Breaking News on the Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector

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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.

Crack the carton coding

01-May-2010 - Allen Coding Systems will be showing a wide range of high- performance laser, thermal transfer and carton coding and marking equipment.

Life on the front line

01-May-2010 - French food firm Marie Surgelés has selected Ishida to design and install a new line to weigh and pack ready meals into microwavable trays.

Glass supply goes to niche requirements

01-May-2010 - Smaller glass manufacturers and distributors have reported greater interest among premium and speciality food suppliers for custom designs and 'families' of containers.

Compostibles look beyond the economic downturn

01-May-2010 - If biodegradable and compostable packaging has been suffering as a result of a consumer shift away from costlier organics, then at least one supplier detects signs of returning confidence. Clondalkin group company Van der Windt UK is adding a series of compostable trays formed from sugar cane bagasse to its packaging range.

Fresh milk: choose your fat content - and your packaging

01-May-2010 - The arrival of fresh milk in pouches as well as polybottles opens up the prospect of alternative packaging formats for consumers with different environmental priorities.

Inventor seeks partner to commercialise novel packaging concept

26-Apr-2010 - An inventor behind a novel packaging concept that would enable food manufacturers to package multiple snack bars, coffee granules and other products at up to 12 times the speed of conventional flow wrappers, is looking for a partner to take his idea to market.

More sustainable ambient plastics

15-Apr-2010 - One of the latest examples of clear barrier polypropylene (PP) twinned with an oxygen scavenger underlines the benefits of this type of food pack, particularly given the wider sustainability debate, says supplier RPC Bebo.

DEFRA study makes case against ‘oxodegradables’

15-Apr-2010 - A study commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), from Loughborough University has confirmed what many have long suspected: that so-called 'oxodegradable' plastics are neither strictly speaking 'degradable' nor environmentally beneficial, as is often claimed.

Courtauld Two heralds more complex impact calculations

15-Apr-2010 - Retailers and food manufacturers have been quick to sign up to Courtauld Commitment Two (CC2), the second phase of the voluntary agreement to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and waste.

Cadbury cuts Easter egg packaging by 40%

22-Mar-2010 - Downsizing its Easter egg packaging has delivered a surprising number of operational as well as environmental benefits, Cadbury has revealed. Cadbury has cut the packaging weight...

FSA gives thumbs up to nanotechnology database

15-Mar-2010 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board last week accepted a recommendation in a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report to compile a confidential...

MAP films aim to speed up sales, not lengthen shelf-life

01-Mar-2010 - The current priority for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems for meat and poultry is not to provide improved barrier or longer shelf-life, according to a...

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