Making the future of food sustainable

Leuven, Belgium, 19 November 2019 – Nicolai Prytz, sustainability and strategy director at TOMRA, has looked at how businesses, consumers and policymakers can help make the future of food sustainable.


With a rapidly growing population, adopting sustainable production practices on a global scale is an imperative to safeguard the future of our planet. The food supply chain is certainly one area where there is urgent need for improved sustainability. Without food – this precious resource currently being wasted across the supply chain – society as a whole becomes unable to function.

System inefficiencies in the food sector also cause an unnecessary output of energy during production, which amplifies the undeniably negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, including unstable growing conditions for many crops and an overall reduction in the volume of produce from arable land. These issues, coupled with the rise in global population and demand for food, represent significant areas of concern for the food industry – from farm to fork.

Action needs to be taken both to reduce food waste and tackle climate impacts in and from the food supply chain. The key to make the future of food sustainable is the early adoption of best practices across the supply chain, for which technological innovation can be a major driver. In this article, I’ve explored options for food sustainability and what role the food industry needs to play to protect its future.


--The need for sustainability--
Sustainability can be defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. For corporations, sustainability is not just about introducing environmentally friendly initiatives, as some may perceive. It is about protecting and utilizing resources efficiently and effectively.
The UN expects world population to rise by two billion people over the next 30 years. With this increase in population, comes the need to increase the amount of food produced, which will inevitably increase both the amount of agricultural land needed food waste generated across the supply chain, and the greenhouse gas emissions from food production.

This is where food sustainability is key, to mitigate the negative impacts of increased production and ensure that food supplies are not exhausted for future generations.


--The fight against food waste and loss--
According the World Resources Institute, almost a quarter of food produced for human consumption goes uneaten. This food waste and loss is created across the entire supply chain, including production, handling, storage, processing, distribution and consumption. An important distinction can be made between food ‘loss’ in the production process and food ‘waste’ which occurs in the food consumption and retail stage.

Globally, the causes for the food waste and loss differ from continent to continent. In North America and Europe, where the annual food waste and loss combined is roughly 100kg per consumer; food waste (i.e. consumption stage) accounts for more than half.. In comparison, only 5 per cent of food waste and loss combined in Sub-Saharan Africa is related to consumption, and the rest is lost during the production, handling and storage stages of the supply chain.

These figures highlight the imbalance in food efficiency between developed and developing countries. Developed countries need to change consumer behavior, whereas developing nations must look towards improving infrastructure and processes in early stages of the supply chain.

Although food loss may be higher in developing countries, the need to make improvements earlier in the supply chain is of global concern. International industry collaboration must focus on ensuring that food loss is reduced throughout the farming and sorting process in order to use as much as possible of what we produce.

As for production-side food waste, repurposing of produce is a key solution. If an apple or a blueberry does not have high enough quality for one use, one must find another use for it and make wasting the produce the very last resort. Sensor-based sorting systems can determine, for example, the quality level of a product, and thus allow for lower quality products to be reworked until they are fit for another purpose, such as pet food or animal feed.

At TOMRA, our sorting and grading solutions can help increase the yield of produce by between 5-10 per cent, which when put into context equates to as much as 25,000 trucks of potatoes every year. This allows businesses to maximize yields and recovery rates, while reducing waste and improving the overall quality of the produce.

Our innovative sorting solutions can also help clean up crops that in the past would not be harvested, if damaged by adverse weather events, like hail, strong winds or torrential rain. Such events typically mean that incoming defect loads are high, but sensor-based cleaning of these damaged crops, together with removing subtle defects, has a strong positive impact on the shelf life of produce like fresh fruits and salads.


--Reducing greenhouse gas emissions--
In addition to the challenges of food waste and loss, the food industry must also take responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the negative climate impacts caused by the food supply chain. The current environmental crisis in the Amazon Rainforest, where wildfires are releasing vast amounts of stored CO2 into the atmosphere, is yet another testament to the urgent need for emission reductions, not only in food, but across all industries.

The food industry sits at the very core of several environmental issues, being both responsible for nearly two-thirds of global biodiversity loss and a major contributor to climate change. Agriculture currently accounts for 12 Gt of CO2 per year of global carbon emissions, a number projected to rise up by more than 50 per cent by 2050. If unchecked, that level of emissions would represent more than 70 per cent of the available carbon ‘budget’ in order to reach the targets set forth in the Paris Agreement.

One area with significant room for improvement is transport and the distance that food travels from farm to fork. Consumer demand has led to an expectation that all produce is available 365 days a year and the understanding that some produce is seasonal has been lost, meaning it must be imported from around the world to meet the wants of the consumer.

What foods we eat also must be addressed. In its annual report, the WRI has outlined how the food industry can reduce its GHG output and become more sustainable, in light of expectations for population growth and food demand in 2050. It states that by decreasing the amount of beef and lamb eaten and instead eating more fruit and vegetables, emissions can be significantly reduced.

However, the WRI also states that the food supply chain must increase the productivity of livestock and crops to “higher than historic levels”– in short, increase the supply of food, but reduce the land usage for a more sustainable output. Using innovative technologies and farming methods that lower agricultural GHG emissions is one of the recommendations in WRI report.

The TOMRA Eco steamer peeler has been designed with reducing energy output in mind, and offers a sustainable way to produce food. This machine can lower energy usage by 25 per cent, which means savings of up to $90,000 per year for production businesses, as well as helping reduce water usage (28 per cent less steam compared to similar machines).

Innovative sorting solutions also allow for any defective produce to be removed from the supply chain before it is frozen. This is a common practice for fruits and can help reduce energy usage and optimize yields. In other words, sorting technologies have great potential to strengthen both profitability and sustainability for many food companies


--A sustainable future for food--
To achieve a sustainable future for the food industry governments, corporates and consumers alike must change the way in which we produce and handle food – from farm to fork. With the world population set to increase to nearly 10 billion people over the next 30 years, the industry must adapt and adopt new practices to reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that agricultural land is used as sustainably as possible.

By 2050, food demand will increase by 50 per cent, so meeting these challenges is vital to ensure food sector sustainability for future generations. At TOMRA Food, we’re committed to leading the resource revolution through our technology, helping improve yields, reduce waste and use our food resources more efficiently – three key factors in food sustainability.

Through working and collaborating with governments, policymakers and businesses, we can help improve the sustainability of the food supply chain and create a prospering food sector for the future.



About TOMRA Food

TOMRA Food designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest solutions for the food industry, using the world’s most advanced grading, sorting, peeling and analytical technology. Over 8,000 units are installed at food growers, packers and processors around the world for fruits, nuts, vegetables, potato products, grains and seeds, dried fruit, meat and seafood. The company’s mission is to enable its customers to improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, and ensure a safe food supply via smart, useable technologies. To achieve this, TOMRA Food operates centers of excellence, regional offices and manufacturing locations within the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

TOMRA Food is member of the TOMRA Group that was founded on innovation in 1972 that began with design, manufacture and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems that optimize resource recovery and minimize waste in the food, recycling and mining industries.

TOMRA has ~100,000 installations in over 80 markets worldwide and had total revenues of ~8.6 billion NOK in 2018. The Group employs ~4,000 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: TOM). For further information about TOMRA, please see www.tomra.com



Media Contacts:

For TOMRA Food, Compac & BBC Technologies:


Marijke Bellemans

Senior Marketing Communication Coordinator

Research Park Haasrode 1622 – Romeinse straat 20

3001 Leuven, Belgium

T: +32 (0)16 74 28 17

M: +32 (0)476 74 19 18

E: marijke.bellemans@tomra.com

W: www.tomra.com/food

SUSTAINABLE Packaging = Future?

With growing eco-awareness, more consumers prefer to choose sustainable products. To react this rapid demand on the market, company need to consider use the “green”material for their packaging.-Irina Chen


Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash


Nowadays the world has influenced strongly by plastic. Most items are made by this material in the market. Since plastic need 1000 years to decompose in landfills,the amount of plastic garbage will keep growing. After seeing the damage for the evironment, the data shows that 80% of consumers will choose sustainble product if there has options.Therefore,some companies has start to join this eco-protection campaign. Here are three advantages to use“green” product in business.


--Good Image--
As a consumer,I will prefer to purchase products that belong to a company with a great reputation. To show company concept by joining green project, company present a image that they emphasis on the environment. Like the global fast-food brand, they use the sustainable packaging for their product. This decision establishes a good corporate image and develops a better impression of consumers.


--Economic Benefit--
After industrial revolution, the environment has a huge impact by several pollutions. People realize the importance of environment protections. Consumers will want to know if the product is eco-friendly when they compare to other product. In past few years, sustainable products sale has grow fast. Thus, that will reduce the amount of“non-green” products. Green product using is not only for not being shake out by the market but also can increase the economic benefit. Consumers are more willing to buy the green product than others.


--Promotion by Government--
How do we know the importance of environment impact? We all learn recycle from school or the rules by government. Rules standardize people's behavior and school teach us the environment problem. Both are promoted by the government. Company don't need to explain the importance on environment protection. Consumer only need to see the green sign on the product. The promotion by the government helps the company to do this green campaign more easily.

Logo Stands Out For Your Brand

To make your product stand out, design must be the priority element. And the logo is the soul of your brand, people will recognize your product when they immediately see your logo. – Irina Chen


Nowadays, millions products in the market. We all know that we will pick up the product that have a good reputation or special design. Like the world famous cola, they have classic bottle design and logo. And customer recognize their product by their iconic logo. There are 3 reasons why the logo is important for your brand.


--Attention--
In this new generation, customer only has short attention. So how to grab the attention is become a competition in the brands. Conspicuous logo will help the brand win in this war and distinguish from other competitor. No matter the simple or difficult design, It’s only need to attract people. Besides, memorable logo built the connection with the customer when the brand grows. It keeps in the customer’s head. When they pass by your product, they will recall by seeing your logo.


--Representative--
Most company like to magnify their logo on product. Except grabbing the attention, It’s a good way to know this product is belonged to the company. When the logo is been show up in the advertising program, more people will recognize the company.

The design of logo narrate the story and image of the brand. People will still remember the logo after years. Thus, It has became a representative of company.


--Loyalty--
When the brand is growing, there will be more and more customers. And It always has loyalty crowd. They trust your brand. No matter there is a new competitor, they will still buy your product. But there is a warning, redesigning the logo reduce the amount of this kind of consumers. They need to spend time to search the new logo. It’s a risk to lose the customer when they lose their patient.

ADHESIVES FOR LABELS: what comes and what needs to be known

The label can be attractive and functional: while the liner can ensure a good dispensing, improve productivity and even ensure its reuse, but if the adhesive does not fulfill its function, the rest will not be of any value anymore. -Gabriela Cabrera


* Product Manager at Avery Dennison / linkedin.com/in/cabreragabriela


The new generations do not have the time to try something, and their lifestyles do not adapt to the products they find on the market. For the packaging industry this has been a great challenge, and as a result of the changes in consumption habits, packaging is being developed that can capture in small packages that manage to capture the attention of the consumer within a short time (3 seconds).

Currently, many of the containers have been developed for individual portions, and this is a trend that has been maintained. The label market has several battlefields where companies have to fine-tune their production in order to offer quality materials. In many segments of this market, the front is an important point, which has a good texture, which is functional or attractive is key to differentiation. The liner is another valuable addition, from its conversion and dispensing to its thickness, which are factors to be taken into account when choosing it. But the key factor in the construction of a label, the adhesive.


--Adhesive for wines--
The market for wines and sparkling wines is one of the most demanding in the region. Therefore, the challenges when choosing a self-adhesive label are high. A decisive point is the adhesive, since it must withstand cold or wet conditions, maintaining the label throughout the production process and consumption. The best solution that is used today on the market is a water-based adhesive with very good resistance to water, low temperatures, and which allows in the first minutes after the labeling process an easy removal so as to correct, especially in manual labeling.

The key of this adhesive is its high resistance to the test of "bucket with ice" or "test frappè." To know if the adhesive successfully passed this test, the label should not be peeled off and neither should any bubbles form on its surface after six hours in the bucket with water and ice. Neither should there be any migration or movement of the label on the bottle during the test. If the paper breaks and the adhesive remains in the bottle when trying to remove the label, it means that it retained the original properties of the adhesive. This is an indicator of a robust and resistant adhesive with safe properties for end users.


--Resealable adhesive--
Food and personal care products always have the great challenge of maintaining the conditions of the product throughout its useful life. Packaging should protect from moisture, air, dust and other external agents from compromising the durability of contained products.

One of the solutions is the resealable adhesive, which is specifically designed for this market and is suitable for a wide variety of food applications and wet ends. It provides a clean and delicate detachment and adapts to a wide range of flexible packaging.

This adhesive has a good resistance to humidity and solvents, enables multiple openings/closures (up to 60 times), a clean removal of PET and PP substrates, while a few options are authorized by BIR XIV for use in dry, fatty and non-fatty foods. This allows to keep the product to always be preserved during its use.


--Multi-cyclic adhesives--
The multi-cyclic adhesive is an innovation for self-adhesive labeling for returnable bottles, which offers greater profitability and sustainability.

It is a self-adhesive solution, which is resistant to all pressures to which a returnable container is exposed during its life cycle. It also combines the durability of ceramic application labeling (ACL) with the appearance, design and high-quality performance of self-adhesive technology. In relation to the design, designers will have the freedom and facility to create surprising and attractive labels.

It consists of a much more profitable labeling because it lasts the whole life of the bottle (which means a lower waste disbursement), offers options of labeling without connection and even without shifting out of place, and does not require an extra investment of capital.

Since labels have the same durability as bottles, they provide important environmental benefits, such as permanent waste reduction, ink consumption, transport movements and reduction of energy consumption.


--Wash-off system--
Wash-Off allows brand owners to reduce the environmental impact of their products by maximizing the recycling opportunities. Thanks to an innovative structure of two plastic layers and a unique adhesive range, the labels are easily separated from the glass in hot water baths and leave the bottle clean for the recycling process. The labels—which are suitable for glass or PET bottles—and which peel off during washing are a simple and immediate alternative for any existing product based on wet glue.

Developed to decorate returnable beer bottles with a "no label look," these labels enhance the brand image and can take complex shapes. They can be used to label the body and/or neck of clear and dark containers, as well as glass water bottles and large containers (gallons) of juices or shakes in recyclable PET bottles.

CONTAINER AND SECURITY of food and beverage

In a world where––thanks to advances in logistics and information technology––more and more products can be acquired more easily, while safety becomes a primary factor in ensuring the health of consumers. -Hiram Cruz


* General Director of the Mexican Association of Packaging (AMEE) / hiramcruz@amme.org.mx


The food and beverage sector is not exempt from being attacked by illegal activities. Moreover, this applies to a successful product, which becomes a perfect target for illegal trade, counterfeiting, adulteration, theft, contraband or diversion of products.

According to the report by Operation OPSON VI, which was conducted by Europol, Interpol, and directed against food fraud, around 230 million Euros were reported for counterfeit food and beverages that were seized. What represents 9,800 tons; more than 26.4 million liters and 13 million potentially harmful units, ranging from daily products, such as mineral water, condiment cubes, mariaco and olive oil, alcoholic beverages, to luxury products, such as caviar. For example, Germany: hazelnut products; France: food seasonings; Portugal: fish cans; Italy: mineral water, counterfeit wine; Denmark: virgin olive oil; Greece: contraband alcohol; Spain: octopus and squid.

Without any doubt, we realize that the growth of commerce has surpassed traditionally affected industries such as music, clothing, and computers. Thus, this phenomenon has reached areas, which threaten the physical integrity of people and even to the point of damaging the cultural heritage of a country.

An example is the way in which many consumers are deceived by using false labels on food, passing them off as original products of good quality.

Another sector that has been severely affected is that of alcoholic beverages, because according to a study by the National Regulatory Council of Tequila, one of every two bottles of this beverage has been "pirated," which represents health risks for those who consume the product. It can even cause death.

The success of illegal traders and the huge margins they obtain has led to an increasing sophistication of the counterfeiting capacity. For the public, which is not familiar with the product, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the authentic and the illegal one with fake labels, lids and tags.

Based on the above, it is very important to be able to consider some additional security elements with which the products can be provided.


-Intelligent holograms-
A hologram is an image made with laser light and printed on a plate or on a film sensitive to light, which has the peculiarity of producing objects in relief. The image seems suspended in space, and if the hologram is moved, the image is seen from a different perspective in a similar way as to what happens when a real object is observed.

So convincing are they that they can be touched by hand. It is a very thin piece of film or photosensitive glass, on which a three-dimensional image has been recorded through a laser and a specific optical assembly.

It provides the products with a cutting-edge technological look and relates them directly with good quality. The brightness and impression it provides on the packaging attracts attention and elevates the consumer confidence in the product at the sales outlet.

It marks a remarkable difference between a product and similar ones (or copies). In addition, a hologram is unforgeable, so it protects the brand against piracy and fraud. Moreover, the cost-benefit is totally positive.


-Security inks-
Currently, the field of inks has developed an important variety of security inks. This in order to protect brands and their products from piracy and from the illegal market. For example:

 Inks changing the color when changing the angle of observation. These inks also have dual polymerization properties, which can be seen through a filter divider.

 Machine-readable ink. It produces an invisible image, which can only be identified by using devices specially designed to read this ink.

 Thermochromatic ink. It reacts to temperature variations by changing color to colorless when heat is applied, or from colorless to an ink with color when exposed to low temperatures.

 Invisible fluorescent ink. It produces images, which are invisible under the light of the environment, but they fluoresce when they are illuminated with a black ultraviolet light.

 Solvent-reactive ink. It allows images that change color or disappear when exposed to the countless solvents used to illegally alter bank checks and other valuable documents.

 Water-reactive ink. Produces images that disappear or change the color when exposed to aqueous solvents.

 Ink reactive to ink for fountain pens. It is a colorless image that becomes visible by passing the fountain pen containing a specially formulated reactive solution.

 Inks reactive to coins. Invisible image that becomes visible when rubbing with the edge of a coin.


-Labels with evidence of opening-
The cases of sabotage are forcing to complement the traditional solution for evidencing an illicit opening incorporated in the containers, such as the shrink sleeves or the plastic plugs with seal strip with "tamper-evident" labels.

The void labels and security seals show the illicit opening of the product. They provide transparency to the distribution circuit of the products and assure the customer the quality and integrity of what they are buying.


-Product traceability-
The labels of food is one of the main tools that allow its traceability. In addition to containing the bar code, which must be governed by international traceability standards (GS1), the label must contain information on the origin or where the animal has been fattened and slaughtered to gain the meat, information on its distribution, among others.

All this information can be encrypted through barcodes or two-dimensional codes (2D Data Matrix) and can be decoded in computers connected to a database.

If we take the needs of identification one step further, we find tracking and traceability systems where each label has unique and personal information. The identification of products through radio frequency (RFID) allows to achieve a visible and intelligent distribution chain and in real time, from the beginning (manufacturer) to the end (consumer).

PRINTING of digital and traditional packaging

Although digital printing has established its value in the traditional areas of the graphic arts sector, its adoption has been slower in the packaging industry with the exception of the label market, which began to adopt digital printing technologies from relatively early on. - Michael Seidl


* Consultant in Innovations of packaging. office@europeanmediagroup.at


The cause is not a single factor: there were no relevant digital systems. The requirements that affect the packaging sector are completely different from those of the traditional printing industry, while the actors of the packaging sector, which is slightly more conservative, have taken a little more time to adopt the digital future than their counterparts, which are dedicated to commercial printing. However, the trend starts to reverse.

More and more producers and customers recognize the advantages of digital packaging printing and begin to implement this technology. Undoubtedly, one of the "decisive moments" was the now legendary Coca-Cola campaign: share a Coca-Cola. Just a few months after the brand's innovative idea of printing names on cans, Ferrero followed his example with variable labels for Nutella cans.


-Trends in packaging-
From the consumers’ point of view, the selection has considerably expanded and brands seek to differentiate themselves from the competition in order to a gain market share. Packaging plays an increasingly important role in attracting customers in the line where the final purchase decision is made. Consequently, packaging must influence customers and appeal to all their senses.

The packaging market is still marked by integration and consolidation. Overcapacity and the resulting price war are the order of the day. The growth of the entire sector really depends on the behavior of the consumer, and their purchasing decisions usually depend on complex graphic representations and color at the sales outlet. Therefore, a high investment in added-value processes by packaging converters is necessary in order to create an outstanding packaging, opsinaEduard Fischer, executive director of Schwarzach, explained.


-Advantages of digital printing for packaging-
The current media fragmentation causes consumers to be constantly bombarded with information and messages that they usually ignore on a routine basis. Packaging is undoubtedly one of the latest media that continues to capture the attention of consumers. But to achieve this, the products must be differentiated in the linear, and brand managers respond with increasingly more product cycles and more relevant packaging, which also contributes to smaller batch sizes, shorter production times and greater demand for digital printing technologies.

What also arouses more interest in digital printing are the developments in the demographic profile, including greater numbers of one-person households with purchase behaviors different from those of large families both from the point of view of quantities and of budget. In addition, the homes of the generation of more than 50 years make specific demands on packaging. And consumers are more attentive to the environmental, cost and comfort aspects. For packaging producers, this means managing an increasing number of small orders. Delivery times are getting shorter and production planning becomes more complex.


-Flexible packaging-
The flexible packaging market is important and will continue to grow in the digital area during the next five years, However, it is also subject to social change (mainly due to external mobility). People eat and drink while moving around (nomadic mobility). Flexible packaging gains popularity and is progressively replacing rigid packaging. Particularly in the food sector, flexible packs are easy to handle and meet the requirements of the current trend of less waste and a lower environmental footprint, while it is also not possible to ignore the comfort factor in this segment.

Digital printing gives manufacturers of flexible packaging the opportunity to expand the business. The formula is very simple: packaging of high quality, along with digital production and punctual deliveries.

The colorful world of folding boxes. Digital printing remains a relatively new proposal on this market sector within the packaging, despite the fact that there are many excellent examples of possible applications. The folding box industry tends to use technology for small and differentiated runs. Another possible application is the runs that are printed before or after large conventional runs. The digital printing of folding boxes is still considered an area where the first adopters prevail, in other words, these are the users who have identified the trends and developed the first applications.

Peter Sommer from Elanders, Germany, represents a good example of this, who—along with Ritter Sport chocolate—carried out a fascinating project. A special website was designed where consumers could order customized packaging for their Ritter Sport chocolates. The company paid off, since customers were willing to pay a lot more for this chocolate. The project also achieved the recognition of Mediaware in Ireland, which implements packaging projects for Microsoft. Currently, there are several projects of this nature as brand managers begin to recognize their hidden potential, while printers help them to develop their creative ideas.


-Corrugated cardboard packaging-
To date, companies that process corrugated cardboard have been very slow to adopt to digital printing technologies, except for those that use flat systems. However and until now, this is due more to the fact that there were not too many systems available on the market that could be used for corrugated cardboard.

And the major players in the sector clearly see the advantages of being able to respond to market demands more quickly and being able to offer a higher level of service. The use of digital technology also helps to optimize work processes and, potentially, to redesign production centers following the principle of using the right technology for the right job.


-The world of digital labels-
More and more label printers are recognizing that digital printing can be used as a complement to long runs of flexography or offset printing. It is also possible to quickly modify the designs. In practice, label design is almost comparable to fashion design. Some wine bottles are true style icons. The next digital wave is already on the horizon: flexible packaging, folding boxes and corrugated cardboard will follow the same trend.

Functionally sustainable MATERIALS

Currently, the industry is rather focused on trying to capture the new generations of consumers, who will decide what kind of snacks they prefer. Therefore, thinking about packaging beyond its practical aspect is still booming. With sustainable materials and a well-cared aesthetic development, the pack can help enhancing the product. -Alejandro Raizman


* Partner of Gama Gourmet / www.gamagourmet.com.ar


At the time of thinking of the success in business, the packaging stopped being just a seductive wrapper or a way to present the product well. It is an item that requires special attention from the beginning. A fundamental piece, which must meet a series of requirements to become an accompaniment that drives the content. To do so, it must be adapted to the trends and, in addition, be very careful about its aesthetic appearance.

Today, when thinking about a wrapper, not only the practical aspect should be considered, which has always been central to the packaging in order to fulfill the function for which it was designed, and to accompany the functionality of the product so as to allow its usability to increase, otherwise it shall address other aspects as well. The trend is an ideal pack that is functional and resistant so as to allow the product to be manipulated and stored according to its particular characteristics, which is also designed in detail so as to optimize the cost-ben7efit ratio and also be environmentally friendly for responding to the demands of new consumers for whom ecology is fundamental.


-Development and aesthetics-
Many hours of work are necessary for understanding the trends and articulating the different needs for practicality and aesthetics that a pack requires. Thinking about the precise development as a part of the chain that will result in a support and impulse for the product and dedicate effort and hours of work for its development is very important to get the ideal pack. It is not a simple process, but it is important to understand that it is vital for the success of the product.

To develop a package that meets all the requirements, resorting to the work of a communication agency and a design team is a trend, which is gaining more and more place. Working with professionals who think from these aspects guarantees that the final product meets all the parameters of functionality and responds to specific needs without neglecting the aesthetic sense, while the choice of colors, typographies and style of images are given in association with the characteristics of the product that is sought to accompany.

This team must answer one of the questions that is fundamental today: the materials, that is, the classic needs of a pack of good quality, which is resistant and which allows to manipulate, store and distribute until reaching the consumer, which adds to the sustainable trend to which both consumers respond today.

Today, materials acquire a new dimension because they seek to generate less and less waste, while sustainability is placed to the foreground. Criteria, such as durability, the social angle of the materials, their ability to be recycled or renewed are what today gains place among consumers.

Current designs should broaden their vision to incorporate sustainability and social responsibility, and with this in mind, modify certain aspects of the material, in addition to thinking about what will happen to the product once it reaches the end of its useful life. It's about looking at things in a different way and surrounding yourself with a team that shows different approaches to improve packaging. This trend applies particularly to packaging, and requires changing its concepts, which does not contaminate, i.e. that it is biodegradable and that it is thought to be sustainable.
Getting to the ideal container is a matter of time and a constant process because there are always details to improve. Everyone likes a product with good packaging. Why? Because it reflects all the interest and effort put in by the brand to develop an innovative, practical and pleasant proposal for users. It's simple: if the product is worth it, its packaging should enhance this.

In order for the pack improvement process to be positive, we must always be quite alert to the presentation and functionality of the packaging, both at the level of material and the trends. But in addition, it is important to satisfy the user more and more. To do so, it is necessary to continually investigate and give place to the analysis of the different possibilities in order to continually generate improvements in the future.

This is something that receives a great positive rating today. The customer values it many times. He does not do it immediately after the purchase, but after use because when consuming a product with a container that was specially developed and according to their habits, it is a very different experience. It is about generating that feeling in which the product is perfect and that it was really thought of in all its aspects.

Tips for processing machinery FOR FRENCH FRIES

Ensuring efficiency in the management, the filtration and selection of oil has become one of the main priorities for potato fries manufacturers looking to create products with a good flavor, desirable color and texture, and with nutritional and attractive appeal. -Arnaud Jansse


* Food Technologist at Florigo (of Ina).


Oil is one of the fundamental ingredients in any production line of potato fries. As a heat transfer agent during the frying process, it gives the potatoes a unique flavor and texture. However, as the concern for well-being increases, consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of health and are increasingly informed about what is in the food they eat and how it is made.

As a result, many potato fries manufacturers are analyzing their processing methods to ensure that their products meet consumer preferences. In turn, others are looking for new ingredients, such as different types of cooking oils, with the idea of diversifying their range of products and meet the demands of consumers who wish healthier alternatives.

Using a management, the right filtration and sanitation practices as well as choosing a frying oil of high quality can help manufacturers to make the potato fries which consumers want.


-Understanding the degradation of oil-
The quality of oil is intrinsic to the elaboration of healthy snacks of high quality. However, when frying potato products, cooking oil can degrade rapidly due to several factors: the type of oil, the temperature and the method of preparation. This not only reduces the quality of the oil, but also interrupts the efficiency of cooking can make it difficult to clean the fryer and compromises the quality of the product. Frying with degraded oil can trigger serious side effects to health due to high levels of fatty acids, oxidized lipids and acrylamide in the product.

In most frying operations, the oil acid will increase to an unacceptable level if the total volume of oil in the system cannot be rotated within a certain time. The rotation occurs when the products capture oil passing through the fryer. According to the physical characteristics, most of the products absorb oil in the first stages of frying, which reduces the optimum levels of oil. Slices and potatoes, for example, can absorb between 24% and 40% of the oil. This is why new oil is needed to bring the new ones to 100% and thus ensure that the product is made with the freshest possible oil for optimum quality.

The rotation of oil is directly affected by its quality, since some oils are less resistant to heat than others. Sunflower oil, for example, is much less resistant in the heating stage than coconut oil. An oil that is more resistant to heat will have a greater rotation than that which is less stable. For this reason, selecting the right type of oil has become a matter of utmost importance to potato fries manufacturers who seek to maintain the integrity of the oil for longer.

At the same time, the accumulation of residues can also accelerate the degradation of cooking oil. This happens when small pieces of potato break off in the slices and burn and char in the fryer. As a result, the quality of the oil decreases, which can cause undesirable flavors, an uneven color and appearance.

-Choosing the right oil and process-
More and more manufacturers are looking for new ingredients as a possible solution to improve the quality and healthiness of their products, and this includes the type of cooking oil. From canola oil, sunflower and olive oil to coconut oil and corn oil, there is a great variety of options. While some oils are associated with health benefits, such as olive oil due to high levels of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, others, such as coconut oil, have different flavor profiles. As a result, the selection of oil is key when it comes to satisfying the constantly evolving demands of consumers.

Well-designed frying systems must address a number of needs, such as maintaining the integrity of oil. The most innovative frying technology incorporates continuous oil filtration systems, which help remove the particulate material left by the products when cooked. Normally, the oil passes through a filtering system to remove both large and thin particles. If these particles remain in the oil, they generate, in a continuous manner, polymers and other polar compounds that produce a bad taste in the product and also degrade the frying oil, which affects not only the organoleptic properties, but also the crunchy texture. The more effective and prompt the removal of particles, the better the quality of oil.

The filtered oil is mixed with fresh oil and then pumped back to the machine to achieve optimum oil levels. Repeated oil refilling helps mitigate the generation of free fatty acids as well as other polar compounds and help to ensure that potatoes are fried in the freshest oil and with the best possible quality.


-Precise temperatura control-
Heating or frying the oil considerably increases its tendency to spoil. Consequently, it is one of the most important factors to guarantee the storage time. The higher the temperature, the faster the cooking oil will deteriorate. This is why it should never be heated above 205°C to prevent it from spoiling. In addition, frying at excessively high temperatures will cause the food to turn dark or charred on the outside before it is cooked properly inside. On the contrary, frying at too low temperatures will cause fatty foods that absorb too much fat.

An accurate temperature control is essential to guarantee the optimum quality of the product. This can be achieved using a thermostat or thermometer. Manufacturers must check this equipment frequently to obtain accuracy and need to regulate the oil temperature in the most thorough way possible. In line with the shift towards automation and labor-saving equipment, more manufacturers are implementing automatic control systems to regulate it, without the need of human intervention. For example, if the temperature of the fryer decreases too much, the system normalizes it automatically to ensure that the oil returns to the optimum temperature as quickly as possible. Reaching the correct balance in terms of temperature, ultimately, helps producers with the development of a more stable end product, and in turn it reduces the waste of products that do not meet the required level.


-Achieving the highest hygiene standards-
There is an increasing pressure for potato fries manufacturers to prevent food contamination, as contaminated raw materials and cross-contamination during the processing are common sources of food-borne illness. The hygienic design of machinery and equipment is the basis of safe food processing that ensures that all parts that come in contact with food are free from accumulation, especially oil and grease. If accumulation is allowed, there is a greater possibility that the waste and dirt of the food adhere to the surfaces and mechanical joints, which compromises the integrity of the oil. This in turn contributes to the development of bacteria and other microbes.

Therefore, the cleaning and frequent maintenance of the system is vital to guarantee hygienic standards and the highest safety standards. Good frying systems are designed in such a way that the water or cleaning fluids drain outwards, following the same path as the oil, leaving no areas intact. The removal of water from the fryer is essential for the integrity of the oil as well as for the safety of the user. By specifying easy clean-up systems from leading suppliers, food processors can significantly reduce the risk of bacterial growth with cross-contamination as well as maintain high levels of quality. In addition, a design with smooth surfaces, with no blind spots or areas with corners, where residual oil can accumulate and thus which helps manufacturers comply with food standards that are increasingly stringent, is desirable.

GULFOOD TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF LINKING GLOBAL INDUSTRY WITH EMERGING MARKETS IN 2020

Time：2020-02-16~2020-02-20

Area：Dubai, UAE

Gulfood will mark 25 editions of aligning food and beverage industry players from across the world with emerging markets across the Middle East and beyond when the world’s largest annual F&B trade exhibition returns to Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 16-20 February, 2020.

Having started as a dedicated showcase for imported products at its debut outing in 1987, Gulfood has expanded into a global F&B industry power brand over the last decade.

While the primary finished foods event attracts over 5,000 exhibitors and over 90,000 visitors per year, a series of sector-specific spin-offs have seen the Gulfood brand expand significantly over the last decade with dedicated platforms for manufacturing, hospitality equipment, confectioneries, seafood and gourmet products bringing the world's leading suppliers and buyers to Dubai, now a globally recognised re-export hub.

The show's evolution during the last three decades has run in parallel with widespread transformation of the F&B industry. With robust participation from national trade entities government-backed industry bodies and more than 120 country pavilions from six continents, Gulfood has also leveraged various knowledge exchange platforms to cement its position at the forefront of constantly shifting industry trends.

Maintaining this momentum, the five-day Gulfood 2020 will highlight the latest innovations, disruptive trends and visionary products in eight primary show sectors: Beverages, Dairy, Fats & Oils, Health, Wellness & Free-from, Meat & Poultry, Power Brands, Pulses, Grains & Cereals and World Food.

Themed ‘Rethinking Food’, Gulfood 2020 will stare into the future of food and address what matters most: why do we need to rethink food? Featuring thought leaders, experts and industry professionals, the show will feature hundreds of thousands of products and explore a range of topics built around five central pillars: Markets, Lifestyle, Government, Technology and Marketing.


Rethinking Food: Markets
• Reshaping the Middle East & the Re-emergence of Core Markets
• The Race for Africa
• The Fast Pace of Urbanisation: freshest, quickest serve, convenient & conscious supply
• The Giant Neighbor: the Indian legacy in taste & trade

Rethinking Food: Lifestyle
• Understanding the Future Consumer: a generational shift
• Where Did My Rice Come From? Supporting ethical production
• Food for Experience
• Gotta Eat to Live, Gotta Live to Eat: Developments in health & wellness

Rethinking Food: Government
• Regulations Alert - Highlights from around the world
• Feeding the World
• Are F&B Giants Any Closer To Their 2025 Sustainability Goals?
• 10 Years to Go: Impressive responses to UN's SDGs to date and how to move forward

Rethinking Food: Technology
• The R&D Dilemma: Develop or acquire?
• The Omnichannel Paradigm: Disrupting distribution and retail
• Download Now: Leading consumer apps in F&B
• Let’s Be Smart About It: How big data can help us rethink food

Rethinking Food: Marketing
• Digital Spellcasters: Food Influencers
• Big Bright Bold: Packaging hacks to address consumer demand
• A New Era of Business: customisation at a time of globalization
• Leveraging Social Media To Communicate Your Vision

Gulfood 2020 is a trade event open strictly to business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am-7pm from February 16 - 19 and 11am - 5pm on February 20. For more information, visit https://www.gulfood.com/

ENDS

ALTERNATIVE USES of packaging after fulfilling their function

Nowadays, packaging has become an industry in constant growth, with changes, challenges, and above all with those many detractors for the amount of garbage that we generate when consuming our favorite products. What is the consumer's role in reversing pollution? - Gonzalo Hernández


Full-time Academician of Industrial Design at the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla. / ghpuebla@gmail.com paty_5@hotmail.com


Remember when our grandmothers told us "... please, do not throw away the coffee glass bottle, because I have to wash it to store the herbs for cooking ..." or when our parents told us "... please, use the plastic container for detergent to have that drink... "?

Well, packaging has had a leading presence in our lives many for more times than we remember, and this for many years in our family life. However, the thousands of tons of garbage that are daily accumulating in the cities are consisting of empty containers.

The question we should ask is, who has to do something to reverse this current condition of contamination a little?

The answer is easy: everyone, yes ..., each one of us has to do something. I explain myself better; as consumers we care a lot about the product that we are going to consume, which is fresh, not opened, within the expiration period and that, if suddenly I do not consume all the content, I can keep it for later. However, after satisfying the need to consume the product, the next immediate action is to find a place to throw away the container or wrapping.

But how can we improve this behavior if many consumer products do not invite to be reused in packaging? I cannot imagine an office employee arriving with a washed PET container of cola or of mineral water inside or a metallic package of cookies sealed with adhesive tape to keep them.

That's where we should call for awareness and creativity. While it is true that many packaging products are not designed to be reused, but only to bring the product in perfect condition at the time of consumption, we must learn to be more selective with the products we buy. That is, today's competition is so voracious on the market, it actually should demand more from consumers: knowing which brand offers more to the consumer for what they pay, a better product quality and, of course, the facilities of disposal, reuse, recycling or of degradation of the packaging. Currently, it is used as a commercial and marketing factor, namely the indication of early degradation of packaging (think of French fries) or the way in which fast-food chains deliver hamburgers in disposable cardboard that are easily recyclable. However, we also need to look for better presentations of products, because buying bottles of water of half a liter constantly does not help the environment anything.

That is the conscious part, but the creative part must be in the way how we can teach our children to reuse the packaging und containers. For example, the cardboard boxes with which the youngest children always play can be reused to keep and maintain order in the closet, or the glass containers can appropriately be used for plants or ornamental elements in the house. Of course, the traditional mayonnaise packaging does not appeal to everyone, but now there are many brands of products with packaging that can be reused.

The other important factor in this process is the industry, since it is responsible of designing and launching consumer products on the market––from a toilet paper to the most complex packaging system for a state-of-the-art computer.

The brands should put their finger on the design of new presentations, which invite consumers to buy their products for the benefit of a second use of primary or secondary packaging, and thus to have the opportunity for the brand to remain for longer in the consumer's environment. Just imagine a cereal packaging with a less conventional shape than a prismatic shape (all brands use it for the benefit of accommodation on the transport floor), which generates the desire in a child to keep it to store, for example, his or her pieces of plastic blocks, with an illustration inviting them to imitate them with these pieces and store them in there instead of in a plastic container bought in the supermarket. In addition, the aim is also to have the brand of cereal and the main character of using the product, and with this to subtly stay in the consumer's mind.

In short, these are ideas of how we could encourage the reuse of the packaging and use the packaging again after our traditional consumption. Undoubtedly, this is a subject of much reflection and a process of conversion of consumption habits, and not only for the sake of selling in order to sell, which today seems the most important premise without reviewing the variables that involve an act of such importance and responsibility as launching a product on the market, which satisfies the consumer, and whereby the packaging begins its journey to the landfill in less than 30 minutes.

FOOD Printing in the third dimension: a reality?

What are we going to eat in the future? For years, they have been inventing new ways to prepare food and objects that make the question difficult to answer. Now it may seem strange, but the 3D food printing, still a new field, but in which important advances have been made, could bring great changes. - Tatiana Koutchma


Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Experience in Food Science.
Source: www.CarneTec,com

3D printing technology (3D) was originally invented to build metal, ceramic and polyester objects, and to perform the fabrication of complete structures in parts in one step. Today, 3D printing has also been successfully applied to food materials and is about to revolutionize food preparation, processing and manufacturing with customized skills in the design and development of products.

The potential applications of 3D printing include not only attributes, such as decorations, complex and geometric shapes, color, taste and elaborate texture, but also customized nutrition. Using simple ingredients, a food printer can formulate products based on personalized nutritional needs, and can provide a potential solution as a prototype tool to facilitate the development of a new food product. A new level of artistic capabilities can be achieved in restaurants and the culinary sector using 3D food printing technology.


-Food materials and 3D printing-
There are three categories of materials available that include food materials in native form (icing or bitumen for cakes, cheese, humus and chocolate), traditional non-printable food materials and alternative ingredients. In printing tests for traditional food materials, these have been evaluated for their viscosity, consistency and solidification properties. According to a large number of tests carried out, the most successful printing material was pasta dough. Foods, such as rice, meat, fruit and vegetables, are not printable by their nature. To allow its extrusion capacity, the addition of hydrocolloids in these solid materials has been used in many culinary fields.

Commercial and self-developed food printing platforms have been used to print and actually manufacture food products. A typical printing platform consists of a stage of X-Y-Z axes, dosing and sintering units and a user interface. There are several different methods and technologies for 3D printing: selective laser sintering and hot air, extrusion of heat-melted material or casting of the deposition, extrusion at room temperature, jet printing, and inkjet printing. Most of these processes already involve the deposition or melting of materials in a desired form, typically melting and solidifying the material used. With a computer controlled feeding system, such platforms can manipulate food manufacturing in real time.

The type and properties of materials and product that have to be manufactured determine the appropriate type of 3D printing technology. The technologies are grouped by the type of material used: dust, semi-solid, liquid, or cellular structures. The systems based on crops have been applied for the bio-printing of meat.

Both the laser and hot air methods can be used in a sintering source to melt the powder particles and form a solid layer. This method is only suitable for materials with sugar and fat base with a relatively low melting point. In the extrusion of heat-melted material, polymers, melted semi-solid foodstuffs are extruded from a movable head, solidified almost immediately after extrusion, and welded to the previous layers of the product. The extrusion method with hot temperature has been applied to create personalized 3D chocolate products. Extrusion at room temperature has been used for some printable native materials such as cheese, bitumen and humus.

In a jet feed, each powder layer is evenly distributed through the manufacturing platform, and a binder liquid is sprayed to bind two consecutive layers of powder. Prior to manufacture, a water spray layer is sprayed to stabilize the powder material and to minimize disturbances caused by the dispersion of the binder. Using sugar and different flavor binders, jet printing has been used to make structurally complex cakes for special events.

Inkjet printing deposits a sequence of edible ink droplets from a syringe-type print head on different product surfaces upon request. This type of printing has been used to decorate cookies and cakes, to make confectionery products or to fill surfaces. Jet printing is easily automated, suitable for mass production, offers customization possibilities and can be integrated into existing production lines. The disadvantages are short printing distances (<1 cm) and ink compatibility problems, since theoretically each food product would require a specific ink to have good print quality and ink adhesion.

The bio impression had originally been applied to build tissue and are not a platform based on biological material. This technique is based on the precise deposition of layer by layer of biological material and cultures of living cells. Droplets of freshly prepared multicellular aggregates (bio ink films) are deposited by means of an ink-jet nozzle in a compatible support structure. The final object is transferred to a bioreactor with the special purpose for maintenance and maturation. The "flesh" printed in this way could address the needs and find acceptance within the vegetarian community.


-Future needs-
Potential uses of 3D printed foods can be considered at three levels: food produced for the consumer, small-scale food production (shops, restaurants, bakeries), and food production on an industrial scale. Advances in 3D printing technologies can significantly change and improve the way food products are manufactured and produced. Any object can be scanned or designed with the help of a computer and design software, and then "sliced" into delayed layers, which can then be printed to form the product in three dimensions.

Substantial efforts have already been made to process suitable materials for printing and improving their thermal stability for further processing. Therefore, recipes used in food printing will have to be slightly different from traditional recipes. Even ingredients that contain well-known material properties need to be adapted for each printing application. Also, food safety concerns have greatly limited the application of technologies involving laser beams, electron beam, and unsafe food additives in food printing. Certified printers for food printing and which can easily be cleaned will need to be developed.

In 3D food printing, one of the questions that arise is whether it is safe. The security, according to the experts, depends on the device that is used. This must be specific for food, therefore, it should be easy to clean. If not, the risk of contamination by bacteria is high.

Like other production systems, one of the problems that appears is the accumulation of bacteria in the system. It is considered that even the best designed printers can have small spaces where the food can come to agglutinate and, therefore, bacteria can develop. Cleaning is essential in this aspect, since it will depend on it so as to avoid any formation of food residues. In addition, the ingredients that are used must have a consistency that allows them to be eliminated in their entirety by the system.

Another limiting factor in the adoption of 3D printing as an industrial food processing method is the speed of the process. 3D printing as a whole is a slow set of technology, which often require hours to produce large shapes. Among many other aspects, the development of the combination of food experience with new printing technologies is crucial for the ability to print on food or print food on an industrial scale.


Bibliographic references: - Sun, J. et al. 2015. An overview of 3D printing technologies for food fabrication. Food Bioprocess Technol., (2015) 8:1605-1615.
- Godol, F.C., Prakash, S., Bhandari, B.R. 3D printing technologies applied for food design: Status and prospects. Journal of Food Engineering (2016) 179: 44-54

Filling technology for Food Processing of FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Being able today to offer what the market will need tomorrow in an efficient and profitable way and with a unique variety represents the challenge of food. Technology plays a fundamental role for the success of the industry. - Claudia López


* Marketing Coordinator at SIG Combibloc México / claudia.lopez@sig.biz


The food industry is constantly changing. Food manufacturers want to flexibly respond to changes on the market, to changes in consumer demand and be prepared for these movements. As a result, this results in filling the companies’ and co-packers’ need to have the right technical equipment that allows them to supply what their customers want today, and at the same time be prepared for what they want tomorrow. In addition, in order to survive in the long term in an intensely competitive environment, they need to find an answer to the constant pressure on the margins.

Today, there are options for the filling of foods based on standard technology, which require only minor technical adjustments before the delivery of the machine to allow manufacturers enriching their offer with a full range of food products. With this technology, the amount of ingredients of products with bits can be up to 10%; the size of the particles can be up to 6 mm, and the fibers 1x15 mm in size; the viscosity can potentially be up to 3,500 mPas. This translates into the possibility of quickly filling an unparalleled range of food products without the need of a significant additional investment. The flexibility of technology is also the key to products that allow higher margins.


-Advantages of filling technology-

Currently, the issue of margins worries the food sector with greater acuity. Particularly for this reason, the filling technology must offer options for any food manufacturer that wants to expand the existing product range by adding more profitable products, without investing in a high-tech solution to fill food products, such as prepared meals or soups and sauces with chunks; the above regardless of whether it is a beverage manufacturer who wants to enter the food business or a consolidated manufacturer who projects an investment to add other products to its portfolio.
Over the years, filling and packaging options have increased "bit by bit," in the most literal sense of the term. Nowadays, there are ultramodern machines for food filling that can aseptically fill products which contain particles up to 25 mm in size and individual fibers up to 40 mm in length. The products can have a particulate content of up to 50%. But not all manufacturers that play an active role in the food business or seeking to enter it take full advantage of the possibilities offered by the technology that is designed for the crème de la crème of liquid food products.
With the options now available, a manufacturer who originally specialized in the production and filling of juices and juice-based products now has the possibility to pack more than its usual portfolio of products in long-life cartons. Also, it has the technical capacity to expand its range of products, using the same filling machine, adding products from the food segment, and thus achieving higher margins. And it is not just viscous and pasty products like fried tomato (tomato sauce with oil) that can be easily filled using the new system; other viable possibilities are tomato purees and creamy pasta sauces that contain herbs or pieces of onion and vegetables.


-Entering the food business-

Overall, this diversity is unparalleled. And it can be transferred to other product segments such as soups, which can also be filled in Food Option1 machines. Same as packaging products, such as beverages and broths in a single machine, more complex products can be filled in carton packs and, therefore, so can those products with higher margins, such as veloutés or mouliné soups.

In the dairy products sector, food manufacturers can enter new market segments. In addition to milk and dairy-based beverages, the use of the Food Option1 aseptic filling machines makes it possible to fill more viscous products, such as dessert sauces, custards, pudding and even desserts ready to be enjoyed as rice pudding.

Food manufacturers who are already using the aseptic system for the juice or dairy segment and wish to expand their portfolio by adding innovative products, which are completely out of the ordinary, or who are looking to enter the food business will be perfectly positioned with the technology, which also allows them to fill soups, sauces, and desserts containing particles and fibers, or very viscous products.

1 Refer to the Food Option machines, which are based on the standard filling technology of SIG Combibloc.

AFEX 2019-A one-of-a-kind platform for food processing and packaging business

Time：2019-09-11~2019-09-14

Area：Asia Philippines Manila

For twenty eight years now, ASIAFOOD EXPO (AFEX) has always served food and beverage entrepreneurs. its utmost goal... to uplift the Philippine food and beverage industry and its foreign counterparts by showcasing the latest food processing. packaging and handing machinery equipment and machineries available in the market; each edition of AFEX offers the latest innovations and solutions for the industry. To date, AFEX showcases food equipment and machineries that carry competitive features which give value added facilities to the industry, fabricated by Filipino and foreign suppliers from Asia and around the globe; this is a promise of continuous progress in the market in terms of development, technology and product innovation.

It is with this vision that the food processing and packaging industry continue to look far beyond the future in terms of product innovdtions and technology transfer offering its best to elevate production quality for the food and beverage industry!


For more information
(632) 354 57S8 to 60
inagroup@pldtdsl.net
www.afei.com ph

NEUROSCIENCE as a design tool

At the time of designing a pack, the tendency to attend to scientific innovations grows to provide innovative ideas about colors and shapes. -Néstor Braidot


* Doctor of Sciences, Master of Neurobiology of Behavior and in Cognitive Neuroscience. info@braidot.com


Among many others, the fundamental contribution of the neurosciences applied to marketing and advertising is to focus both marketing research and the application of marketing and advertising strategies to the true decisional center of the human being: his meta-consciousness, which is where human decisions are generated and from where their behavior and preferences arise.
Using the strategies proposed by the latest developments in the field of science when designing packaging allows us to maximize the communication potential that it has. Thus, thanks to tools such as sensory neuro-marketing, we can understand how the perception of forms and images works and how they impact in a broad way on people who, based on that impact, elaborate their own conception.
All packaging must impact, stand out among their peers and convey to the customer what the product is and why it should be chosen. Now, how to do this?
Imagine that we are observing a customer in a supermarket. We know that, while you are going through it, you are looking for a packaged cheese. You only have an idea of what you want, but you do not know the brand and neither the prices. Also, we know that your time is scarce and possibly the variable price that precipitates your decision.
When you stop at the shelf, you take a glance to quickly examine a huge variety of options in terms of brands, flavors, types, texture and sizes. Where will you stop? Except that your view only records the price, you will most likely see the product that has a pack with a design attractive enough to capture your attention. However, there may be several with similar characteristics, in fact, companies compete side by side to optimize the management of their "silent sellers."
The brain perceives globally and integrates the sensory and perceptual information it receives as a function of the context. If we only look, we activate a reduced number of neural connections within the visual context. If, in addition, we touch the packaging, we activate a much larger number of direct and indirect connections between tactile and visual areas.
Therefore, both the graphic design of the packaging and its shape must convey immediate sensory benefits that evoke the central attributes of the product, such as taste, texture and nutritional capacity in the example we have been developing.
As we see, the packaging design goes far beyond the functionality associated with the containment of the product. The packaging must always be designed in the multisensory uptake of humans because the associative connections between senses also help the memory that plays a central role in the decisions of the customer.


-Colors and labels-


As members of the packaging, the labels must contain all the necessary attributes to make them attractive, starting with the colors and continuing with the ability of the message to transmit a clear concept in a synthetic form. One of the theories that explains how the brain decodes color in the visual cortex is called the trichromatic theory of color vision and forms the basis of many studies that have been conducted on the subject.
The senses are integrated and the perception of the color of an object influences the characteristics of the other senses. In turn, color conditions our memory on that object in a particular way.
This phenomenon of multisensory perception suggests some interesting issues regarding the strategies to be used in terms of colors, not only for the product to stand out, but also so that it can be associated with the image that you want to communicate through the packaging and the label.
The applications to the marketing activity of the knowledge about the perception of colors and the way in which our senses are interacting are endless. Not only the colors, but also the contrast that we are able to achieve among them constitute a primary stimulus to attract the customer's gaze towards the product that the organization is marketing.
From this it follows that when designing the packaging and the label it will be very useful to carry out a study using neuro-marketing techniques. As every product is what each customer perceives to be, knowing the areas that are activated in his or her brain when he or she is in contact with these two central parts that make up his or her identity system, it will always help us to be more effective in the development of the marketing strategies.
Undoubtedly, the images of a product in the minds of customers are the raw material on which we must begin to work.

PACKAGING ADAPTABILITY for senior generations

Given the growth of opportunities in the food and beverage segment in Latin America, the study "Consumption Generations" was presented, where important specifications are glimpsed in the packaging destined for the elderly. – René Anguiano


(*) Director of Corporate Communications at Tetra Pak, Mexico.


According to the study "Consumption Generations" (1), there are currently 10 million adults at the age of over 60 years old, and the world population in this range can reach 10 billion by 2020.
By way of the analysis by this group, the important trends, which food and beverage companies can study in order to guarantee their processes, products and packaging, were discussed.
An improvement is important in terms of processes and packaging in order to meet the needs of the elderly, since they are a fast-growing population group in Mexico. According to the Population and Housing Census 2010, there are 10.1 million older adults (9% of the total population) who are 60 years old or older in our country.
As people get older and children leave home, family relationships take on a greater importance. 97% of the elderly persons point to the "family" as being key factor for a happy life. According to a study carried out by Mintel, they discovered that more than half of senior citizens only buy at their favorite stores, since they know what they can receive.
This is the reason why at this stage of life the varied and adequate food is of utmost importance in order to prevent common diseases and to reduce the physical and mental decline, which begins to manifest in this population group, and this apart from the fact that the packaging must be completely convenient for opening, closing and storing food. We are not talking only about juices or milk, there are packages that this sector is interested in acquiring, and we need to be its allies in terms of quality and conservation.
The data show that half of those over 65 experience difficulties when opening products, and as they get older, their senses diminish, such as for example vision. Therefore, the packaging must be easy to handle, to open, to read, in addition to indicating the quality of the product and clearly and concisely showing its content. This also fits in with the lifestyle that the "senior" generation is looking for.


-The five "ingredients" that make up an ideal packaging for elderly consumers -

1. The packaging has to be easy to open, for the case that there is the problem of not having enough strength in the wrist. The covers should be at a suitable height to avoid slipping from the hands of an older person.
2. The packaging must be lightweight for a better grip. Rounded transverse cuts are also easier for a tighter grip than straight cross cuts. The packaging material has to be firm for a better support and to avoid spillages.
3. The packaging must provide a longer shelf life in order to necessitate fewer trips to the supermarket.
4. The printing must be bigger, the images more striking, and the labels clearer. That means bigger words and brighter colors.
5. The nutritional information and the expiration date of the product should be clearly visible.


According to the survey "Consumption among senior citizens: between wisdom and prudence" prepared by PROFECO, this economically active population spends approximately 3,232 pesos per month on food and beverages. Although the majority of them acquire their pension or savings income, they are an active generation in terms of purchases.


THE PACKAGING MUST BE
easy to manipulate, to open, to read, in addition to indicating the quality of the product and to clearly and concisely showing its content

Of their monthly expense, around 245 thousand pesos are destined to the consumption of milk and its products, while 162 thousand pesos are used on non-alcoholic beverages, such as soft drinks, juice and water. The senior citizens are a demanding group of population, as they review quality and nutritional information. Moreover, according to this study, 82% take into account the characteristics displayed in advertisements.

Furthermore, they are the generation who avoids fast food for the most part. Therefore, there is a need for products, which are more focussed on a natural and healthy lifestyle. For example:
 Vegetables are at the center of a healthy lifestyle, such as tomato or vegetable juices. These are the products, which meet the requirements of a healthy and pleasant diet, and which point to senior citizens.
 Fortified milk for senior citizens. There are currently varieties of milk for all generations. The one destined for seniors are those added with vitamin D for bone health, for example.

The importance of the quality chain focusing on satisfying the needs of the final customer is that “this ‘senior’ generation, who has more income available than previous generations, is about to become one of the most important consumer groups during the next decade, and represents a big growth for 2020. This creates a huge opportunity for food and packaging manufacturers to respond to their needs."
The challenge for the food and beverage packaging industry is to develop products and services, which will better meet their needs, while maintaining the relevance of the products for the other age groups.

(1) Consumer study to highlight the opportunities in the food and beverage market for the senior citizens, a group of consumers, who is the fastest growing in the world.