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Call for papers on sustainable packaging

Members of the food, beverage, packaging and manufacturing industries are invited to submit abstracts under the theme Climate of Change: Towards a Sustainable Packaging Industry, for the 2008 Australian Institute of Packaging National Conference that will be held from June 12th to 13th, 2008, at Luna Park, Sydney.

The deadline for submissions is Monday September 24th, 2007.

The conference will advance discussions on sustainable packaging and look at continuous improvement in the environmental performance of products through the entire lifecycle from raw materials to landfill.

Areas of specific interest include:

• Defining sustainable packaging.

• Lifecycle analysis.

• The application of sustainability principles.

• Barriers for sustainable packaging development.

• Development of recovery systems for packaging.

• Economic, social and environmental impacts of packaging: the triple bottom line.

• Case studies of packaging that embody sustainability principles.

• Practical strategies for implementation.

• Carbon trading in 2011.

Case studies and real application examples are strongly encouraged within presentations.

Topic suggestions:

• Defining sustainable packaging.

• Packaging and greenhouse gases: the facts.

• Lifecycle analysis for sustainability.

• A sustainable packaging scorecard: the WalMart experience.

• Balancing sustainability and cost.

• Barriers to sustainable packaging development.

• Development of sustainable recovery systems for packaging.

• Economic, social and environmental aspects of packaging: the triple bottom line.

• Case studies in sustainable packaging.

• Bio-based packaging and sustainability.

• Sustainable paper-based packaging.

• Sustainable glass and metal packaging.

• Synthetic polymers: how can they be more sustainable?

• Returnables in their many forms, ie RPC’S, dollies, crates.

• Roll cages as a responsible response to climate change.

Case studies might include:

• Reduce, Reuse, Redesign, Recycle principles.

• Design and marketing versus environmental impacts.

• Flexible packaging and laminates.

• The changing technologies behind non-toxic products.

• Sustainability and the National Packaging Covenant.

• Microenvironments of sustainable packaging: design, marketing, distribution and legislation.

• Innovations in design to reduce materials.

• Examples of significant improve ments in eco-efficiency: doing more with less.

Deadline for abstracts: Monday September 24th, 2007.

For further information or a copy of the ‘call for papers’ contact Nerida Kelton, nerida@aipack.com.au or visit www.aipack.com.au.

News

Starch providers form alliance

National Starch Food Innovation (NSFI), a leader in innovative potato, tapioca and corn starch applications, and the AVEBE Group have created an alliance expected to lead to new, pioneering products made from potato starch.

The alliance will see NSFI become the sole distributor of AVEBE’s specialty potato starch portfolio of food ingredients in North America, South America and Asia, leaving AVEBE to enhance market penetration in regions of potential growth.

Introducing a range of tailored starch-based ingredients to food manufacturers around the world, the alliance will offer food manufacturers more options and technological solutions as they look to enhance and differentiate their products.

“Starch is the most widely used, most versatile and ultimately the most important multifunctional ingredient in delivering the attributes in foods that satisfy consumers’ expectations,” NSFI’s natural polymers group vice president James Zallie said.

“Our new line-up of starch ingredients immediately improves our ability to meet our customers’ needs in the area of low-moisture foods like snacks, bakery and noodles, and will allow us to deliver a broader range of textural solutions to food manufacturing companies.”

According to AVEBE, its main motivation for entering into the alliance with NSFI is its ability to achieve faster, broader market penetration for its potato-starch ingredient portfolio.

News

Carbohydrate promotes fat mobilisation

Recent studies confirm that the low-glycaemic carbohydrate Palatinose promotes utilisation of body fat as an energy source and improves metabolic fat oxidation, as compared with other carbohydrates.

Palatinose is the only carbohydrate to provide a sustained supply of energy in form of glucose, while at the same time supporting fat mobilisation.

Palatinit will present the results of these new studies along with product concepts for Palatinose at FiE 2007 in London.

Scientific studies conducted at renowned research institutes in Germany and Japan have investigated the influence of Palatinose on lipid metabolism.

The Japanese study examined the effects of Palatinose on plasma glucose, insulin levels and fat content in the blood, as well as its possible influence on energy production from the body’s carbohydrate or lipid reserves.

After the consumption of a Palatinose or dextrin-based liquid meal, subjects were monitored for a four-hour period during which they were physically inactive.

A considerably higher concentration of free fatty acids was found after ingestion of Palatinose compared with the dextrin-based control formula, proving a measurable higher rate of fat oxidation.

A lower rate of energy production from carbohydrates was noted, while the fat burning rate increased significantly.

Improved fat burning during Sporting Activity

Research completed in 2007 at Freiburg University’s Centre for Internal Medicine’s Department of Rehabilitation, Prevention and Sports Medicine studied the effects of sports drinks both with and without Palatinose on the use of fat and carbohydrates as a source of energy.

In this study, 21 male endurance athletes consumed either a sports drink based on low-glycaemic Palatinose, one based on high-glycaemic maltodextrin or a carbohydrate-free control solution before, during and after a test run.

Throughout the entire test a lower respiratory quotient was measured for Palatinose as compared with maltodextrin, indicating a higher oxidation rate for fat than for carbohydrates.

Overall, the proportion of energy supplied by fat was 25% higher for the Palatinose group than for the maltodextrin group.

Multiple product positioning possibilities

Both studies confirm that during activity and at rest Palatinose increases the proportion of total energy requirements produced from fat.

This suggests that the low-glycaemic sugar can play an important role in weight management.

Athletes derive dual benefits from the new functional carbohydrate.

On the one hand, they profit from a sustained supply of energy provided by Palatinose in form of glucose, on the other hand they can obtain a greater amount of energy from their own body fats, sparing carbohydrate sources and improving performance.

Whether for weight management or in support of training, Palatinose opens up new product positioning and labelling opportunities for manufacturers of functional drinks.

News

tna announces new team member

tna, a supplier of packaging and processing solutions for food production companies, has announced the appointment of Nartira Carlson to the position of Indian-Pacific marketing coordinator.

Working out of the Sydney office, Carlson will be responsible for implementing marketing strategies across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and South Africa, as well as coordinating all marketing research, planning, implementation and feedback for the Indian-Pacific region.

Carlson joins tna with over seven years of marketing experience.

She has worked for companies including Electrolux and Global Food Equipment where she was responsible for coordinating promotional events, developing marketing material, and organising public relations and advertising campaigns.

News

HomeBrand oyster sauce recall

Woolworths and Global Resourcing are conducting a voluntary recall of HomeBrand oyster sauce due to an important product labelling issue.

The label does not declare the product’s gluten content, despite the product containing wheat flour.

This recall applies to all best-before date codes.

For more information visit the Food Standards Australia website or call customer service on 1800 638 434.

News

Success at home and overseas

Four years ago, JMP recognised that if it was to continue its growth in the palletising and packaging market it would have to change its business model and way of manufacturing.

New Zealand has been hit hard by the cheaper Chinese products being imported into Australia and New Zealand.

JMP did not want to give up manufacturing in New Zealand so took the decision to export, despite the dollar’s value not being favourable, and to increase the work load to streamline its manufacturing and processes.

This was made easier with the support of Kawasaki Robotics and by being able to sell Robotic systems designed and manufactured in New Zealand.

To support the number of systems being installed, especially in Australia, JMP Australia was formed under the management of Cameron Traum.

This way JMP New Zealand could manufacture the systems and Traum could sell, install and service the systems locally.

JMP Australia is currently installing its largest Robotic Palletising system in Australia for Nestle, which consists of twelve lanes palletising at a rate of over 60 cartons per minute.

Systems have been sold in Australia to Fonterra, Dairy Farmers, Simplot, Nestle, SCA and Goodman Fielder, to name a few, which have all been manufactured in New Zealand.

JMP has also designed and developed robotic case packing, which uses Kawasaki robots to pick up the robotic palletising on the end of lines.

Both the up-stream and down-stream lines can be sourced from one supplier.

JMP holds complete robots in stock, both in Australia and New Zealand, to guarantee 100% spares and parts are always in-house.

Because the systems are manufactured in New Zealand they are fully set up and run in front of the customer prior to installation.

This makes on-site commissioning quick and easy, and gives the operators confidence that the system will work, allowing them to embrace the system quickly and easily.

www.jmpaust.com.au

News

Wine odour detection research

Australian scientists are currently involved in worldwide research to discover an objective way of quantifying odours, focusing primarily on the wine industry and the development of a Cybernose.

With the aim of providing winemakers with devices they can use to detect contaminants, the level of ripeness of grapes, and broader odour patterns associated with particular styles of wine, the Cybernose will enable the wine industry to measure aroma and flavour objectively, assisting winemakers to pick grapes at optimum ripeness while making it easier to make a desired style of wine.

The development of the Cybernose has come about after looking at two existing odour-detection devices, mass spectrometry, which looks at the molecular structure of each component, and an array of electronic detectors.

“Now we are exploring the use of sensor proteins on the front-end of an electronic nose, a Cybernose,” CSIRO’s Dr Stephen Trowell.

According to Trowell, the new device aims to reflect the ability of small organisms, such as insects, to distinguish between odours and pick up odours not detectable by humans.

For more information visit the CSIRO website or contact Dr Steven Trowell.

News

Simple wine odour detection

Australian scientists are currently involved in worldwide research to discover an objective way of quantifying odours, focussing primarily on the wine industry.

With the aim of providing wine makers with devices they can use to detect contaminants, the level of ripeness of grapes, and broader odour patterns associated with particular styles of wine, the Cybernose will enable the wine industry to measure aroma and flavour objectively, assisting winemakers to pick grapes at optimum ripeness while making it easier to make a desired style of wine.

The development of the Cybernose has come about after looking at two existing odour-detection devices, mass spectrometry, which looks at the molecular structure of each component, and an array of electronic detectors.

“Now we are exploring the use of sensor proteins on the front-end of an electronic nose, a Cybernose,” CSIRO’s Dr Stephen Trowell.

According to Trowell, the new device aim to reflect the ability of small organisms to distinguish between odours and pick up odours not detectable by humans.

News

Palatinose approved in Australia and NZ

Palatinose (Isomaltulose), a functional carbohydrate produced by Palatinit, can now be marketed in both Australia and New Zealand for general use in foods and beverages.

Palatinit’s application for novel food status of the low glycaemic carbohydrate Isomaltulose has been officially approved with effect from the August 2nd, 2007.

The new approval enables manufacturers to use Palatinose in beverages and foods in general, in line with the Food Standards Code.

News

AWASH supports AMA salt report

The Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) supports a new report from the American Medical Association (AMA) that calls for a major reduction in the salt content of processed and restaurant foods, the source of 80% of consumer’s salt intake.

The AMA report, which highlights the substantial public health gains from reductions in salt intake, reinforces the messages of AWASH’s Drop the Salt! Campaign launched in May that aims to work with the Australian food industry to achieve a 25% reduction in the salt content of processed foods over the next five years.

During this period, AWASH will join with key consumer and health organisations, to raise consumer awareness and encourage individuals to take positive steps to reduce their salt intake.

“There is clear evidence that salt is a major cause of high blood pressure, translating into increased risks of heart attacks and stroke,” AWASH chair Dr Bruce Neal said.

“Most (Australians) are eating well above the six grams (of salt) per day recommended by the Heart Foundation of Australia.

“A reduction to six grams a day would prevent about one fifth of all strokes and heart attacks in Australia each year,” said Dr Neal.

The AWASH campaign is a response to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report released in April 2007 that highlighted salt’s negative health impact through strong scientific evidence and urged countries to adopt national approaches to reduce the salt content of foods.

News

Native fruits rich in antioxidants

A recent study by Food Science Australia (FSA) has revealed the high antioxidant levels in twelve native Australian fruits which could benefit the food and functional food industries.

Published in the journal Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, the fruits were shown to be rich sources of antioxidants with stronger radical scavenging activities than blueberries, which are renowned for their high antioxidant properties.

The fruits include:

  • Kakadu plum
  • Illawarra plum
  • Burdekin plum
  • Davidson’s plum
  • Riberry
  • Red and yellow finger limes
  • Tasmanian pepper
  • Brush cherry
  • Cedar Bay cherry
  • Muntries
  • Molucca raspberry

“Compared to blueberries’ TEAC value of 39.45 trolox equivalents per gram, Kakadu plum and Burdekin plum had TEAC values of 204.8 and 192.0 trolox equivalents per gram,” co-author and FSA researcher Dr Michael Netzel said.

According to FSA, using native Australian fruits as a source of phytochemicals for use in foods could have many benefits for the food and functional food industries, and studies to identify additional antioxidant compounds as well as clinical trials for testing the fruits’ bioactivity are in progress.

“Finding unique food ingredients and flavours with health-promoting properties is a key market requirement these days,” FSA’s research team leader Izabela Konczak said.

“And by encouraging growers to cultivate native fruits, we are also contributing to the growing need to ensure agriculture becomes more sustainable.”

The research supports CSIRO efforts to realise the potential of Australia’s fledgling native food industry, currently estimated to be worth $14 million annually.

It is the first scientific study of the fruits as a source of antioxidants, confirming preliminary results published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2006.

News

Maggi moves from tin to plastic

Nestle New Zealand (NZ) and Australia partnered with Viscount Plastics NZ to design and produce a plastic container to replace the metal cans previously used for packaging and distributing Maggi stocks and desserts to the institutional catering trade in both countries.

The new polypropylene container is reusable, microwave and dishwasher safe, stackable and nestable, and is half the weight of the previous metal can.

An innovative finger grip to aid in carrying the packs was included without negatively impacting on its ability to be stacked, while the security of the pack was increased by strengthening the tamper proofing.

Brand identity and shelf presence were enhanced by inclusion of an embossed Nestle Food Services’ logo on the tub that remains when the labels are removed, and the use of bright yellows and reds allow the product to stand out, particularly in the cash-and-carry bulk buying environment.

Despite the initial challenges of developing new packaging for the first time in thirty years that would maintain Nestle’s brand identity, while not increasing its market price, the move to plastic has proven to be cost effective and successful for the company, with Maggi sales up in the two month period since its launch.

The tub’s nestable design has significantly reduced the storage space needed for containers at the Nestle factory, with fifteen pallet spaces per day being saved.

Deliveries of empty containers to the Nestle factory have also been cut by 80%, and 2216 pallet movements eliminated.

A more complete assessment of the product’s success will take place later this year.

News

Pre-register for IBIE and save

Members of the food industry that pre-register for the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) from August 1 to October 6 will receive a US$10 discount and pay US$75 (AU$81).

Held from October 7 to 10 at the Orange County Convention Centre, USA, IBIE will showcase the latest technologies, products and equipment in the baking industry, including ingredient handling systems, packaging materials and systems, sanitation equipment, and transportation and distribution equipment.

“We are confident that IBIE is the industry event that provides the highest return on investment for baking professionals and that this pricing incentive will simply prove to be an added benefit for early registrants,” IBIE committee chair Jack Lewis said.

For more information on the event, or to register or make travel plans visit the IBIE website.

News

First organic Standard developed in Australia

A new Australian Standard is currently being developed for organic products, including processed foods, to govern the production, processing, marketing and transportation within the industry.

Standards Australia deputy chief executive Colin Blair said the new standard will provide clear definition of what is organic, as well as specify requirements for primary production, transport, storage, preparation, packaging and marketing of organic products.

Australia’s $500 million organic industry is currently self-regulated, with different groups adhering to variations of a standard developed by the Australia Quarantine and Inspection Service for export.

The Standard is expected to be finalised in 2008 and will be initially introduced as a voluntary scheme.

The Council of Australia Primary Industry Ministers has indicated the new Australian Standard will form the basis of industry regulation.

News

Robotic palletising system wins APMA award

Foodmach, a provider of material movement solutions, won an Australian Packaging Machinery Association (APMA) design award for the Robomatrix, a high-speed palletising system.

The award was presented at AUSPACK and received by the system’s principle inventor Peter Marks.

The Robomatrix system was developed in response to an industry-wide need for increased flexibility and speed to handle the introduction of new and more complex packaging configurations.

Seeing the system work at AUSPACK was impressive.

It is controlled from a central control panel, where the user can input the specifics of a job including the pattern of the palletising.

As an analogy for how the Robomatrix system works, Foodmach recalled to mind the game Tetris.

In other words, the system incorporates robotic pattern forming.

Robotic tools and software make Robomatrix easy to use.

Foodmach national marketing and sales manager Dr Robert Stojanovich said the key to the system’s success was close partnership with customers to create a global technology.

“It’s always nice to win an award and be recognised by your industry colleagues and peers” he added.

News

Tuna Spam?

Tripacific Marine, based in Fiji, are patenting a smooth flakeless pressed tuna product, which will provide an alternative to flaky canned tuna.

The seafood manufacturing company has an EU-approved and HACCP-certified, state of the art factory, in which tuna fresh from the Pacific is combined with salt, sugar, starch and spices, and is packed in cylindrical or square plastic casing.

The product is cooked and ready to eat and is said to have no smell. It is available in retail packs for restaurants and the food service, as well as for consumers.

The product is awaiting its patent from New Zealand.

News

Packing and palletising system installed

JMP has successfully installed its new generation Robotic Case Packing and Palletising system into Fonterra Australia’s manufacturing site.

JMP was selected to provide a palletising and packing system with ultimate flexibility in a confined space.

To achieve this, JMP supplied the company with JMP case erectors, and JMP robotic case packing and palletising systems built using Kawasaki robots, which meant Fonterra Australia was able to get all it needed from a single source.

A mix of product and carton conveying was required to deliver products from a critical hygiene area to the JMP robotic case packer where the 20kg Kawasaki robot picks the product and loads it into the erected case.

The robot then closes the flaps of the case before pushing the case into a new 3M tape sealer.

After the sealer, the case is conveyed to the palletising robot where it is palletised and discharged to the out-feed for collection by forklift.

The palletising cell stacks three products simultaneously, as well as gluing each layer and applying base and layer sheets.

All the equipment was manufactured in Auckland, and designed and supported to suit specific site specifications.

All automation and programming was done by JMP.

The robotic case packer can do more than 60 packs per minute.

News

High-quality grains research supports food industry

Australian agrifood industries could soon benefit from the development of genomics technologies used in selection and development of high quality grains, after grains expert and molecular biologist, Professor Rudi Appels, was awarded a Visiting Fellowship with the Food Futures Flagship.

Through this fellowship, Professor Appels will bring together the research of CSIRO and Agricultural Research Western Australia, and work with cereal researchers to determine the quality of grain required for specific end-products.

Use of genomics technologies will allow the identification and development of desired attributes in grains, increasing overall wheat quality and Australian export opportunities.

News

Green measures today ensure business success tomorrow

In these times of drought and gobal climate change what is being done by the Australian food and beverage industry?

Well, manufacturers are doing their bit, often in small ways, but every little bit helps.

From using ‘green’ ink to print labels and packaging, through incorporating bio-degradable materials into product packaging, to recycling of ‘grey’ water and other water-saving measures, manufacturers from small SMEs to large multinationals are trying.

It is worth doing as much as possible to minimise a business’ impact on the environment.

There is growing concern that as climates change across the world growing seasons are being impacted and ingredients may not be readily available.

Costs could rise as a result of supply chain challenges and these would hit manufacturers, who in turn might have to pass them on to consumers in the form of price hikes.

Decreased consumption of processed foods could result and this would really hit manufacturers where it hurts.

If initiatives are not already underway, now is the time to act.

Time must be made for a review of processes and systems, and changes made no matter how painful it might be to do so.

Money and time invested now in addressing the impact of environmental damage and change on a business will safeguard that business’ future.

On reading through the FOOD Challenge Awards entry forms, it was clear that many businesses are embracing change in favour of more sustainable business practices.

It is good to see that some business owners and manufacturers are aware and acting.

Of course, more always can and should be done, and as time ticks business pressures will cause even the slow and careless to take action.

But those who do not wait will reap the rewards.

News

Melbourne hosts Specialist Cheese Show

The eleventh annual Melbourne Specialist Cheese Show will be held on August 12 at Crown Towers Hotel, Melbourne.

Showcasing 300 of Australia’s specialist cheeses, including varieties produced from cow, sheep, buffalo and goat milk, the show celebrates specialist cheese makers using the world’s best techniques and Australian milk to create a wide range of innovative cheeses.

Apart from looking at cheese, attendees will be invited to sample cheese, wine and beer, as well as attend a cheese and wine matching seminar.

For more information or to make a booking visit the Cheese Show website or contact Penny.