We chatted with Frank Borrmann, market manager SBU Checkweighing, Mettler-Toledo; Markus Pfanner, vice president, sustainability, Tetra Pak; Torben Jensen, senior category & application manager, fresh dairy products, Arla Foods Ingredients; and Sophie Davodeau, innovation director sweet goods & dairy for Europe, Asia and the Middle East (EAME) at Givaudan.
We also have our weekly look at the global dairy markets with Liam Fenton from StoneX.
Pics: Tetra Pak, Mettler-Toledo, Getty Images/AnastasiaNurullina
Givaudan survey shows growth of plant-based products
Flavor and fragrance company Givaudan recently conducted a survey to gain insights from consumers across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in terms of their perceptions of non-dairy alternatives, why they choose/don't choose dairy alternatives and what they think of products available on the market.
The company has also identified five different types of dairy alternative consumers.
The company discovered that consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic by 18%.
Givaudan said between 2019 & 2026, the dairy alternatives market is projected to grow globally at a Compound Annual Growth rate of 12.4%, confirming Mintel statistics that note 40% of the new launches for non-dairy yogurts, drinks and ice creams in Europe, Africa and the Middle East are plant-based.
Givaudan recently renamed its flavour and fragrance divisions to Taste & Wellbeing and Fragrance & Beauty, to align with its 2025 strategy: “Committed to growth, with purpose” and to reflects its expanded product offering.
Louie D’Amico, president Taste & Wellbeing, said, “Over the past five years, we have expanded our portfolio in a significant way, complementing our industry leading flavor and taste capabilities with an outstanding offer of natural functional and nutritional solutions. The new name captures this expanded portfolio and the value we bring to customers by going beyond great taste, to create more complete future facing food experiences.”
Arla Foods Ingredients at virtual Vitafoods
The Vitafoods Virtual Expo took place from September 7 to 11, followed by the Vitafoods Virtual Summit, from September 15 to 17.
One of the companies taking part was Arla Food Ingredients, which was promoting a range of solutions, including the first organic micellar casein isolate, helping manufacturers meet demand for organic, natural and functional protein products.
Micellar casein isolate is a new ingredient rich in native milk proteins. It is extracted from milk using processing without the addition of acids. The protein maintains its chemical structure, allowing the creation of products are as close to nature as possible.
The new ingredient, MicelPure, is suitable for food applications such as cooking-stable cheeses, yogurts and ice cream and puddings, as well as health and performance applications, such as ready-to-drink high-protein beverages and powder shakes.
It contains a minimum of 87% native protein, it is low in lactose and fat, heat-stable and taste-neutral.
In a milestone for Arla Foods Ingredients, it is also the company’s first ingredient to be offered in an organic version, made from certified organic milk from Denmark.
Barbara Jensen, business development manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, said, “When consumers hear ‘organic’, they think healthy, sustainable and wholesome. However, a shortage of natural, organic protein ingredients has prevented many manufacturers from entering this market. MicelPure Organic fills the gap, allowing companies to extend their portfolios with products that are both organic and packed with high-quality protein.”
Joe Katterfield, business development manager for sports nutrition and health foods at Arla Foods Ingredients, said, “Protein’s benefits for muscle growth, recovery and weight management have driven consumer demand in a range of categories. But while the high-protein trend is definitely here to stay, manufacturers also have to meet many other needs. MicelPure combines high protein levels and functionality with an offer of healthy wholesomeness that increases appeal.”
Tetra Pak publishes 2020 sustainability report
Tetra Pak recently published published its 2020 Sustainability Report, highlighting the ways the company has worked to protect food, people and futures in the past year.
An annual tradition since 1999, the company said this year's report is especially poignant in the midst of a global pandemic, while the world's focus on planet and the environment is being challenged.
Tetra Pak's approach to sustainability encompasses the entire value chain — including environmental, social and economic challenges.
Highlights include:
• Continuing to ensure food safety and help customers maintain uninterrupted food supplies during the COVID-19 crisis;
• Working alongside customers worldwide to feed millions of children through school feeding programs and boost milk supply from smallholder farmers through Dairy Hubs;
• Pioneering Bonsucro Chain of Custody certification for plant-based polymers, a food and beverage industry first, to ensure full traceability, and;
• For the fourth year in a row, made CDP's A List for leading efforts against climate change and protecting forests.
Looking forward, Tetra Pak has set a new climate goal. In June 2020, the company announced a commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its operations by 2030, with the ambition to achieve net zero GHG emissions for the value chain by 2050.
Mettler-Toledo introduces new label inspection options
Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection has launched two new Product Data Check technology options to be integrated into existing C-Series checkweighers.
The new vision inspection add-ons allow manufacturers to incorporate fully integrated smart camera technology into their production lines to verify the presence of correct labels. As a result, manufacturers can reject incorrectly-labelled packaged products, helping minimize the risk of product recalls plus protect brand integrity and profits from avoidable product loss.
The new technology options can verify different-sized packaged product labels on the same line across a wide range of food and pharmaceutical applications. For example, manufacturers producing different ice cream flavors or baby food products can now check each label against specific product data and reject non-conforming labels.
Advantages include minimizing the rework time staff must spend, as mislabeling mistakes are caught early before the packaged product reaches the secondary packaging stage, and mitigating product recalls by confirming only correctly-labeled packaged products can leave the production facility. The technology rejects labels incorrectly displaying allergen information as per the pre-programmed criteria. Plus, after product changeovers, it verifies the correct labels are applied to the correct packages.
Other advantages include reducing waste, and associated costs, as products with non-conforming labels or those that are mislabeled can now be repackaged with the correct label.
Mettler-Toledo said operational efficiency can also be improved by reducing line setup time for configuring new label inspections on product changeovers thanks to pre-programmed inspection set up software.
Brand reputation can be protected against any negative repercussions due to inferior package quality or mislabeled products reaching the marketplace, the company added.
Label checks performed by the new technology includes optical character recognition (OCR), and optical character verification (OCV), alphanumeric text and 1D and 2D code identification. The Product Data Check inspects a wide range of languages and checks for bolded listed ingredients, such as allergens, to ensure food safety and compliance with the EU Labelling Directive 2000/13/EC.
"Recalls and rework due to mislabeled products is an easily-prevented issue," Jürgen Kress, head of checkweighing and vision inspection for Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection, said.
"That is why we wanted to give manufacturers an easy way to add product data verification to their existing Mettler-Toledo equipment to provide extra quality control with minimal use of production line space."
The German made Product Data Check is available in two different configurations depending on the product shape.
The Product Data Check vision inspection option is suitable for oriented packaged products i.e. product shapes with an obvious front and back. Manufacturers can select up to three cameras to verify data on the front, back and top of each product.
A single human-machine interface controls the cameras while intuitive software allows for product profiles switching. The multiple cameras can be placed onto the checkweigher system or inspection equipment and are supported by brackets to save production space.
Product Data Check 360° is designed for round products that may rotate on a conveyor belt. Its configuration of six sensors generates a 360° view of the product label to verify its data. With a small footprint to save space on the production line, its housing has sloped surfaces and is IP65 rated, making it suitable for wet cleaning environments thanks to its hygienic design.
