The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has injected £500,000 into funding food safety, authenticity and traceability research in collaboration with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).

The cash, which originates from the FSA’s Strategic Planning Programme, will be channelled through the TSB’s Nutrition for Life – Providing Safe and Healthy Food competition.

“The competition will fund collaborative research and development projects and smaller feasibility studies, aimed at providing safe and healthy foods,” the FSA states on its website.

‘Strategic priorities’

“The agency will consider co-funding successful, innovative projects in the research call, if they fall within our strategic priorities.”

Under the terms of the scheme, the FSA is calling for investigation into identifying the presence or levels of pathogens, contaminants or allergens in food.

It is also inviting tenders for work on implementing processing methods throughout the food chain to improve quality assurance, thus reducing adverse effects or health risks for consumers.

Country of origin

It hopes other topics for exploration will include enabling quick and reliable determination of products or ingredients, country of origin, method of production or the presence of adulterants or substituted or undeclared ingredients.

And the FSA also stated that the cash would be available for research into systems for efficient and robust tracking and monitoring of food, feed, food-producing animals or substances intended for consumption.

More funds available

The agency said more funds could be made available if a large number of good quality projects of interest were submitted.

The FSA is inviting interested parties to apply for a portion of the money by registering with the TSB from May 20.

British Bakels will launch a range of new products after a £2.5m ($3.8m) investment in a two-phase expansion plan at a UK manufacturing site, its MD says.

The bakery ingredients firm has invested in new equipment lines and will then commission a warehouse extension and new presentation bakery under the second phase of investment.

“Ultimately we see an exciting range of products being launched as a result of our investment,” said Paul Morrow, managing director of British Bakels.

New products include an egg glaze alternative, fluid bread and cake conditioners and fluid cake shortening, Morrow said.

“The new plant means we can produce an innovative range of ingredients, many of which will be fresh to the UK,” he said.

Improved technology, processing and packaging

Bakels has invested in five major plant lines for processing, packaging and improved quality assurance.

Investments include a tumble mixing system and heat exchanger, packaging equipment for wet products, a depositor and a weigh system along with Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) technology to ensure high raw material standards.

Operations and Engineering manager at British Bakels Simon Dawson said: “We can now offer an enhanced product range, better flexibility of pack sizes, along with significantly enhanced quality assurance and customer service.”

Gluten-free market expansion

Dawson said the new tumble mixing system would enable better allergen control because of its separate closed bins that segregate batches.

“Individual mixing containers mean they are easy to clean and will enable Bakels to further develop our presence in the expanding gluten-free market,” he said.

Consumers want to invest in a product that aligns with their values – and they do care about corporate responsibility, says Kellogg.

The Kellogg Company recently released its fifth global annual corporate responsibility report that focused on how the company is developing in the marketplace, workplace, community and its environmental efforts.

Kellogg spokesperson Kris Charles, told BakeryandSnacks.com that while all of this is important to company growth, it also resonates well with consumers.

“Consumers want to know that companies that provide their favorite products share their values,” Charles said.

“Loyal consumers see brands as a reflection of themselves. They are invested in the company and its success, and want to support a product that aligns with their values.”

Communicating efforts?

Charles said that communication on progress with customers and consumers is important, as well as feedback.

“Our corporate responsibility initiatives are a fundamental part of our business, so they frequently come up in conversations with customers. We want customers, as well as the consumers, to know the investments we’re making,” he said.

However, Kellogg president and CEO John A. Bryant recently told shareholders at the company’s latest meeting that advertising achievements was not a priority.

“I know consumers are increasingly concerned about out carbon footprint, our impact on the environment. But I think at the end of the day, it’s more about trying to do the right thing rather than advertise it,”Bryant said.

The number one global food brand is Nestlé’s Maggi range of instant soups, stocks, sauces, taste enhancers and noodles, according to Kantar Worldpanel. Unilever’s Knorr brand came second while PepsiCo’s Lay’s brand was third.

The data analyst has produced the first ranking of most chosen global fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands by tracking shoppers’ habits across 32 countries. Kantar claims this is first global ranking of FMCG brands using a new metric called Consumer Reach Points. This tracks shopper behaviour to calculate the number of households buying a brand and the frequency of purchase.

Maggi’s highest growth was in Asia, aided by the success of its instant noodles in India, according to Kantar.

Innovation

Innovation has played a part in its success, with new launches including Maggi Liquid Seasoning in China, Maggi low fat noodles in Malaysia and the launch of  Maggi Vegetable Atta in India – a wholegrain noodle that contains vegetables.

Rising Spanish bakery brand Bimbo was the sixth highest ranked food brand with the second highest frequency in the sector, purchased on average 14 times a year. It has a strong presence in Latin America where frequency is 23.

Evolving breakfast eating habits in many emerging markets is encouraging growth in many cereal brands. In Korea, cereal has moved from being a substitute for a breakfast meal to being eaten as part of a healthy lifestyle, which has helped sales of Kellogg’s Special K. Kellogg is also seeing brand penetration rise in Brazil where consumers are getting used to eating cereals for breakfast.

Coca-Cola number one drinks brand

Cola-Cola was the number one drinks brand and the world’s most bought brand overall, chosen 5.3bn times a year. Coca-Cola is also the brand leading in the highest number of countries (eight out of 32).

Unilever was the leading manufacturer, with 15 brands in the Top 50, Pepsico had five and The Coca-Cola Company had four.

Top ranked brands gained traction by being strong on both penetration and frequency with a particular focus on emerging growth markets with large populations.

The strongest global brands all demonstrated the following qualities, according to Kantar:

• A presence in the emerging world – with a focus on penetration in larger fast-developing countries such as Indonesia and China. All had a consistent brand offer that brought economies of scale in production and marketing
• Quick understanding and response to local needs, innovating product content and packaging to appeal to different preferences, tastes, skin types, lifestyles, values, traditions and demographics
• Availability – they built the best distribution networks that reached the most remote shoppers in rural areas of countries such as India and Vietnam. Products were also made accessible to new consumer segments and through new and alternative channels, often combining traditional, rural and digital
• Cross-category presence – They diversify and extend their brand equity to new product ranges across categories and segments – a strategy that has proved successful for Knorr in food.

Symrise has opened a new €10m research centre at its headquarters in Holzminden, Germany, intended to promote research dialogue between divisions.

The new 2,400-square-metre centre brings together 90 workers from its Flavour & Nutrition division as well as its Scent & Care division. About 20% of the company’s staff works in research and development and R&D accounts for about 6% of its investments – more than €100m a year.

Symrise CEO Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram said that pooling resources from different divisions can help pinpoint new trends and speed the development of innovative products.

He said in a statement: “Around the world, new trends are coming into existence every day and consumers are developing new needs. We strategically incorporate these strong dynamics arising from individual markets and segments into our research work in order to develop innovative solutions early on. That is why we cross-link our business units and pool our research activities. In this way, we realize interdisciplinary projects and can optimally make use of our competencies in the areas of fragrances, functional ingredients and flavours.”

“With our new research centre, we want to strengthen our expertise in research and development, which is the basis for a competitive position as well as for accelerated growth. A special point of emphasis was put on researching functional ingredients for healthy nutrition and conscious personal care.”

The company added that waste heat from the surrounding laboratory buildings has been used in the form of steam condensate to provide at least 75% of the heating for the new building.

The company added that waste heat from the surrounding laboratory buildings has been used in the form of steam condensate to provide at least 75% of the heating for the new building.

Coca-Cola has pledged to offer low- or no- calorie beverage options in every market following criticism that it is still aggressively promoting full-sugar products in emerging markets while offering healthier options at home.

The firm – which was recently targeted in a hard-hitting video by the Center for Science in the Public Interest featuring diabetic bears guzzling soda – has also committed to adding calorie labeling to all packages and supporting physical activity programs in every country in which it operates.

Finally, it will not advertise to children under 12 anywhere in the world.

The aim is to offer low-calorie or diet options wherever regular versions are sold, although they may not necessarily be the same brand.

For example, if a store sells Sprite it might also offer Coke Zero, said CEO Muhtar Kent, who told analysts on a recent earnings call that he was “personally committed” to leveraging Coke’s resources to tackle the global obesity crisis.

He said: “We are committed to being part of the solution, working closely with partners from business, government and civil society. Today’s announcement is another step forward on our journey, as we take action with scale and reach across every country and continent where we operate.”

While health-conscious consumers are increasingly sprinkling almonds, walnuts and other more ‘upmarket’ (and expensive) nuts on their oatmeal or Greek yogurt for a nutritional boost; peanuts – especially the salted, oil-roasted, variety – do not bask in quite the same healthy glow. 

Yet if any whole food really deserves the much-abused ‘super food’ moniker, then it’s peanuts - including the ones you’ll find in the salty snacks aisle by the soda and chips – delegates were told at a three-day event in Napa Valley hosted by the Peanut Institute last weekend.

Salted peanuts are not actually very salty …

The most nutrient-dense of all nuts (technically they’re legumes, but more of that later*), peanuts are also the most misunderstood, said successive speakers.

Contrary to popular belief, roasted salted peanuts contain just 119mg of sodium per 1oz (28g) serving, no trans-fats and just 1.9g of saturated fat (plus a stack of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fat), qualifying them for the American Heart Association heart-healthy certification scheme, pointed out Peanut Institute program director Pat Kearney.

They also comfortably meet the FDA’s criteria for low sodium foods (nuts with <140mg sodium/serving), she said.

People are surprised to learn that salted peanuts are not actually very salty.”

The reason they seem saltier than they are is because salt crystals cling to the surface of the peanuts and come into immediate contact with salt receptors on the tongue, delivering a much more intense hit than were the salt inside the peanut instead of topically applied, said Kearney.

“Weight for weight, salted peanuts contain less salt than most breads or breakfast cereals, muffins, tortilla chips, waffles and biscuits, and as some of the salt also rubs off on your hands or is left in the pack, you also typically eat less than the amount stated on the label.”

People that eat more nuts have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and a lower BMI

As for weight management, while peanuts pack a sizeable caloric punch, epidemiological data consistently shows that high intakes of peanuts (and nuts in general) are associated with lower incidence of obesity, while intervention trials also show that peanuts elicit strong dietary compensation (if you eat peanuts in the morning, you’ll spontaneously reduce your food intake later in the day), she said.

Meanwhile, we don’t absorb all of the energy in whole nuts, which means we may be overstating snack peanuts’ calorie content, while there is emerging evidence that regular consumption of peanuts and other nuts raises our resting metabolic rate, effectively neutralizing a further percentage of the energy obtained from nuts, she said.

As peanuts are low GI (glycemic index) foods, they can also be used to mitigate the effects of a high-carb breakfast on blood glucose, helping prevent spikes in blood sugar that will persist through lunch as well, she added.

A serving of peanuts also provides 2.7g of fiber and more protein per serving (8g/oz) than any other nut.

Vasodilator: Peanuts contain the highest levels of arginine of any whole food

From a cardiovascular perspective, meanwhile, peanuts are a veritable nutritional powerhouse, packed with cholesterol-busting phytosterols, monounsaturated fat, potassium and magnesium; vitamin E, niacin; folic acid; and the same kinds of phytonutrients found in berries, green tea and red wine (resveratrol, phenolic acids and flavonoids).

Less well-known is the fact that they also contain the highest levels of the amino acid arginine of any whole food (arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide, which helps expand blood vessels and decrease blood pressure); something that is getting sports nutritionists almost as excited as cardiologists, said Kearney.

Delegates were also given a presentation from Professor Tim Sanders about recent research  he conducted with Amanda Stephens at the University of North Carolina showing that peanuts, peanut oil and fat-free peanut flour all significantly lowered LDL cholesterol in hamsters.

Meanwhile, hamsters on the peanut diets also showed lower levels of several pro-inflammatory biomarkers including Endothelin-1 (ET-1); higher levels of glutathione; lower levels of oxidative stress; and lower levels of kynurenine, elevated levels of which are linked to several diseases arising from chronic inflammation including Alzheimer’s, he said.

That’s huge, that’s a quantum leap – from ‘eat sparingly’ to ‘eat every day’

Two decades ago (when all fat was the enemy) peanuts sat at the top of USDA’s nutritional pyramid along with candy, said Kearney.

“The advice was to eat nuts sparingly. I can still  remember a conversation with Vegetarian Times when they were reluctant to promote peanuts because they were too high in fat.”

Today, as we are told that it’s the type, not the quantity, of fat that really counts, we’re learning that eating a handful of nuts such as peanuts every day might be one of the easiest ways to improve our health, she added, although there is still some PR work to do to help consumers catch up.

“That’s huge, that’s a quantum leap – from ‘eat sparingly’ to ‘eat every day’.”

 UK government survey has found levels of trans fats in a range of processed foods has fallen considerably since 2007 thanks to industry reformulation efforts.

Now it is mainly naturally occurring trans fats that are found in UK foods as artificial trans fats were cut around 75% since 2007.

Natural trans fats are derived from ruminant animals such as cows and lambs and can occur in meat and dairy products.

The more common artificial trans fats come from industrial hydrogenation of vegetable oils and were previously widely used in processed foods for shelf-life, taste and texture purposes until a 1990s report linked trans fat rich diets to increased risk of coronary heart disease.

Where are levels highest?

A consortium that included the Institute of Food Research and a division of UK government’s Department of Health last week published an analysis of trans fat levels in 65 samples of various foods including pizza, garlic bread, confectionery, snacks, fats and spreads.

They found that concentrations of trans elaidic acid, the most predominant artificial trans fat, averaged at 0.2g/100g of food. Levels from six food categories including butter and battered cod collected in 2007  found an average elaidic acid concentration of 0.08g.

The highest concentration in the latest survey was found in cod fried in batter from takeaways followed by chips in takeaways.

The next highest levels were in dairy ice cream, garlic and herb baguettes, spreadable butter and pizza.

Natural trans fats: Health risk?

The report said: “The results show that levels of artificial trans fats in processed foods have reduced considerably

compared with previous analyses of similar foods carried out over the last 20-30 years where available. Where samples contain higher levels of trans fats this is generally due to the presence of natural sources of trans fat in the product (eg dairy sources).”

“The health implications of ruminant trans fatty acids compared with industrial trans fatty acids are not clear but the low levels found in this survey are unlikely to be associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease.”

Removing trans fats

Over the past decade, the industry has been voluntarily working on removing trans fatty acid. Removal strategies have included using blends of oils such as palm, sunflower or rapeseed oil and processing techniques such as fractionation and interesterification.

In 1994, the UK Department of Health recommended that trans fatty acid consumption should not be above 5g/day or 2% of food energy.

A  study published last year found that US population between 2003 and 2006 averaged 1.3g per person per day.

The UK’s Foods Standards Agency (FSA) found in 2007 that industry reformulation efforts had reduced trans fats to a minimum of 1% of food energy.

Food taxes introduced by some EU member states to discourage the consumption of ‘unhealthy’ foods will not tackle obesity and risks hindering the competitiveness of EU food and drink industries, warns the manufacturers’ organisation FoodDrinkEurope.

FoodDrinkEurope and the European Federation of Food and Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) also said that taxes on fatty foods were sidestepping the larger challenge of encouraging consumers to adopt healthier lifestyles.

FoodDrinkEurope and EFFAT said they opposed what they described as ‘discriminatory taxes’ on foods in favour of encouraging responsible eating habits and positive behavioural change among consumers in Europe. Not just food, but also lifestyle, social conditions and nutrition education contribute to healthy habits, they claimed.

‘Not the solution’

FoodDrinkEurope director general, Mella Frewen, said: “Discriminatory taxes on foods are not the solution to help fight obesity and non-communicable diseases.  A more coherent approach is needed, with each actor playing his part, to help create positive behavioural change in consumer habits.

She called on Europe’s politicians to take a holistic approach to tackling obesity and non-communicable diseases, including promoting nutrition education, supporting those with eating disorders and demanding that all throughout the food supply chain take responsibility for promoting healthier food choices.

Harald Wiedenhofer, EFFAT general secretary, said: “We must ensure that all Europeans, including low-income earners, can access both a variety of fresh and healthy foods at affordable prices, and knowledge about nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

But the UK Health Forum said the position did “not make sense”.

“The industry position doesn’t make sense, calling for a holistic approach to obesity and diet-related diseases while ruling out food taxes from a policy response,” said Jane Landon, deputy chief executive of the UK Health Forum. “Studies have consistently shown that alcohol and tobacco duties reduce consumption of these products and the World Health Organisation has identified these duties as ‘best buys’ among policy measures to tackle non-communicable diseases.”

Own-label food manufacturers need to raise the image and quality of products supplied to ‘symbol’ stores if they are to convince shoppers that they are as good as those offered by multiple supermarket chains.

This is particularly important as the symbol stores try to fight off competition from the major multiple retailers, which have moved into the convenience sector in recent years with lower price customer offers, it has been claimed.

Speaking at the IGD Symbol Groups 2013 conference in London yesterday (May 8), Michael Freedman, shopper insight manager for IGD, reported on the grocery think tank’s latest ShopperVista research. It showed shoppers perceived the quality of own-label foods sold by symbol stores to be inferior to that sold by the multiples or Co-operative stores.

‘Private-label is now a fundamental’

“Private-label is now a fundamental part of the convenience channel,” said Freedman. Good value was seen as a key part of own-label products, with 42% of shoppers believing own-label offered better value for money, he added: “There is definitely work to do on improving quality perceptions.”

Over recent years multiples had worked hard with their own-label suppliers, for example through Sainsbury’s ‘Taste the Difference’ and Tesco’s ‘Finest’ top-end ranges, to match the quality of equivalent branded products. Freeman said it was important for symbol stores to differentiate themselves from the multiples, while still offering hard-pressed consumers value for money.

Freedman noted that today’s “savvy shoppers” were looking for money-saving offerings, stores that showcased quality – including good own-label products– and “real deals” in their purchases, such as more systematic reduced price offers for products approaching their ‘use-by dates’ or ‘£1 zones’ in stores. The priorities from the ShopperVista consumer research were saving money spent on groceries, reducing food waste and keeping to a budget, he added.

Focusing on products targeted at smaller households and single person households might be a solution for some independent stores, he suggested, since this would help them reduce waste and therefore cost. He cited Kingsmill’s ‘Little Big Loaf’ as a good example of this approach.

Kingsmill’s ‘Little Big Loaf’

“Symbol stores are really well positioned to benefit from this trend,” he said.

There is considerable consolidation underway in the convenience food sector. Symbol groups such as Nisa, Spar, Premier and Costcutter are growing in strength as more and more independent corner shops find it increasingly difficult to compete with the multiples, which have moved heavily into the convenience store sector in reach years.

IGD chief economist James Walton reported that convenience store numbers were expected to increase by 5% a year for the next five years.

As the convenience sector became less “fragmented”, this would offer good prospects for suppliers, which would find the sector easier to deal with, he added.

However, he warned that a “new recipe is required” if symbol stores were to compete successfully with convenience stores operated by the multiples retailers. He suggested they needed to compete in areas where the multiples were less effective, taking advantage of local connections and a local focus, or meeting the health needs of consumers. However, it would be critical for symbol stores to differentiate themselves, he stressed.

The Belgian potato processing industry has seen a spectacular growth during the last decades. 

The companies active in this sector have grown from 500.000 tons of processed potatoes in 1990 to 3,65 million tons of raw material in 2012. This means a new increase of about 5,4 % compared with 2011. This is not just a success for the processing companies, most of them family owned enterprises, but also for the with primary producers – the potato farmers – and the traders.

The Belgian potato processing industry has become the world’s largest exporter of frozen potato products, ahead of the Netherlands, Canada and the United States. The remarkable increase in exports to third countries characterises this growth.

Countries in South-America, Africa, Asia and Oceania have started to enjoy the rich tradition and quality of the Belgian fries.

Growth in 2012 was driven in particular by the increase in frozen and refrigerated french fries production. Other products as chips and mashed potato products have experienced a stagnation compared to last year.

With an amount of more than 71 million Euro also the investments within the Belgian processing companies have increased significantly compared to the latest years. Investments have been made as well on quantity as quality level, with a special attention to environment and sustainability. Also the figures of direct employment in the industry confirm a positive trend.

The increase in production in 2012 is even more remarkable when you take in consideration the lower production of potatoes in large parts of the traditional growing area for the Belgian potato processing industry during the season 2012 – 2013 and the record yield during the previous season.

The low potato production was due to the extremely wet spring – disturbing the planting, the short summer and again abundant rain during the fall – preventing even a number of fields from being harvested

.

Five companies from across the packaging supply chain are to be merged to create a global business operating as Exopack Holdings.

Exopack, a US-based producer of flexible paper and plastic packaging, and advanced coatings, is to be merged with Europe’s Britton Group, PACCOR, Kobusch and Paragon Print & Packaging.

Britton Group is a flexible plastic packaging manufacturer, while PACCOR is the second-largest rigid plastic packaging company in Europe. Kobusch is a producer of tailor-made flexible and rigid packaging systems and Paragon Print & Packaging is a private label packaging systems provider in the UK.

Exopack Holdings will be based Luxembourg and operate 63 plants, employ 8,650 and generate aggregate revenues of more than US$2.5 billion.

All five component companies are affiliates of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Together, they will form the sixth-largest plastics packaging company in the world. The brand names of the five businesses will remain in use.

Sun Capital Partners is a private investment firm that has invested in 320 companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of US$45 billion.

It invested in Paragon Print & Packaging in December 2012, PACCOR in December 2010, Kobusch in December 2011, Britton Group in April 2011 and Exopack in July 2005.

Sun Capital Partners states that the expanded footprint of the combined company means it will be well positioned to supply diverse end-use markets, and unlock additional growth opportunities, supported by a more robust, diverse and complementary product portfolio.

Jack Knott will serve in the capacity of chief executive officer (CEO) of Exopack Holdings, with Mike Alger named as chief financial officer. Dieter Bergner will be CEO of PACCOR (global rigid business); and Michael Cronin joins the team as CEO of the global flexibles business.

Marc Leder, co-CEO of Sun Capital Partners, said: ‘This combination represents a natural next step in a process that began eight years ago to create a global packaging company with a solid foundation for future growth.

‘Building on past collaborations between the companies, the combination will immediately achieve synergies and allow the combined company to more effectively pursue global business.’

Knott said: ‘By joining together to form this new entity, we will be better able to serve the needs of our global customers through a manufacturing base spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East and China that enhances our ability to deliver outstanding service.

‘The larger scale will enable us to accelerate the development and commercialization of new and differentiated products that offer our customers a competitive advantage.’

‘All five companies have achieved success by introducing market led innovations,’ said Cronin. ‘We strongly believe that this combination will increase that capability by aligning the organization with how customers want to be served today and by working more closely and strategically as one.’

‘This combination will enable us to invest more efficiently in the new technologies that will deliver the best packaging solutions to our customers,’ added Bergner. ‘This is vitally important in order to present their products in the most effective and appealing way to drive sales.’

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are still failing when it comes to protecting children from the online marketing of junk food, according to a new report from the Children’s Food Campaign.

Two years after extending non-broadcast advertising rules to cover websites and social media, the ASA is struggling to get to grips with its new role, and is failing – the document warns.

Launched today, the new report , suggests that food companies continue to exploit loopholes and advertise junk foods to children online, even though stronger broadcasting regulations prevent such advertising on children’s
television.

The document accuses the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code as the root of the problem – adding that the Code leads the ASA to accept junk food sites directly appealing to children by showing video adverts that would not be allowed on television, make misleading claims on health and nutrition of their products, and use ‘advergames’ that encourage children to eat junk food.

“The ASA and CAP act like Tweedledum and Tweedledee: ineffective, ridiculous and joined at the hip,” said Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign (CFC ). “But this is no laughing matter.”

“Now more than ever, parents could use a strong helping hand in dealing with the online world and protecting their children from commercial interest,” he added.

“The ASA has proved itself unwilling and unable to fulfil this role.”

‘On a different page’

Reacting to the report, the ASA told us that it shares CFC ’s ‘reasonable concerns’ about protecting children, noting that it “sits at the heart of our work and the Advertising Codes.”

“But we are on a different page in terms of where we think the line should be drawn,” a statement said. “The advertising food rules surrounding children are deliberately strict, but proportionate and based on the best available evidence.”

The ASA said self-regulation has a 50 year history of responding effectively and adapting to meet new challenges, including online and digital.

“The rules have been tightened in response to evidence, including those for food, and we continue to monitor how they are working so that advertising remains responsible and children continue to be protected,” it said.

‘Major failings’

However the CFC said that their review exposes major failings in the regulator’s complaints process and in the non-broadcast marketing code.

The campaign report argues that the regulator’s approach is inconsistent, secretive, biased towards companies with the money and time to challenge rulings, and focused on the letter rather than the spirit of the Code.

“In industry after industry … self-regulation has proven to be a failed model. More of the same is not what is needed to protect children’s health or to give parents more help in making healthy choices for their family,” said Clark.

“Those on the ASA Council and CAP Committees have to step up and improve the performance of their organisations,” he said. “They should heed the report’s findings as they conduct their own official two year review of the online remit extension.”

Herbert’s new Oculus optical sorter is the next generation in optical sorting for potatoes and, since it first saw the light of day at last year’s Interpom, it has been generating considerable interest amongst growers, packers and processors alike. 

The first two machines were sold direct from the stand at Interpom: the first to existing Herbert customer, potato growers Matinollin Peruna who are based in Tyrnävä, Finland and the second to Pauwels through Herbert’s French distributor Filpack Groupe. This is the first Herbert machine for Pauwels, who are long-standing Filpack customers. They were impressed by Oculus’s gentle handling and ability to sort smaller varieties using smaller delivery rollers.

Meanwhile interest remains exceptionally high. At Herbert’s UK headquarters in Wisbech, demonstrations over the past three months showing Oculus in action have attracted customers from all over Europe. The demos have shown that Oculus technology offers more efficient and more accurate sorting, better detection of greens through the use of infrared cameras, easier maintenance and more effective hygiene control.

Herbert’s Adrian Head said: “This new technology will enable growers and processors to achieve a better and more consistent quality of product, identify rejects more effectively and minimise production downtime. The customers we have seen are currently using a range of equipment from ourselves and other manufacturers and we are very pleased indeed at the positive feedback we have been receiving.”

If you would like to see the Oculus in action contact Herbert for a demonstration.

Arla Foods UK has moved to increase its share of the rapidly growing dairy drinks category with the launch of two new products – Wing-Co protein-enriched chocolate milk, and GULP milk shakes for children. 

Wing-Co, which contains around 40% more protein than most chocolate milk products, is targeted at men in their 30s and 40s, while GULP is a three-flavour range of thick milk shakes for children.

According to Arla, the new product developments (NPD) will significantly expand its existing dairy drinks portfolio, which currently consists of Starbucks brand ready-to-drink (RTD) chilled coffee products produced under licence.

Speaking with DairyReporter.com, Arla Foods UK senior brand manager for dairy drinks, Gareth Turner, said that these NPDs demonstrate Arla’s ambition in the category.

“It is a category that is growing value ahead of volume, growing its consumer base, and enjoying an increased level of focus from retailers,” said Turner.

“They were asking us to develop an NPD pipeline in this category as the UK’s largest dairy company and we were happy to oblige.”

“GULP, combined with Wing-Co, our existing Starbucks licenced RTD range and a very exciting NPD pipeline demonstrates the scale of our ambition.”

Wing-Co “shoots down hunger fast”

According to Arla, Wing-Co was developed following “extensive” consumer research.Through the research, Arla identified a group of men that are currently under served by existing dairy drinks.

Arla has branded these men, who are typically in their 30s and 40s, as “balanced blokes.”

This group, according to Arla, want “a way to beat hunger without turning to a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps.”

Commenting on the Wing-Co development, Turner said that Wing-Co will keep these “balanced blokes” going when hunger sets in.

“We’re confident that as a result of our research we’ve developed a product to keep men going when they need it most – Wing-Co shoots down hunger fast,” said Turner.

“Category shattering” innovations expected

Meanwhile, Turner expects GULP, which is initially available in banana, strawberry, and chocolate, to challenge established milk shake brands such as Frijj.

“It is very similar in style,” said Turner, “but we believe that our brand resonates with the key consumers and purchasers of the category.”

Turner added that Arla has a few more dairy drink product developments up its sleeve, including some “category shattering” innovations.

Wing-Co is set to hit shelves across the UK from 22 April 2013, while GULP will be available in ASDA stores from 29 April.

Heineken has played down a 4.7% slump in global sales of its eponymous brand versus Q4 2012, blaming bad weather in Europe and retailer destocking in France and the US.

CFO René Hooft Graafland told analysts on a call discussing Heineken’s Q1 2013 results this morning that Q1 was a seasonably small quarter, accounting for only 21% of group beer volumes in 2012.

He warned of challenging economic conditions in Western Europe, with austerity measures and high unemployment putting pressure on household incomes and reducing beer consumption.

On a group level, Heineken beer volume sales across its portfolio fell 2.7% in organic terms to 46.7m hectoliters, and although revenue rose 8.1% to 4.145bn (versus Q1 2012), it fell 2.7% in organic terms, i.e. discounting the effect of acquisitions.

But despite the gloomy sales figures, Heineken’s Q1 2013 net profit rose to €227m (€166m).

Poor weather in key markets

Group beer volumes fell everywhere in organic terms: The Americas (-2.4%), Africa & The Middle East (-4.3%), Central and Eastern Europe (-3.0%) and Western Europe (-8.7%).

Hooft Graafland said: “In the first quarter, this impact was further exacerbated by poor weather conditions in key markets across Europe, as well as in the US and Mexico.

“The effect of one selling day less in the quarter and plant destocking in France and the US accounted for over 2% of the [group beer] volume decline in the quarter,” he added.

Glossing volume sales of Heineken down 4.7% on Q4 2012, cycling 8%+ growth in Q1 2012, Hooft Graafland first noted strong growth in South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and Russia.

“However, performance was impacted by the poor weather across Europe and declines in key brand markets of France and the US,” he said.

“The destocking impact of these two countries accounted for approximately 3% of the brand’s volume decline in the quarter.”

French tax levy ‘will have an effect’

Across Europe, record low temperatures of up to 5C lower in the UK, France and The Netherlands, coupled with record rainfaull in Spain and Portugual, hit Heineken’s quarterly trading volumes.

Volume sales in France fell substantially in Q1 following retailer stock build-up in Q4 2012 ahead of an signficiant excise duty increase on beer levied from 2013.

“Despite this, we have applied to the full excise increase while our brand investments and strong outlet execution have contributed to further share gains in the country,” Hooft Graafland said.

While he admitted that Heineken anticipated a full year 2013 mid-to-high single-digit sales decline in France, Hooft Graafland insisted that the brewer’s portfolio was “in pretty good shape”.

“But obviously, the big increase in the beer prices will have an effect on that market,” he added.

Frutarom has said it will close its Loxstedt-Nesse spice refining facility in Germany and expand production at nearby sites.

The company said that expansion of the Loxstedt-Nesse site was not possible due to its location next to an area of domestic housing. It added that the majority of employees currently employed at the site would be reemployed
at its Sittensen site, among others. The Loxstedt-Nesse and Sittensen facilities are about 70 km apart.

“As a company, our main priority is to make sure that we have sufficient capacity to manufacture our products and guarantee their quality in the long term,” said commercial vice president at Frutarom Savory Solutions Nick Russell. “This will ensure that we are able to continue to deliver products of the high and standardized quality our customers are used to.”

In addition to investment in the Sittensen plant, the company said it would also optimize production at its Bramstadt facility and in its R&D centre in Holdorf.

“Our investment in Sittensen will enable us to create one of the most efficient spice refining facilities in Europe – on a par with our facility in Korntal -Münchingen,” Russell said.

“Additionally, we will invest heavily in our sales and research and development centre. This approach will ensure that our company remains future-oriented and able to provide our customers with tailored solutions whenever they need them.”

Frutarom said that building work at Sittensen and Bramsted was planned to start later this year.

As National Flexible celebrates 20 years, chief executive Barry Twigg reflects on some of the monumental changes which have taken place in flexibles since.

Once upon a time, but then not so very long ago, there were four polypropylene film manufacturing plants in the UK.  Who out there can remember ICI at Dumfries, Shorko in Swindon, UCB at Wigton, Moblefan in Essex.  All these companies, along with three of the plants are defunct.  Only the Innovia plant at Wigton remains using blown film technology now deserted by the rest of the world’s OPP film manufacturers.  The UK also had four plants manufacturing cellulose, these were British Sidak, Transparent Paper, British Cellophane and UCB at Wigton. The last is the sole survivor in Europe.

In those far off days, Amcor were a packaging company from Australia, somewhere in Europe, now it dominates the UK market in film conversion.  Also back then there were many larger independent converting companies with names which will still stir memories in corners of some of todays’ flexible company offices.

Remember Lawson Mardon, Romney, Crest, Colordense, BP, Venus, EBR and Bonner Teich? In 1993 these were the ‘go to’ companies not just for flexo but also for gravure printing and converting. Lamination in those days was a minority market, with long lead times and sales cultures which suggested that as a customer you were very fortunate to be allowed supplies.

The plain film market was dominated by companies like Canning, Viscasse and Bakery Supplies who complimented direct sale of small reels from the manufacturing companies such as Mobil, Manuli, UCB and Shorko.  It took many years for the film manufacturers to appreciate the provision of a JIT service was more critical to customers than lower prices.  Meanwhile companies like Canning, Vislasse, Bakery Supplies and Northern Packaging all went bankrupt trying to compete in the low price culture which prevailed.

In the 1990s, some new major groups entered the industry and went on buying sprees in an effort to consolidate the Flexible Films converting market.  Sidlaw Group and BPI expanded and diversified into OPP Flexible Printing and laminating, only to retreat a few years later.  Meanwhile larger companies were lurking in the wings ready to pounce.  Thus we saw the eventual entry of Amcor and Printpack, international heavyweights who acquired companies, closed plants and established themselves as market leaders.  Over the last 10 years further consolidation has come from the likes of Paragon, Ultimate, Excelsior and Interflex as these companies have re-created the mid size companies that had disappeared over time, either through acquisition or courtesy of the receiver.

We were reflecting on these tectoric shifts which have taken place in the UK film converting industry since we at National Flexible evolved from Fist Fast Flexible packaging exactly 20 years ago this year.  In those days ours was a £2.5m sales business selling paper sacks, shrink, stretch films and sundries for packaging.  Originally we were part of the Charles Baynes group where we had a big brother company which was National Packaging later absorbed into the McFarlane Group.  Our own MBO from Baynes occurred some 15 years ago.

The differences in the converting industry which have evolved since 2003 are amazing.  The centre of gravity for supply of OPP films in particular, has moved from the UK initially to Italy and Europe, then to Turkey and now to the Middle East.  The monster investment in the Boroughe and El Jubail plants has transformed the supply of source material for all films and the ongoing vertical integration of film manufacture in the Middle East, will eventually leave little for the remaining European Film manufacturers other than “specials”.

The recent acquisition of Paragon by Sun Inc consolidates the dominance of ownership of the UK converter market by Australian and American Corporations.  This international ownership grows year by year and is no doubt set to continue.  It is probable that they will shortly be joined by a major European and/or large Indian converter who could possibly make their acquisition sometime in 2013/14.

In 20 years innovative advances in packaging formats, film and print technology have meant that only those companies that have had the technical ability and financial strength to invest in new technologies have flourished and this trend will undoubtedly continue into the future.  Pouches, Doy Pack with valves/spouts, FFS Flowwrap packs with re-closeable zips and Velcro strips, Paper Laminates with Windows, these are all now available in reel form.  These are just some of the developments that will help overcome the “Problem packs” which are a constant source of complaint by customers of the retailers who bear the brunt of the end users dissatisfaction.

Our own latest offering based on a £6m investment by one of our supply partners is a new eight layer co-extrusion which produces a low cost single web film incorporating PET/EVOH/PE/Antimist, perfect for packing meat and cheese.

Its development’s like these that make the future for flexible packaging as interesting, and exciting as the past.  If the changes over the next 20 years are as momentous as those since 1993, successors in this business are in for an exciting ride.

Barry Twigg is chief executive of National Flexible

Wales-based character confectionery firm Bon Bon Buddies is aiming to double its sales in the next five years through growth in international markets such as the Middle East.

The firm recently bagged the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its international trading, having substantially grown overseas earnings in the past three years.

The company’s sales have risen from £13m ($15.3) in 2003 to £39m ($45.8) in 2012 and last year it entered new markets such as Austria, Finland Hungary, Slovakia and the Middle East.

It has set a goal to reach £80m ($123m) in sales and raise the proportion of non-UK sales from 57% to over 75% in the next five years.

Growth in three business areas

C hris Howarth, managing director of Bon Bon Buddies, told ConfectioneryNews.com: “The European economy is tough, but parents still indulgence their children and buy them sweets.”

He said the company was hoping to grow in its three business areas: licensed confectionery, own-brand and third party distribution.

Bon Bon Buddies produces licensed confectionery through deals with companies such as Disney, Nintendo and Barbie makers Mattel.

Around 18 months ago, the company also launched its firm own brand ‘Bran Blasterz’ and more own-brands are in the pipeline.

Bon Bon Buddies is also the UK distributor for Ritter Sport and Pez, for whom it also handles Polish distribution. It is also the French, Polish and Benelux distributor for the Jelly Bean Factory and distributes Ziani’s Disney Surprise Eggs in France and Poland.

The company employs 155 staff and operates one UK chocolate factory. Its sales volumes are 60% chocolate and 40% sugar confectionery and some products are manufactured by third parties across Europe.

Middle and Far East

“The Middle East is doing very well for us because of the nature of the economy,” said Howarth, adding that the market was not subject to the fiscal pressures of Europe.

The company is also looking further afield at the Far East, although there are no plans in place yet.

“China is the biggest potential market, but also has its own challenges,” said Howarth.

The MD said route to market was very challenging due to different payment structures and the developing retail infrastructure.

Labeling challenge

He added that in all markets there were constant labeling challenges, which will be exacerbated when minimum font sizes are introduced in the EU next year.

EU law will require a minimum font size for mandatory information of 1.2 mm for the x-height. However, if the largest surface of a food package is less than 80 cm², the minimum font size is reduced to 0.9 mm.

Howarth said that Bon Bon Buddies products had 20 languages on the pack and while he was confident the firm could meet the new regulation without removing languages, each country will implement its own interpretation of the law, which could prove problematic.

Health debate ‘receded’

Asked if he was concerned about a crackdown on confectionery aimed at children, he said “The health debate has kind of receded.”

He said that Bon Bon Buddies products were portion controlled and seasonal eggs were smaller to help parents manage their children’s diet.

Haribo has spotted an untapped opportunity for sugar confectionery in travel retail and has set up a new division dedicated to the channel to fill the void.

The company has been in the channel for some time, but sales were previously managed by around 35 subsidiaries in its operating countries.

Manuel Coronilla, head of the new division, told ConfectioneryNews.com: “We are centralizing this part of the business,”

“Last year we saw the potential. We saw that we can we can develop in this sales channel and saw a big increase without making big efforts.”

Few players

Coronilla, who has worked at Haribo for 11 years, said that between 80-90% of confectionery in travel retail was chocolate, such as Mondelez’s Toblerone and Yıldız Holding’s Godiva chocolate.

He said that sugar confectionery only made up a maximum of 20% of the category, with Perfetti Van Melle’s Chupa Chups the only other major recognizable brand.

“There we see the potential. In sugar confectionery you don’t have that many.”

Travel retail: A whole new world
Coronilla said that in travel retail you need to understand “the traveller”.

“It’s a completely different world. They buy for different reasons”.

Some will buy a treat on impulse to eat while travelling; others will buy confectionery to share with families, while some buy products as gifts.

Unlike traditional retail, the duty free channel is much more about the brand, the customer shopping experience and creating a sense of luxury akin to the glamorous spirits and cosmetics found at airports, said Coronilla.

Take taste preferences on holiday

He added that confectioners must also cater to local preferences. For example, many British people take vacation in the South of  Spain.

“You should offer them something they know,” said the division head.

Although it is not big in Haribo’s home market, Germany, Starmix is the Haribo’s bestselling UK product and would be a safe bet, he said.

“Asian people spend more than the average European consumer,” he continued, making it possible to offer products at higher prices in Asian airports.

New products and growing markets

Haribo’s travel retail division is currently very fragmented. The firm exports to 100 countries, but operates in around 40-50 countries in travel retail.

The candy maker is currently doing business in the channel with German firm Heinemann, Swiss Group Dufry and Asia-Pacific firm DFS Galleria among others.

“Asia is a growing market and definitely the Americas,” said Coronilla.

Renewable Packaging has escaped the full impact of Stora Enso plans to restructure aimed at achieving annual fixed cost savings of €200m.

Stora Enso CEO Jouko Karvinen said the segment, along with the Biomaterials business area would remain as they are and concentrate on growth markets and businesses and innovation.

In its interim review, the firm said operational EBIT of €118m in Q1 2013 fell compared to €150m in Q1 2012 but Biomaterials and Renewable Packaging saw improvements.

Renewable Packaging operates throughout the chain, from pulp production to production of materials and packaging, and recycling and comprises of the Consumer Board, Packaging Solutions and Packaging Asia units.

Demand and price

Demand for consumer board in Europe was stronger in Q1 2013 compared with Q1 and Q4 2012 but price was slightly lower to stable based on the same time period.

Corrugated packaging stayed mostly stable in terms of demand but was slightly weaker in Q1 2013 from Q4 2012 and slightly higher in terms of price compared to Q4 2012.

Clearly higher volumes, mainly in Consumer Board, were partly offset by higher costs due to increased activity related to growth initiatives in Asia and ramp-up of the Ostrołęka containerboard machine which started up in January.

Establishment of the joint venture Bulleh Shah Packaging (Private) Limited with Packages Ltd. of Pakistan is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2013.

Final approvals to build integrated plantation-based board and pulp mills at Beihai city in Guangxi in China are still pending.

Legal issues

The firm also reiterated its position to forcefully demand itself from legal proceedings in Finland relating to competition law infringements.

Metsähallitus of Finland initiated legal proceedings against Stora Enso, UPM and Metsäliitto claiming compensation for damages allegedly suffered due to the competition law infringements in March 2011.

The total claim against all the defendants’ amounts to €160m and the secondary claim against Stora Enso to €85m.

Finnish municipalities and private forest owners have initiated similar legal proceedings, with the total amount claimed from all the defendants at €75m and the secondary claims and claims solely against Stora Enso to €25m.

2013 outlook

Stora Enso said group sales for Q2 2013 are expected to be slightly higher and operational EBIT in line with or slightly higher than Q1 2013.

“Ostrołęka Mill PM 5 is not expected to have a material impact on sales in 2013 due to sales being mainly internal, but the EBITDA margin of PM 5 from the second half of 2013 is expected to be approximately 20%.

“Montes del Plata Pulp Mill is expected to have limited impact on the group’s sales and slightly negative impact on operational EBIT in 2013.”

Constantia Flexibles is targeting new growth potential especially in emerging markets as it bids to globalize the group.

The firm added that the medium-term goal is to get beyond €2bn in sales, with 2012 levels at €1.31bn.

The business model is a combination of stability due to products close to daily consumer demand and growth potentials from the development of new middle classes in emerging markets and other trends, added Constantia.

The owners of CP Group 1 B.V., which owns the firm, are private equity group, One Equity Partners with a 75% stake, which makes private equity investments for JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Constantia Packaging B.V. holding 25%.

Three deals so far

The firm has announced deals for a flexible packaging firm in India, a label producer in the US and a flexible packaging and folding carton producer in Mexico since the start of 2013, adding €350m in sales.

The purchase of 60% of Parikh Packaging in India which serves the bakery, confectionery, beverage and dairy markets was agreed in April.

It company has sales of €22m and 500 employees in Ahmedabad north of Mumbai in the state of Gujarat.

With the steadily increasing middle class, India is the world´s fastest growing market for flexible packaging with 15% growth per year, said Constantia.

In February a contract for the purchase of the Spear Group in the US was signed.

The company works in the market of pressure-sensitive labels for the beverage industry and achieved sales of €150m with 650 employees at four sites in North America and one in Wales/UK and South Africa.

It creates a strong basis in the attractive US market as well as for further expansion in the global labels market.

In January Globalpack, which supplies the consumer goods industry for food and beverages, employees 1,500 people at two production sites in San Luis Potosí and Monterrey and achieved sales of €180m.

The acquisition complements the product portfolio, enables access to new customers in North America and a strong presence in the growth market Central America, said the firm.

New growth markets

In the last nine years an average growth of 8% per year could be achieved both in sales and earnings at an EBITDA margin of 14%.

Thomas Unger, CEO of Constantia Flexibles, said the acquisitions will open up new growth potentials in attractive markets.

“With these acquisitions we could make an important step towards globalization of our group.

“With this we can support the growth of our international key customers in the markets even better,” he added.

“To integrate these companies for the benefit of our customers and employees is a very rewarding task. We aim at creating “win-win” situations, from which all stakeholders can benefit.”

Coca-Cola is hoping its new brand initiative will have consumers thirsty for recycled content in fashion and other consumer products. 

Global musical artist and producer will.i.am and the beverage giant joined forces to create the EKOCYCLE brand, which is dedicated to help push for sustainability into peoples’ lives by offering lifestyle products made in part from recycled content. Coke’s brand name, spelled backwards, “EKOC” – is embedded into the EKOCYCLE moniker.

Coca-Cola spokesperson Susan Stribling told PlasticsToday that the EKOCYCLE brand intends to educate people about every day recycling choices. Coca-Cola will make a minimum $1 million financial commitment over the next five years.

“By making recycled products more attractive to people, EKOCYCLE will help create a greater business incentive to include recycled content, such as plastic bottles, in consumer products,” she said. “Empty containers will be viewed as valuable instead of as waste.”

Beats by Dr. Dre and New Era were the first brand partners to join the EKOCYCLE brand initiative. Adidas and the NBA have partnered on the latest EKOCYCLE product, which featured a limited edition Adidas t-shirt.

Stribling said that individual EKOCYCLE brand partners are responsible for manufacturing their products. The process provides a defined supply chain of recycled materials, purpose-built for the waste of one product to create another product.

All products marketed under the EKOCYCLE brand are required to contain recycled content as appropriate for that product. The amount of recycled content in each product varies and will be driven by a number of factors, including the technical feasibility of using recycled content in the manufacturing of the product and the availability of compatible recycled material, she said.

Current EKOCYLE products use a minimum of 25% recycled content. For instance, the Adidas and NBA shirts are made with 50% rPET and 50% organic cotton, with the rPET component comprised of three assorted recycled PET bottles.

While each EKOCYCLE product contains recycled PET plastic bottles, Stribling said the type of bottle that is used varies. The recycled content comes from various certified and authenticated recycling plants from around the world. Each product includes an identifier that details how many bottles were recycled to make the product.

“The products can contain recycled content made from Coca-Cola bottles or other bottles,” she said. “Our belief is that is important to encourage recycling and reuse of all bottles and cans, regardless of from where they originate.”

Though they don’t have specific data to share, Stribling said the company believes the demand for recycled content in products is growing.

At this point, Stribling said it is too early to provide any specific estimates of the impact EKOCYCLE can have on diverting packaging from the landfill.

“EKOCYCLE was created to show people that through recycling they can help provide materials for another product and decrease the packages that end up in landfills,” she said. “EKOCYCLE gives people a simple way to get involved – both on the front end, by recycling their beverage bottles – and on the backend, by purchasing EKOCYCLE products.”

Zero waste goal

Stribling said one of the most notable ways the company is focused on sustainable packaging is with its Plant Bottle. The 100% recyclable PlantBottle packaging is made from up to 30% plant-based material, and the company is working toward a 100% plant-based bottle as well.

She said they continue to invest in the development of other ways to create more environmentally responsible packaging. A global goal is to source 25% of its PET plastic from recycled or renewable material by 2015.

Looking forward, the company’s big long-term goal is zero waste, and Stribling said Coca-Cola has invested significantly in sustainable innovation and recycling initiatives to turn packaging into a resource for future use.

The steps they are taking to advance a zero waste vision include lightweighting, which the company is working to improve packaging material efficiency per liter of product by 7% by 2015, compared with a 2008 baseline.

In North America, the company’s is striving toward recycling 100% of its packaging footprint by recovering an equivalent bottle and can for every one they place in the market. Currently, they recover approximately 43%.

A farmer-owned fresh food supplier based in Pembrokeshire has had a major injection of cash allowing it to create jobs both within the company and among its farm suppliers. 

Puffin Produce has significantly increased capacity at its Withybush potato packing plant near Haverfordwest after a £850,000 investment, supported by Barclays to introduce two new state of the art packing lines.

Puffin Produce is three-quarters of the way into an £8.4m investment programme that has enhanced key areas of its operation.

“We have replaced two out of the three packing lines in the factory with state of the art equipment. That has doubled throughput from 40 to 80 bags per minute per line,” said managing director of Puffin Produce, Huw Thomas.

“We’ve also added more than 8,000 tonnes of highly efficient potato storage and expanded the vegetable operation,” he added.

These and other improvements have enabled Puffin Produce to take on new customers. It now supplies Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury’s stores throughout Wales.

Researchers have produced starch from plants not usually used for food purposes, potentially opening up whole new sources for foods and packaging materials.

The scientists, from US institute Virginia Tech, have developed a novel process involving cascading enzymes to transform cellulose into amylose starch. The substance is not broken down during the digestive process, acts as a good source of dietary fibre and studies have shown it can reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes.

Starch is one of the most important components of the human diet and provides 20-40% of a person’s daily caloric intake. As a consequence Virginia Tech said the scientific breakthrough could help increase food supply as the world’s population is expected to climb to nine billion by 2050.

“Cellulose and starch have the same chemical formula,” said Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering, and lead researcher on the project.

Enzyme cascade

“The difference is in their chemical linkages. Our idea is to use an enzyme cascade to break up the bonds in cellulose, enabling their reconfiguration as starch.”

The new approach takes cellulose from non-food plant material, such as corn stover, converts about 30% tamylose, and hydrolyzes the remainder to glucose suitable for ethanol production. Corn stover consists of the stem, leaves, and husk of the corn plant remaining after ears of corn are harvested. However, the process works with cellulose from any plant.

This bioprocess, called ‘simultaneous enzymatic biotransformation and microbial fermentation’ is easy to scale up for commercial production, the study states.

Environmentally friendly

In addition, it is environmentally friendly because it does not require expensive equipment, heat, or chemical reagents, and does not generate any waste. The key enzymes immobilized on the magnetic nanoparticles can easily be recycled using a magnetic force.

Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering, was lead researcher on the project. He said amylose starch had other uses in the food chain too.

“Besides serving as a food source, the starch can be used in the manufacture of edible, clear films for biodegradable food packaging. It can even serve as a high-density hydrogen storage carrier that could solve problems related to hydrogen storage and distribution.”

The horse meat scandal is set to cost European contract manufacturers tens of millions of euros as brand owners pass costs and losses up the supply chain.

Supermarkets will seek to recover emergency product withdrawal charges from brand owners who have supplied contaminated products, and also the cost of replacement stock and lost profits for items being off shelves, Richard Matthews, head of product liability at international law firm, Eversheds LLP, told FoodProductionDaily.com.

In a domino effect, the food manufacturer would pass these claims up the supply chain together with the costs which it has itself incurred, he said.

“In a contract manufacturing situation, a brand owner will seek to recover its losses from the co-packer. Notwithstanding that contract manufacturers may have bought ingredients in good faith and might not have been expected to test for all potential contaminants, they will still be in breach of contract.

“Those compensation claims will typically work their way up the supply chain, growing at each stage – with an increasing risk of businesses going bust if they cannot rely upon insurance.”

Amount at stake

He suggested that there were tens of millions of euros at stake.

“The level of claims in each situation will be largely driven by the volumes of units of the SKU withdrawn from supermarket shelves. Certain products withdrawn were big sellers, so the losses are substantial.”

Eversheds is acting for a number of food businesses across the food chain affected by the horse meat scandal, Matthews said.

Compensation claims

But many brand owners have already publically indicated that they plan to seek compensation from outsourced suppliers.

Julian Wild, corporate finance partner/food group director at law firm Rollits, added that while the risk of contract manufacturing was a loss of visibility on production, the system also had many positives.

He said: “I view contract packaging positively if you can get equality of relationship between the manufacturer and the brand. Outsourcing manufacturing means that a brand can invest all the capital in promotion and marketing rather than fixed assets.”

The contract between manufacturer and the brand owner client should pin down details such as quantities, delivery times and comeback if anything goes wrong, he said.

He added: “The issues are long term security and quality of manufacturing. A lot of the bigger players dual source so that they are not left in the lurch if a manufacturer goes bust for example.”

A Supply Chain report from financial services company Robobank from September 2012 estimates that the European contract manufacturing sector is worth 6 to 8bn euros, with the overall European food and beverages market worth around 500bn euros.

Lightweighting will remain a big trend influencing RPC Group’s business strategy, according to Pim Vervaat, the packaging firm’s new boss.

Speaking to FoodProductionDaily.com at the company’s ‘Fitter for the Future’ press conference in Germany, chief executive Vervaat said: “Major customers do want to reduce the weight of packaging. We do see a move from glass and metal to plastic.

In tandem with this, RPC would retain its focus on multilayer rigid plastic packaging, which offered prolonged shelf life, as an alternative to the heavier weight materials. “This is a trend we think that’s going to continue over the next five to 10 years.”

One very specific growth area for the company was single serve coffee and tea capsules for foodservice and personal use, he added. “Coffee capsules is one of our markets which is growing rapidly – well over 20% last year.” RPC had produced such capsules for firms such as Nescafe’s Dolce Gusto and Tassimo, he said.

RPC aimed to keep investing in higher added value packaging products in areas such as multilayer applications for food, coffee capsules and pharma, Vervaat told this site.

In addition, after the acquisition of Danish packager Superfos in February 2011, which was now fully integrated, RPC remained firmly on the acquisition trail and aimed to cut two to three deals a year. “Acquisitions could take all kinds of forms: joint ventures; licensing contracts, not just takeovers … We are looking at every type and form of cooperation.”

EUPPA, the European Potato Processors’ Association, is organising in Brussels (Golden Tulip Hotel) its 1st Congress for the processed potatoes’ sector on 16th May 2013 in Brussels, which will be also an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of EUPPA. The day before EUPPA working Committees and General Assembly will meet. 

The event will present the history of the sector and its achievements. It will be an opportunity to speak also about the future and upcoming challenges.

Additionally the Congress will be an excellent opportunity for representatives of EU manufacturers, regulatory and commercial teams as well as other professionals of the processed potatoes chain to make new contacts and renew existing ones. The coffee breaks and walking lunch will provide time for informal discussions and networking.

EUPPA Congress: 50 years of tradition and innovation

PROGRAMME

8.30 Registration and welcome coffee

9.00 – 10.30 WHERE WE ARE TODAY

Welcome and Opening
Kees Meijer, EUPPA President

The story of growth
Karl Fritz, Chief Supply Chain Officer, McDonald’s Europe

50 years of working together EUPPA history in a nutshell, Romain Cools (Belgium) and Richard Harris (UK)

EUPPA Goodfries project Nele Cattoor, Belgium

10.30 – 11.00 Networking coffee

11.00 – 13.00 WHERE WE WANT TO BE TOMORROW

I. Trading processed potato products
Guy Faulkner, World Potato Markets

- Perspective of European processors Martin van de Ven, CEO Aviko

II. Growing business not emissions Martijn Overgaag, ECOFYS

- Perspective of European processors
Speaker to be confirmed

13.00 Closing remarks

13.00 – 15.00 Networking lunch

Nestlé has marked the official opening of a new System Technology Center (STC) in Switzerland that brings together on one site the expertise used to combine products, capsules and machines such as those used in its Nespresso and Nescafé Dolce Gusto beverage systems.

More than 120 experts from 25 countries specialized in fields including industrial design, machine technology, packaging, engineering, micro-electronics and robotics are now working at the center in the Swiss town of Orbe, leading Nestlé’s efforts to design and develop integrated products, systems and services.

Growth opportunity

“One of our biggest opportunities for growth lies in innovation,” said Nestlé Chief Executive Officer Paul Bulcke at the opening ceremony.

“We have led the way in beverage systems for more than 25 years thanks to our strong research and development capabilities, and our expertise in machine engineering.”

“In 1982 we began to combine our coffee know-how with our expertise in capsule and machine technology to develop the Nespresso system, an innovation that revolutionized the single-serve coffee market,” added Nestlé Chief Technology Officer Werner Bauer.

“We went on to develop the hot and cold multi-beverage system Nescafé Dolce Gusto and many other innovations including Nescafé Barista, the only in-home single-serve coffee system of its kind using soluble coffee.”

Latest innovation

The premium Nescafé Milano Lounge system, the latest innovation from the STC, was unveiled at the STC opening ceremony in Orbe.

The system offers a wide range of hot and cold beverages including cappuccino, latte or gourmet hot chocolate.

Consumers can use its interactive color touch screen to choose either skimmed or semi-skilled milk, select the strength of their coffee and opt for different cup sizes.

The system, which has been developed for Nestlé Professional, the company’s business that supplies the foodservice out-of-home sector, is designed to allow a broad range of foodservice operators to compete in the fast-growing, self-service, on-the-go, specialty coffee category.

Mr. Bauer and Mr. Bulcke were joined at the event by Marc Caira, Head of Nestlé Professional, Philippe Leuba, State Councilor of the Swiss canton of Vaud, and Claude Recordon, Mayor of Orbe.

Global network

The Nestlé System Technology Center in Orbe is currently working for six of the company’s businesses: Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Special.T, Nestlé Professional, Nescafé Barista and BabyNes.
It will provide research and development for these businesses, as well as identifying new opportunities.
The STC is part of Nestlé’s global research and development network that comprises 34 Product Technology Centers and research and development centers.

Nestlé Product Technology Centers (PTC) develop innovative technologies and manufacturing processes that are the basis of new product development, and implement these technologies to the company’s operations.

The experts at the STC will work closely with Nestlé’s PTC in Orbe, which is the company’s reference center for products and technologies in coffee and cereals, for both in and out-of-home.

New business models

Nestlé’s system expertise extends beyond coffee. In 2010 the company introduced a tea system with the launch of Special. T and then an infant formula system with the launch of BabyNes in Switzerland 2011.

Nestlé has developed new business models and routes-to-market to support its system innovations.

From Nespresso’s boutiques and members club, to the 24-hour advice BabyNes offers via its websites and hotline, the company’s systems are designed to provide consumers with a complete service.

Nestlé in Orbe

The STC is Nestlé’s latest addition to its Orbe site, which has long played an important role in supporting innovation at the company.

In 1938, Nestlé set up a large-scale production line at the site for coffee extraction and for ‘spray drying’ coffee beans to produce Nescafé, the world’s first soluble coffee product. It followed this innovation in 1965 with Nescafé Gold Blend, the first freeze-dried soluble coffee.

Nestlé opened its Product Technology Center in Orbe in 1959. It later chose the site as the location for its first-ever Nespresso factory. In 2007, the company opened the Nestlé Professional Beverage Center in Orbe, its first R&D facility entirely dedicated to its out-of-home beverage business. Then in 2011 Nestlé opened an innovation center in Orbe for Cereal Partners Worldwide, its joint venture with General Mills.

Crown Food Europe is to close one of its sites in the UK in July with more than 100 people affected due to supply exceeding demand.

The firm confirmed the decision this week following a 90-day consultation process which began in January.

The Worcester site, which is one of four the firm run in the UK, produces two piece and three piece cans and ends for the food market.

Supply and demand
Crown said that supply across the four sites exceeded demand and restructuring needed to be looked at with 116 people employed at the site.

“We can confirm redundancy notices were served on Monday 15 April with an expected end production date of the 7 July,” a Crown spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com.

“We would like to recognise the professional attitude of all the employees and union representatives throughout the consultation process.”

The site was formally owned by Metal Box which Crown Holdings, or Crown Cork and Seal as it was then known, acquired in 1996.

The spokesman added that the closure of the Perry Wood site is a key step in restoring a competitive future for the UK and Ireland business.

“We are also investing in our remaining sites to ensure we are fully capable of meeting the demands of our important customers. However, due to the dynamic marketplace in which we operate, we will continually need to monitor our supply/demand balance in the future.”

Initial review

In a statement announcing the initial review process in January, the firm said it was part of a wider review of the UK and Ireland manufacturing and business support facilities.

“Changes within the food packaging sector have caused a consistent decline in sales and our manufacturing capacity across our four UK and Ireland Food sites now unfortunately exceeds demand.

“To protect the future of the wider business and its employees, we therefore need to consider proposals for restructuring.”

Crown also operates aluminium and metal UK food packaging sites in Braunstone, Neath and Wisbech, which form part of the Crown Holdings portfolio which includes 134 manufacturing facilities in 41 countries with 2011 net sales of $8.6bn.

3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway today announced that Bernardo Hees will become Chief Executive Officer of H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE: HNZ) upon completion of the previously announced acquisition of Heinz by an investment consortium comprised of Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital. 

Mr. Hees (43) has been Chief Executive Officer of Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (BKW) since September 10, 2010. Prior to joining BKW, Mr. Hees was Chief Executive Officer of America Latina Logistica (ALL), Latin America’s largest railroad and logistics company.

Alex Behring, Managing Partner at 3G Capital said, “Bernardo is a proven executive with an unparalleled track record of delivering results. Over the past two and a half years at Burger King, Bernardo grew adjusted EBITDA by 44 percent from $454mm in 2010 to $652mm in 2012 and expanded the company’s adjusted EBITDA margin by 14% from 19% in 2010 to 33% in 2012. His combination of experience, leadership skills and broad understanding of the food industry make him the ideal leader to drive the next chapter in Heinz’s storied history. Bernardo will work closely with Heinz’s current Chairman, President and CEO, Bill Johnson, and the management team to ensure a smooth transition over the coming months.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Hees said, “I am honored to be appointed the next CEO of Heinz, building upon the great success established during Mr. Johnson’s tenure. Heinz is one of the premier food companies in the world, led by the iconic Heinz Ketchup business. I look forward to joining the team and working in close partnership with the Company’s senior management, employees and customers to strengthen the business both domestically and internationally, while continuing to delight consumers with great tasting food products. On a personal level, my family and I are excited to be relocating to Pittsburgh and look forward to calling this great city home.”

Mr. Johnson will remain as Chairman, President and CEO of Heinz until the transaction is complete. 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway expect to discuss with Mr. Johnson his interest in a continuing role with the Company post closure following the shareholder meeting on April 30. Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, Heinz has successfully reshaped its business to focus on the core brands, categories and geographies where it has leading market positions and the capabilities to drive consistent, profitable growth. Reflecting Mr. Johnson’s strong commitment to delivering sustainable growth for Heinz shareholders, Heinz has become one of the best-performing global companies in the packaged foods industry with a record high market cap and consistently strong operating free cash flow.

Under the terms of the previously announced transaction with 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway, at the closing of the transaction, Heinz shareholders will receive $72.50 in cash for each share of common stock they own, in a transaction valued at $28 billion, including the assumption of Heinz’s outstanding debt. The transaction remains subject to approval by Heinz shareholders, receipt of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close late in the second calendar quarter of 2013 or in the third calendar quarter of 2013. Heinz has received antitrust clearance in the United States, Brazil, India, South Korea, Japan and Israel. The Company is waiting for antitrust clearance in China, the European Union, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, and Ukraine. Additionally, Heinz has filed for other regulatory approvals in New Zealand, Ireland and Russia.

More Information About Bernardo Hees

In addition to his position as CEO of BKW, Mr. Hees has been a Director of BKW and its predecessor companies since November 2010. Mr. Hees also serves as a Partner of 3G Capital and a Member of the Executive Board of ALL.

Prior to BKW, Mr. Hees spent 12 years at ALL, where he served as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors from 2005 – 2010. During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Hees led ALL’s overall business growth at a rate of 20 percent per year. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Hees held various positions at ALL in sales, operations and finance. He began his career at ALL in 1998 as a logistics analyst.

Based on a survey among 123 of its members, the Belgian organisation PCA expects an 8% increase in the potato acreage in Flanders for the main crop, as well as an increase in the acreage of early potatoes of 7.5%.

Potato farmers were expressing their plans, so not all planned acreage may be realized.

Early potato varieties

The acreage of early potatoes is estimated to increase by 7.5%. The main variety in this segment of the market is Premiere with a share of 44%

Bintje

The total acreage of main crop potatoes is estimated to increase by as much as 8% according to the survey. The increase in the acreage of the variety Bintje is only modest, estimated at 1.2%

Fontane

A 14% increase in the acreage of the potato variety Fontane is predicted.

Potato varieties for chips processing

The most important potato variety grown for chips processing in Flanders is VR808. The remainder is Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta. A limited amount of growers in the survey were growing potatoes for chips processing.

Table Potatoes

This is a fairly limited segment of the potato market in Flanders. the varieties Cilena and Annabelle were most frequently mentioned in the survey.

Wallonia

All mentioned figures apply to Flanders, the Northern part of Belgium. However, for the southern part of Belgium, Wallonia, initial estimates also point to an increase of acreage, although more modest at 1.6%

High intakes of red meat repeatedly have been linked to heart disease, but new research suggests that along with saturated fat and certain preservatives, l-carnitine is another red meat constituent that may contribute to cardiovascular risk.

In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers from Cleveland Clinic found specific bacteria in the gut that metabolise l-carnitine into trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a substance that has been linked to hardening of the arteries. In addition, they found that diets high in carnitine promoted the growth of the bacteria that metabolise it, thereby compounding the effect.

“The bacteria living in our digestive tracts are dictated by our long-term dietary patterns,” said lead researcher Dr Stanley Hazen. “A diet high in carnitine actually shifts our gut microbe composition to those that like carnitine, making meat eaters even more susceptible to forming TMAO and its artery-clogging effects. Meanwhile, vegans and vegetarians have a significantly reduced capacity to synthesize TMAO from carnitine, which may explain the cardiovascular health benefits of these diets.”

The association between consumption of red meat and heart disease is well-established, but the researchers said the increased risk could not entirely be accounted for by red meat’s saturated fat and cholesterol content.

They examined carnitine levels in 2,595 heart patients, and found high levels were associated with increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke – but only when TMAO levels were also high. TMAO levels in vegetarian and vegan participants were significantly lower than in omnivores, and they did not produce significant levels of TMAO even after consuming a large amount of carnitine.

In omnivores, however, carnitine consumption promoted TMAO production.

The researchers suggested that better understanding of the role of gut microbiota in heart disease risk could help in the development of new ways to reduce risk.

Carnitine supplement risk?

Carnitine is also taken as a weight loss supplement and is added to some energy drinks. Hazen warned that supplement and energy drink makers may need to exercise caution with the ingredient in light of these findings.

“Carnitine is not an essential nutrient; our body naturally produces all we need,” he said. “We need to examine the safety of chronically consuming carnitine supplements as we’ve shown that, under some conditions, it can foster the growth of bacteria that produce TMAO and potentially clog arteries.”

The American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation’s chief scientist Dr Betsy Booren issued a statement in response to the study, in which she said that linking carnitine in red meat to heart disease was an oversimplification of a
complex disease.

“It is important to keep in mind that there are many other studies done on L-carnitine that do not show any adverse health effects at a variety of doses,” she wrote, adding that the US government’s National Institute of Health has a fact sheet on L-carnitine that “shows it is safe and essential.”

UK retail giant Asda has recalled a range of its ‘smart price’ corned beef after it was found to contain phenylbutazone (or bute).

The veterinary medicine was found in 340g tins of its Smart Price Corned Beef in levels of four parts per billion (ppb) and is the only meat product where bute has been found so far.

Asda has also recalled its Chosen By You Corned Beef (340g) product, also withdrawn in March because it is produced in the same factory as the affected product.

Animals treated with bute should not enter the food chain as the drug, which is banned, may pose a risk to human health.

Low risk to human health

Both the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Asda stressed the low risk to human health.

The product was tested by Asda as part of the industry testing programme and found to be positive for horse DNA above 1% and was subsequently withdrawn on 8 March.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, Sally Davies previously said horse meat containing phenylbutazone presents a very low risk to human health.

“The levels of bute that have previously been found in horse carcasses mean that a person would have to eat 500 – 600 one hundred per cent horsemeat burgers a day to get close to consuming a human’s daily dose.

“And it passes through the system fairly quickly, so it is unlikely to build up in our bodies.”

No other Asda products are known to be affected and the FSA said it was investigating the issue.

Asda response

In a statement Asda said it wanted customers to have complete confidence in its food and would offer refunds.

“We have taken an extremely cautious approach since the very beginning and have carried out more than 700 tests, moving swiftly to remove any products from our shelves whenever we’ve had the smallest concerns.

“The tinned Chosen By You Corned Beef (340g) product, also withdrawn in March, has not tested positive for phenylbutazone. However as a precaution it is also being recalled as it is made in the same factory.”

The FSA previously reported that eight horses slaughtered in the UK between 30 January and 7 February tested positive for bute and six entered the food chain after being sent to France.

Food firms need to ensure transparency and traceability up and downstream in their supply chain to minimise risk, according to Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).

Cor Groenveld, LRQA global head of Food Supply Chain Services, said certification is like eyes from the outside which can look at a food safety management system (FSMS) and see the potential challenges that could arise and if there are any weak parts in the program.

He told FoodProductionDaily.com that the food supply chain is one of the most complex there is from farm to fork because there are so many different organisations involved.

LRQA provides independent assessment services including certification, validation, verification and training across a variety of standards and schemes.

“Organisations must take responsibility for having good management systems in place as they support food safety by identifying and consulting the risks.

“The supply chain involves complex management, it is not enough to look at just your own activities, you need to look up and downstream in the chain, at all the steps and players and have systems in place that are connected.”

He said it was difficult to predict the consequence of a bad FSMS, except there is a higher risk that something can go wrong.

Food manufacturers need to know where there items such as ingredients and packaging materials are coming from and cited communication as vital for controlling their own activities and knowing those of their suppliers to ensure transparency.

LRQA has more than 400 food assessors in 55 countries using a process-based management systems approach.

Audit differences

Groenveld identified the role of a process based auditor is to look at the culture and management commitment, the attention, awareness, training and skills as well as HACCP and processes.

He described the process based standard as auditing that is not just a “tick in the box process” as they look at cultural aspects and the effectiveness of the process and the impact this has on the output.

An inspection based aduit is more checklist based, so what’s not on the checklist could be missed and lead to process problems, he added.

Groenveld, who is also the chairman of the board for the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, said food safety is in the interests of stakeholders across the supply chain to work together to ensure consumers are confident that food is safe to eat and has been produced in a sustainable manner.

“A management systems-based approach to food safety, combining harmonised global standards and consistent, robust assessment, is leading to increased consumer confidence in the global food supply chain.

“While risk is always going to be a factor in any supply chain, this approach, based on collaboration, trust, innovation, and the leadership of exemplary organisations serving the food industry, is helping to ensure that issues can be quickly identified and corrected.”

Food safety culture

A culture of food safety is a critical factor as it ensures things go well today, tomorrow and in the future, he added.

“If the organisation has a system in place for when something goes wrong and can identify it and say why and where, they can stop it going wrong again.

“It starts with the skills and knowledge of the employees, as they control the processes.”

The global food supply chain is currently moving along the maturity curve, he added.

“If we look back to 2000, when the GFSI was first formed, the food industry was largely inspection based, with organisations having their own food safety systems in place.

“Over the past 12 years, this has changed significantly, with the emphasis moving towards process-based management systems, such as ISO 22000, the international food safety management system standard and FSSC 22000, the global food safety certification scheme.”

The first outbreak of ciguatoxin poisoning from fish in Germany has been confirmed, with scientists claiming the problem is on the rise as more exotic fish species are consumed around the world.

One of the biggest challenges at the moment is that there is no standard test for the poison, partly because it causes poisoning in extremely low concentrations. In addition, different chemical structures of ciguatoxins are known, which can vary by location.

But after an outbreak at the end of 2012, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) sent samples of leftovers eaten by those affected, and samples of fish batches, to the European Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins in Spain.

The facility was able to positively identify ciguatoxin using a method it established last year. According to a study, the latest German outbreak was caused by red snapper fillets, which a German importer had obtained from an Indian distributor. The affected shipment was recalled as soon as it was confirmed as the source of illness.

German authorities reported a total of 14 cases of such poisoning.

Metabolites produced from algae

Ciguatoxin is generated by metabolites produced from algae, belonging to the species dinoflagellates, which originate from coral reefs of subtropical and tropical marine areas of the Caribbean, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Once consumed by fish they accumulate and enter the food chain. “Ciguatoxin poisoning is one of the most common types of fish poisoning worldwide”, said professor Andreas Hensel, president of German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).

“However, this type of poisoning was confined to certain regions of the world until recently. As a result of the worldwide trade with tropical and subtropical fish, an increase in incidence of such poisoning is to be expected.”

Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Most people also later suffer from extremely unpleasant sensations such as burning, tingling and pain on contact with cold. Feelings of numbness in the hands and feet, weakness and muscle pain and hot and cold flushes can also occur. These symptoms can persist for months.

 (FDII) has called for the introduction of a statutory code of practice for the grocery sector “as a matter of urgency”.

The code was necessary to ban unfair trading practices and ensure balance and fairness in the relationship between suppliers and retailers, it said.

FDII director Paul Kelly said: “It is an urgent priority for the food sector that government legislate for a grocery code of conduct. Across Europe, governments are taking steps to better regulate the relationship between
retailers and their suppliers to stop unfair demands being placed on suppliers.

‘Bad for consumers’

“In the short-term these unfair demands impact on individual suppliers, but ultimately are also bad for consumers. Consumers are best served by a grocery market that is both fair and competitive, one that offers choice and convenience, and provides an outlet for new products and suppliers.”

Launching the FDII’s ‘Policy recommendations of the food and drink sector 2013’, Kelly said in addition to a grocery code of conduct, government policies on a wide range of topics should be aligned with industry needs.

Those included: sustainability measures, public health, environmental controls, domestic demand and national objectives of increased output and export growth.

Cloud technology could fight horse meat-type food fraud issues by enhancing traceability, according to specialists in the field JDA.

John Bailey, vice president, solutions consulting at the firm told FoodProductionDaily.com data huge quantities of ingredient data from individual product barcodes could be stored securely in the cloud without overly relying on servers. “It makes it instantly available, nobody needs to think about who’s running the servers.”

The technology meant 100% traceability was possible, Michelle Campbell, JDA, industry director, supply chain execution, told this site. “Yes, it can be achieved. The question is more about who’s going to enforce it. Complexity is really only about scale. These days you can scale up the supply chain.”

However, there were challenges. Storage of such information required detailed data analysis and people to do this, she said.

Economics of the supply chain

Another problem was that the economics of the supply chain meant retailers, manufacturers and suppliers were biased towards driving down margins, said Bailey.

Campbell and Bailey proposed a system whereby an objective third party with consumers’ interests at heart such as the Food Standards Agency could police the data stream.

“…Who is responsible for data analysis on it and then saying ‘data is missing here’?” asked Bailey. “That comes back to the FSA (Food Standards Agency). They are the ones who need to have the overall picture. The retailer might be too biased.”

That said, retailers could be responsible for rolling out such a system across the whole food and drink supply chain, he added.

Who would pay

But a question remained about who would pay for this programme, said Bailey. “Maybe what you do is every time you are entering batch numbers you are paying by usage,” he said.

Campbell and Bailey also suggested the level of regulation that applied to the pharmacy industry enforcing positive approval and traceability could also apply to the food industry, guaranteeing total knowledge of all ingredients present.

JDA provided a range of cloud-based software, systems and consulting services, said Bailey.