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Search 31.309 producers and exporters of Foods, beverages and agriculture productsThe Feelgood Factor
Maureen Byrne
Feeling good, looking good, and living a long and healthy life are firmly on consumers’‘wish list’; but what role can food and drink play in helping to achieve these aspirations?
Apart from perhaps a few hypochondriacs who might enjoy being ill, the vast majority of people want to feel happy, healthy, and energised in their day to day lives. The food and drink industry has realised that there are great opportunities for developing products
that go beyond basic nutrition, and can not only help with keeping consumers healthy, but also play a role in cognitive function, mood and even help to slow the ageing process.
There has been a significant shift recently in focus from disease prevention to ‘positive health’ or ‘wellbeing’. The inherent goodness of foods such as chocolate is increasingly being analysed and promoted, and ingredients such as GABA are being developed for adding to foods to create ‘the feelgood factor’.
ProWein 2008 16. – 18.03. 2008 Düsseldorf, Germany
ProWein
Internacional Trade Fair Wines and Spirits
Many New, Enhanced Events, Presentations & A New Look Mark the Show
ProWein, the International Wine & Spirits Trade Show held annually at the Duesseldorf Messe Fairgrounds, Rhine-side here, is looking forward “To another great year”, with an even larger international offering featuring wines from newcomer nations including China, Israel and Peru.
An expanded tasting program will now offer for the first time organic wines and an expanded version of last year’s new program, Wine’s Best Friends - the pairing of specifically-selected delicatessen foods to match the appropriate wines will be an-other major attraction for ProWein 2008, which is almost totally booked-out.
Alimentaria ´08, Internacional Food and Beverages Exhibition, Barcelona 10-14 March
The Food World
Over 5,000 exhibitors and 155,000 visitors in Alimentaria 2008
This past Alimentaria, which took place from 6 to 10 March 2006 in Barcelona, marked the exhibition's 30th anniversary. By this time, it had already reached second place in the international fairs' league table for the industry through steady growth based on the twin concepts of a comprehensive macro-exhibition in partnership with the industry and maximum sectorial specialisation keeping a watchful eye on every detail of the market.
The success of its tradeshow led Alimentaria to occupy the entire space at both Fira Barcelona's fairgrounds: Montjuïc and Gran Via. 130,000 square metres of exhibition and activities space in all, 10% more than in 2004.
Nearly 5,000 of the leading food and drinks manufacturers and distributors from 70 countries showed their products at Alimentaria, turning Barcelona into the world's food capital for a week. 155,000 professionals, 33,000 of them from abroad, visited the fair.
Conveying innovation centre
By Claire RowanNew developments in modular belt technology, cleaning in place, and materials handling were unveiled as part of the
inauguration of Habasit’s new state-of-the-art Modular Belt Innovation Centre in Basel, Switzerland
Designed as a centre of research excellence where the latest conveyor belt technology can be tested in application situations, Habasit’s new Innovation Centre houses a wide range of the company’s latest developments.
“With the acquisition of KVP (the US plastic belt specialist) in 2006, Habasit has become the number two supplier in the plastic modular belt business,” said Giovanni Volpi, chairman of Habasit AG at the opening of the new facility, who explained that the company was also extending its historic technological knowhow from the baking, biscuit and chocolate industries to the wider markets of meat, poultry and vegetable processing. “Our new Innovation & Engineering Centre is the strongest possible evidence of our commitment to the plastic modular belt
business.”
Revolution in Food Safety Management, Bali – Indonesia February 2008
The Food WorldBackground
In recent years "risk-based" approaches, based on the best available scientific information, have been recognized as a means of enhancing the ability of food safety risk management to meet its primary goal of protecting public health, as well as ensuring access to an adequate food supply and facilitating trade. Such an approach implies that actions, regulations, guidelines, and standards are constructed and formulated according to specific knowledge of "risks" to life and health. The practical aspects of developing and implementing a "risk-based" standard introduce new challenges.
While governments have the overall responsibility for protecting the health of consumers and so are responsible for determining policy, setting levels of health protection, targets for food-borne hazards and other food standards and ensuring these are met, the food industry works at the operational level implementing the necessary control measures to ensure that any food produced meets the standards or targets set by the regulatory authorities. There are different approaches and tools available to regulatory authorities and industry and in recent years these have been evolving with the overall objective of enhancing food safety.
Changing approaches to NPD
By Lynda Searby
From outsourcing to supplier collaboration, food manufacturers are taking various different approaches to new product development (NPD)
In a retail climate where competition is cutthroat, loyalty is transient and supply agreements can be terminated before the ink has even dried, aggressive NPD is vital for survival.
How food manufacturers ensure they have a healthy supply of this metaphorical lifeblood pumping through their veins varies. At one end of the spectrum are companies that are ardent about carrying out all their recipe development work in-house, while at the other end are companies who entrust third party organisations with their entire NPD activity. Between these polar opposites are those firms who have their own in-house R&D departments but are not averse to picking the brains of academics, consultants, research institutes and ingredient suppliers occasionally.
Do it yourself
UK beverage manufacturer Radnor Hills is one manufacturer that takes the view that NPD is best carried out in-house.
“We try to do everything ourselves,” said company secretary, Penny Butler. “At the end of the day it’s our sales force that has to sell the product and our production people who have to manufacture it so they all need to believe in it. If we rely on someone else to create our products the enthusiasm isn’t there in the same way. With 52 staff we’re quite a small company - we don’t have huge budgets for each process so we work as a close-knit team.”
Radnor doesn’t have a dedicated NPD team, so it approaches NPD as a companywide effort. “People from sales, QA, senior management and production all put their heads together - it’s very organic,” said Ms Butler.
Inspiration comes from trade shows like SIAL, Anuga and Alimentaria, or from marketplace trends, and recipe development is carried out in-house. External assistance is only sought when dealing with unfamiliar or difficult flavours - then the flavour house assists with blending.
IGW Berlin
Berlin MesseThe IGW is a one-of-a-kind international exhibition for the food, agricultural, and horticultural industries. Established in 1926 it will take place for the 73 rd time in 2008. Producers from all over the world use the IGW to test-market food and luxury items and establish a brand image. Exhibitors often organize around national, regional, or product themes. Presentations feature fresh produce, fish, meats, and dairy products. These combine with a vast selection of international wine, beer, and spirits specialties, to satisfy every culinary palate. Right in line with consumer trends, the IGW also includes direct agricultural sales and the BIO MARKT organic products section.
The IGW also features commercial and non-commercial agricultural, forestry, and landscaping exhibits. Changing annual themes typically include such topics as renewable resources or scientific livestock breeding and production. These trade show elements are of particular interest to those involved in the developing markets of central and eastern Europe.
Packaging: the sustainable approach
by Claire Rowan
Packaging is the focus of extensive activity throughout the industry as food and drink manufacturers strive to reduce their impact on the environment
‘Sustainable’, ‘environmentally friendly’, and ‘energy efficient’ are key objectives in the industry today as consumer and retailer demand for such credentials increases. To this end, packaging has come under growing scrutiny and initiatives to reduce packaging and find alternative materials proliferate.
Retailers such as Walmart/Asda and Marks & Spencer have pledged a double-digit reduction of the packaging used for their own label products, while manufacturers in the UK such as Britvic, Cadbury Schweppes, Dairy Crest, Nestlé and Coca-Cola have signed a voluntary agreement to reduce packaging waste. Yet the issue is more complex than pure reduction.
“Often forgotten is the amount of food and other contents wasted. Here, smart packaging design (as opposed to ‘less’ packaging) can do a lot to ensure food quality, deliver the product in optimal quantity, and reduce the residual product that remains in the package once emptied,” said Pre-Stefan Gersbro, head of business development for the International Packaging Institute. He highlighted that in most cases, a residue of as little as 5% of product left in a pack results in a greater loss of energy due to product wastage than would be used to create the whole pack. “Optimising packaging, rather than minimising it, would contribute to less total waste over a product’s total life cycle,” he said.
The World’s Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies: following the healthy path to success
By Claire Rowan – Managing EditorHealth and wellness is a key driver of activity for many at the top of this year’s Top 100 listing and together with activities in emerging markets represents a dynamic growth area for the industry in the future
Consumer health and nutrition; sustainability, CSR (corporate and social responsibility) & ethical trading; and developments in emerging markets have been the key issues for the industry during the past year. The leading players have also continued to consolidate and focus on their core activities while seeking new partnerships throughout the world in their bid to retain their top slots.
For the first time in the CIES – The Food Business Forum’s Top of Mind Survey, consumer health and nutrition took the top position in 2007, which reflects how this issue has become a long-term priority for leading retailers and manufacturers alike. Of all the respondents questioned in this year’s survey, over a third ranked it as their greatest concern for the future of the food sector. Critically, the health and nutrition debate is no longer just about obesity, but extends into product content and healthcare.
Reflecting this in its number one position, Nestlé has adopted a strategic focus on nutrition, health and wellness, which, according to Peter Brabeck, chairman and CEO, has provided the company with the impetus necessary to create further new growth platforms for the company in all product categories.
Wasted Opportunity?
By Lynda SearbyAs waste legislation bites into the bottom line, companies are turning to technology to reduce their waste output and in some cases capitalise on the marketability of their production waste
Food and beverage manufacturers have never been under so much pressure to find environmentally sound ways of dealing with production waste, be that waste water, byproducts or goods that are unfit for sale because of inconsistencies, labelling errors or contamination.
“It’s due to changes in waste regulations,” explained Lesley Eaton, technology translator with Food Processing Faraday Partnership, a company that looks to improve food processing efficiency by giving UK food processors access to new technologies. “If you go back six or seven years, food waste was fed to pigs, but after the BSE and foot and mouth crises European legislation was changed to restrict disposal routes for food waste. In addition, both UK and EU landfill legislation is making it more difficult and more costly for manufacturers across Europe to deposit waste in landfill.”