assembly operation and traceability to the next level,” said Weston.

“What it’s really doing is taking critical information from the assembly process and log all of that data automatically through a digital

Continental hoses help create a more sustainable manufacturing process. hydraulic crimping machine. This information is then stored in a cloudbased system which can be audited and retrieved at any time.

“The process is designed to avoid human error preventing hose and fitting integrity faults and reducing the susceptibility of leakages.”

The software is connected wirelessly with a single storage place, on-demand crimper calibration, remote technical support, and online training manuals to provide guidance and education to the operator.

“You also know who did that crimp and when they did it and what the finished specifications were. All of that information gets uploaded into the new Crimp Cloud, it is a full asset database for quality assurance and traceability,” said Weston.

Continental places a priority on sustainability and digitalisation. The development and connection of tried and tested products to revolutionary technology has created a service that ensures product quality to protect its customers investment. F

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AUSTRALIA’S LEADING MANUFACTURING AWARDS

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Australian material scientist recognised with Global Lifetime Achievement Award Group technical manager with Labelmakers Group, Graham Lang, was recognised with the Packaging Achievement Award after three decades of helping to shape the labelling industry.

Author Nerida Kelton MAIP, Executive Director – AIP, Vice President – Sustainability & Save Food

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or the last thirty years Graeme Lang has held the position of group technical manager with Labelmakers Group and has been a significant contributor to the technical side of the labelling industry for four decades in the Australasian region.

Lang is a member of the WPO Member, the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).

Holding Patents for the formation of a 3D label from a flat web and a second patent for a removable label for returnable plastic crates used in the logistics industry (Crate Wash-Off Label), Graeme has certainly left his mark on the industry.

Over two decades ago Graeme established the pressure-sensitive label (PSL) coatings division for Labelmakers, creating one of the first vertically integrated printing companies in the world.

Achieving backward integration into materials coating meant that Labelmakers could develop adhesive technology specifically for Australia’s application requirements, and delivered a competitive advantage in terms of cost, speed-to-market, end-to-end traceability of materials and local new product development capability.

Labelmakers has since grown to become the largest label printer in Australasia utilising its own adhesive technology to support a range of market categories. Labelmakers is the only company in Australasia to be locally manufacturing pressuresensitive materials.

Graeme is also busy commercialising a range of sustainable label solutions that have been informed by Australia’s recycling pathway. This range will include recycled and recyclable facestocks, de-bondable adhesive

Graeme Lang has spent three decades as technical manager at the Labelmakers Group. systems and dispersible ink systems that are adapted to specific primary container types and local recycling infrastructure.

For the last two decades, Graeme has advocated for sustainability to be incorporated as an aspect of new product design. He has fostered co-operation between stakeholders raw material suppliers, brand owners and recyclers - to understand, educate and address the important role labels play in maximising the recovery of the primary containers to which they are attached.

Still wondering how this recognition is even possible for a material scientist Graeme Lang wanted to share what winning the WPO Lifetime Achievement Award means to him.

54 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

“First and foremost, I think it is just the greatest honour that somebody in my field of activity could hope to receive...to even be considered alongside the doyens of the packaging industry who have received this award in the past is a huge, huge personal thrill.

It still feels like we are talking about someone else,” said Lang.

“I think the most important element in any job, or any career, is to have the sense that what you do makes a difference. In a big way receiving the WPO Lifetime Achievement Award gives validation to the effort that I have put in over the last 40+ years.

“My advice for future packaging professionals is to be curious. To borrow from the Kaizen philosophy, ask the 5 why’s in any new pursuit, problem solving or product

development opportunity.

“Don’t limit focus to just what you need to know to complete your immediate task. Try to build a knowledge and an understanding of your supplier’s technology and your supplier’s suppliers technology for that matter. Do the same with customer and the end user.

“I would say look outside your direct industry for new solutions and new innovations. We are in quite a mature industry today – the probability is that if there was solution it would already have been created or implemented. For me the most significant product developments I have been associated with involved drawing from allied industries or other branches of the packaging industry I had been exposed to.” F

AFCCC

The AFCCC is calling for greater industry collaboration

Competitors now need to be friends AFCCC chairman, Mark Mitchell, details the advantages that will come from food and beverage industry competitors working together in certain aspects. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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here’s nothing wrong with friendly competition. In fact, if you thrive on challenges and hate to be outdone, some friendly competition may well help motivate you and reach your goals.

But now there is a new meaning to friendliness in Australia’s cold chain industry when moving chilled or frozen foods from farm to plate.

It’s more like friendly cooperation.

I could argue that it will only be through friendly cooperation that Australia’s cold chain will come anywhere near being totally compliant.

The biggest single challenge facing our cold chain is not a lack of technology, but the implementation of process and correct use of the data that technology produces – and the ability to share it.

It is a sad situation to see compliant cold chains mostly only exist within the minority closed loop systems or end-toend supply chains without change of custody or ownership of product. This mostly applies to the many Covid supply models, but even more sadly it didn’t apply to the majority of routine vaccine cold chains until Covid came along.

Since the pandemic has put the spotlight on cold chain logistics, the industry has been inundated with proposals from telematics companies offering solutions for the food cold chain sector. Many of these offerings are quite inadequate for the job required, while some are very sophisticated and up to date and already being used by exiting cold chain operators.

transports or movement into cold stores, where delivery and receipt temperatures require verification. This is where the breakdown occurs in the majority of cold chains and while this non-sharing culture continues, the cold chain will remain broken and non-compliant.

Some of Australia’s biggest shippers of refrigerated foods have had many

The biggest single challenge facing our cold chain is not a lack of technology, but the implementation of process and correct use of the data that technology produces – and the ability to share it.

The solutions are out there, but there is a lack of appetite among cold chain competitors to share their data, which in essence, breaks the cold chain.

And by data, we are only talking about temperature, which in itself is the most important tool applied in the cold chain – or it should be.

There are many critical control point events between both competitive and non-competitive stakeholders.

It is at these vulnerable points, such as loading docks, transfers between

products arrive at their destination out of temperature specifications. As a result, far too many loads of valuable food have been diverted from the loading dock to the dump.

The problem was not a lack of temperature data – the data existed when the problem occurred. What was wrong was that there was no agreement to both share and use the data between the companies involved in the food transfer. In those cases known to the AFCCC, the issue just went away when

there was agreement that the data would be shared, and how it would be used.

There is just too much knee-jerk opinion in the Australian cold chain, that tracing is the panacea that will solve all of their issues. It won’t, not by itself, and that is part of the reason the cold chain culture needs to change.

Where we have seen a greater degree of cooperation between stake holders is when companies, for other reasons, put in a quality management system under ISO 9001 in some part of their business. Operating under ISO 9001 for quality product delivery seems to have the effect of encouraging natural participation with and cooperation between stake holders. This can spill over into the cold chain process of the same company.

A quality management system, on any section of the business, breaks the ice for the cold chain in that business and generally leads to a change of culture throughout.

The work of the AFCCC is encouraging government incentives to embed quality management systems for food supply and the cold chain. F

www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 55

AFGC

The cost of shipping ingredients and finished goods to Australia has seen a sharp increase.

Cost pressures affecting Australian manufacturers AFGC CEO Tanya Barden speaks about the pressures facing Australian food and beverage manufacturers and how those same pressures are impacting prices on supermarket shelves. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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FGC CEO Tanya Barden says Australian food and grocery manufacturers are facing cost pressures that are starting to flow through to supermarket shelves.

“All manufacturers of food and groceries are facing pressure and that is starting to flow through to supermarket shelves,” said Barden.

“Over the past decade manufacturers have already been dealing with a situation where wholesale prices – the prices they receive for their goods – have risen by less than the cost of their inputs. There has been a lot of absorbing of costs by manufacturers before the impact of the pandemic.”

The price of manufacturing over the past number of years has also had an impact on manufacturers and distributors.

“Over the past couple of years, the price of inputs for making and distributing goods has risen,” said Barden.

“The cost of shipping ingredients and finished goods to Australia has risen by

500 to 700 per cent. There have also been significant costs to business as a result of COVID safety measures, domestic freight cost increases caused by weather disruptions, shortages of pallets and rises in the cost of packaging.

“Adding to this unprecedented COVID disruption, manufacturers are facing increases in global commodity prices as a result of the situation in Ukraine and they are now seeing increases in labour costs.”

Barden said the cost rises had finally reached a breaking point for the industry.

“There is no longer the ability for manufacturers to continue to absorb those increased costs,” said said.

The stark news comes only weeks after Barden and the AFGC welcomed the Federal Budget’s boost to regional food and beverage manufacturing.

The $2 billion Regional Accelerator Program (RAP) announced in the budget provides important support to regional food and grocery manufacturers, who employ 40 per cent of this $132 billion industry’s workforce.

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Barden said the targeted funding will strengthen regional food and grocery manufacturing with measures including a $500m boost in funding for regional business through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) and a $200m increase to the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.

“The past two years have underscored how critically important a strong, sovereign food and grocery manufacturing industry is for Australia.

The support for regional manufacturers, who are major employers and providers of essential items, is a significant boost,” said Barden.

The AFGC welcomed the further $328.3m provided for the MMI’s six national manufacturing priorities over the next five years, however, said it is still inadequate given the investment challenges faces by the food and grocery sector.

Food and beverage manufacturing was identified as one of the six priorities and the AFGC has developed a vision for doubling the size of the industry by

2030, which requires significant capital investment. The Budget’s projected fall in non-mining investment after 2023 is of concern and will need attention if we are to grow the future productive capacity of the Australian economy.

Barden commended the federal government on delivering a responsible budget while supporting the Australian community and businesses through the challenges of COVID-19 and natural disasters.

“This budget comes as Australian food and grocery manufacturers face unprecedented costs, inflationary pressures and disruption,” she said.

“It is pleasing to see the government has delivered a deficit that is considerably below forecasts while introducing measures to support consumers and shore up Australia’s supply chains.”

The AFGC represents Australia’s food and grocery manufacturers, who together employ the nation’s largest manufacturing workforce and comprise 16,000 businesses employing more than 270,000 people. F

Food & Beverage Industry News is distributed nationally to more than 5000 subscribers, while the website has more than 40,000 unique views every month. It is the food and beverage industry’s one-stop-shop when it comes to the latest products, services and technologies in this space.

Visit our website and subscribe to get your print and digital editions in additon to our free daily newsletters today!

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MAY 2022

Ready meals market growth exceeds expectation PLUS: AUSPACK Feature | Digital Transformation | Packaging

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58 Food&Beverage Industry News | June 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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The new sensor is also suitable for the CIP and SIP processes which are frequently used in the food industry, the measured value can be transferred by the LW2720 either via a conventional 4…20 mA interface or via IO-Link, the IO-Link interface provides even further benefits. ifm efector Phone: 1300 365 088 Website: www.ifm.com/au

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www.foodmag.com.au | June 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 59

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