Breaking News on the Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector

News headlines > Packaging

Let’s hear it for the sound of compostable packaging

23-Aug-2010 - The world’s first 100 percent biodegradable chip packet attracted a lot of noise last week, but not the buzz that SunChips’ maker FritoLay had been hoping for.

Strong UK demand for recycled food-grade PET and HDPE boosts prices

23-Aug-2010 - UK demand for food-grade recycled plastics continues to outstrip supply and drive prices, according to a new report from the UK government-funded Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Sending PET bottles to landfill may prove the low-carbon option, report

12-Aug-2010 - Countries with adequate space and little recycling infrastructure, such as parts of the US and the UK, could lower their carbon footprint substantially by sending PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to landfill – rather than recycling or incinerating them, say researchers.

Dual ovenable board trays set to grab share of ready meals market

03-Aug-2010 - Dual ovenable board trays look set to grab a share of the ready meals and other prepared foods markets, as performance improves and environmental and cost pressures mount.

Feature

Bisphenol A: Sense and Sensationalism

01-Aug-2010 - Bisphenol A is in fact one of the world’s most researched chemicals and has a history of risk assessment in Europe going back a quarter of a century. So why is it still generating such heated responses? asks Sebastian Day

No ban likely for disputed chemical

01-Aug-2010 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) seems set to deliver a 'no changes necessary' opinion on tolerable daily intake (TDI) of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

Rotary process gives better results in barrier and retort

01-Aug-2010 - Rexam has applied its proprietary rotary thermoforming (RTF) technology to new containers used by Danish brand Tulip for its heat-processed pork products.

Interest in FSC work is growing

01-Aug-2010 - Consumer awareness of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is growing, says the charity, largely as a result of its increased visibility on supermarket food and drink products. And that awareness, together with growing brand owner engagement with sustainability issues, is likely to lead to still greater interest in certification in the sector.

EU to reclassify ‘waste’ glass

01-Aug-2010 - European moves to reclassify post-consumer waste could be of much more than mere semantic interest as far as glass is concerned.

Opinion

What green and clean really mean

01-Aug-2010 - At a recent Leatherhead conference, a speaker from Mintel said the number of new products making 'natural' and 'green' claims increased steadily between 2005 and 2009. But I'm not convinced that consumers understand all these claims.

News in brief

New scorecard calculates carbon footprint of cans

27-Jul-2010 - Metal packaging association Empac has launched an interactive scorecard that calculates the carbon footprint of metal cans and other products.

Pulsed light in bid to revolutionise soft drinks production

20-Jul-2010 - A firm pioneering the use of pulsed light to kill bugs is preparing to run the first industrial trials of the technology to decontaminate sugar syrup.

News in brief

Eco-packaging firm targets UK with 'vegetable paper'

08-Jul-2010 - An Indian firm is targeting UK food manufacturers with a novel vegetable-based organic greaseproof paper that can be re-used three times and withstand temperatures of up to 200°C.

Transit pack carbon claims spark transparency questions

02-Jul-2010 - A lifecycle analysis (LCA) study comparing the carbon footprint of plastic reusable transit packaging (RTP) with corrugated board has triggered wider debate about the transparency of LCA data and the way such studies are audited and reported.

How wine bottles can use colour and shape to differentiate brands

02-Jul-2010 - New bottle designs from Italy are using glass colour and shaping to differentiate wine brands, while closer to home, the environment continues to dominate brand communication in the sector.

Tetra Pak takes axe to customer operational costs

02-Jul-2010 - Tetra Pak says its operational cost reduction (OCR) programme, successfully implemented at one UK customer, is being rolled out at a further three, and will gradually be extended to others. .

Robots on hand at Thorntons

01-Jul-2010 - Flexibility and speed are the main benefits of a new Schubert automated packaging line chosen by confectionery maker Thorntons to pack a wide variety of its assorted chocolates.

News in brief

Arla launches new cream pot

08-Jun-2010 - Arla Foods has marked the start of commercial cream production at its new £70m creamery in Leeds with the launch of new injection-moulded, in‐mould label pots.

‘Democratised’ robot turns to the UK

04-Jun-2010 - At last month's Total Processing & Packaging show, Bosch Packaging Technology gave pride of place to its portfolio of delta robots.

Packaging punches above its weight with consumers

04-Jun-2010 - When it comes to the various indicators of a brand's ethical credibility, packaging can punch above its weight, according to research from Datamonitor.

New battle lines drawn for plastics biodegradability

04-Jun-2010 - The recent Loughborough University report on oxodegradable plastics was supposed to draw a line under the long-running argument between the champions of different types of degradability.

Plastics ‘can help to reduce food waste’

04-Jun-2010 - The plastics industry wants the new government to do more to promote plastic packaging as a solution to food chain waste, rather than see it as a source of the problem.

Coalition must ‘think again’ about waste to energy policy

04-Jun-2010 - The plastics packaging industry has called on the new government to make new decentralised waste-to-energy plants a central part of its energy policy.

packaging shake-up

01-Jun-2010 - Milk Link has created Grip Strip packaging, using a 'Velcro' style hook and loop system it claims is easier to reseal, in partnership with specialist technology firm Aplix.

Controlled operation in the bag

01-May-2010 - A recent evaluation of conventional and robot palletisers by Chronos BTH shows a combined equipment base of more than 700 installations around the world. Reflecting this expertise, the stand at Total will feature a Chrono-Pal RP Robot Palletiser, which utilises a Fanuc robot palletising arm.

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