Horsemeat: learning the lessons of an avoidable crisis
WRBM
| « Previous month | Next month » |
Manufacturers want more reliable equipment and extended product shelf-life
Bespoke filling conveyor ensures trays get smooth coverage of sauces on automated line
Real-time data is needed to maximise operational effectiveness of equipment
I recently saw a very successful example of sales and operations planning (S&OP), whereby manufacturing, distribution and sales have been welded together into a high...
Tesco’s announcement that it has signed a multi-year contract to purchase thousands of radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and antennae is a clear indicator of...
Haulier Aardvark International is using Ekeri side-loading refrigerated trailers for handling a variety of ambient, chilled and frozen products around Europe. The trailers provide the...
Your cut-out-and-keep guide to top employers 55.Thorntons
Andrew Niznik has returned to Southwall Indian ready meals producer Noon Products as technical director after a spell running an Indian restaurant in Sweden. He...
Late last year Innocent Drinks was crowned employer of the year at the National Business Awards. No surprise really when you consider some of the things it does, says Stefan Chomka
Moisture-reducing ducts
New oil-free air compressors have low energy and maintenance costs
New flooring at Britvic's bottling plant provides excellent slip and chemical resistance
New Flowcrete floor helps reduce vibrations generated by busy manufacturing operations
Cost-effective cooling
New fire-resistant panels for use in chilled and ambient temperature operations
High performance fire protection materials lower the risk of damage to manufacturers
As margins decline and competition increases ready meals producers need to adopt flexible -- but lower cost -- production techniques. Susan Birks investigates whether it is better to take on more labour or to automate
Manufacturers are opting to extend existing premises rather than build entirely new factories. But while there are savings to be made, companies underestimate the total cost of such a move at their peril, says Kathy Watson
Me and my factory: Paul Martin, Chief Engineer, Bottlegreen Drinks Co
French filling specialist Serac will be showing off its Canopy monobloc to an international audience at Interpack in April, with a focus on its compact...
What two uses can a 40ml polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container, plus closure, be put to? (Clue: we are excluding any medical applications).Well, Swiss brand Lateltin...
After snacks and ready meals, cereals will be the next major sector to outsource packing and other operations in a big way, according to one...
Coatings and seasonings expert Bowman Ingredients has developed a line of spice blends designed to add authentic flavour and visual appeal to prepared foods, such...
Changes to German packaging laws will have a far-reaching impact on markets for biodegradable plastics in the whole of Europe, according to the international industry...
A new all-round egg replacer, designed to remove the cost and hazards of handling eggs in food manufacture and foodservice, has been launched in the...
It's widely known that fish, particularly oily fish, is good for you. Packed full of essential fatty acids, research shows it can help prevent heart...
Those companies considering differentiating their brand by adding vitamins, minerals or herbs, should be warned that national law throughout the European market is both diverse...
Chinese Food is being given a more healthy image by ready meals manufacturer Oriental Express Frozen Foods (OEFF).The company has launched China Light, which it...
Unilever has gone back to basics with its Knorr brand to tap into the growing market for aspiring chefs looking to cook from scratch.Simply Stock...
Brakes has unveiled a huge expansion to its Healthier Choices range of products, with new launches in salads, sandwich fillings, ready meals and desserts.The company...
Heinz is hot on the heels of Unilever's recently launched Carb Options product offering with the launch of its own lower carb range of food....
Chocolate giant Cadbury Trebor Bassett is continuing to breathe new life into the chocolate category with the introduction of two new products to its burgeoning...
The company has launched 15 new products and smartened its packaging to create a more modern feel to its flagship brand. A further £5m has...
Tilda has made a major overhaul of its £9m microwaveable rice brand Rizazz, introducing five new flavours and new packaging.The rice company is looking to...
A new website devoted to the annual £606m vegetarian market has been launched by the Food and Drink Federation.The http://www.meat-free.org.uk website is targeted at consumers...
A new on-line form to instantly notify authorities of a product recall has been introduced by the Food Standards Agency.The form for food and feed...
A new brewery on the island of Mersea near Colchester in Essex is the latest independent to announce it will start production in 2005.Mersea Island...
The operator of a rendering plant that handles poultry waste from East Anglian processors has been fined £9,000.Smells from John Clarke's plant near Stowmarket, Suffolk,...
Organic milk processors have received a boost from research that showed their product contains higher levels of vitamins, essential fats and antioxidants than non-organic.The Danish...
Portuguese workers in the eastern counties, many of whom are employed in the poultry processing and other food industries, could get their own local consulate...
Chief executive of Arla Foods Neil Davidson will retire from the company on September 30.Davidson will oversee the final stages of integration between the former...
EC's proposed brake on health claims could undermine sales
Specialist Welsh baker Memory Lane Cakes has sold a parcel of surplus land at its Cardiff site for £2.35m.Parent company Finsbury Food Group said it...
Canterbury Foods' Stoke-on-Trent factory has become the first in the UK to achieve the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard for the manufacturing of halal meat-based...
Dorset-based brewer Hall & Woodhouse has sold its Panda children's soft drinks brand to Nichols, which shed its food manufacturing business last year to concentrate...
ACR Logistics has won an extended contract with Scottish Courage to manage its primary distribution for Herefordshire-based brewer Bulmers.The 50 employees running Bulmers' 20 units...
The European Commission (EC) plans to harmonise rules which require different packaging for similar products sold in different European Union (EU) states.According to the EC,...
The judges of the latest Community Partnership Awards of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) have narrowed down the entrants to 16 finalists in four...
More confectionery production could be at risk of export
The Department of Trade and Industry is giving local authority trading standards services an additional £825,000 over three years from April to support regional co-ordination.The...
An attempt by brewer Coors to link up with Scottish Courage and Carlsberg to supply and service bar equipment has been blocked by the Competition...
Milk Link Ingredients, part of the farmer-owned dairy business Milk Link, has secured new contracts with Kensey Foods and Melton Foods, both of which are...
Only two in 10 people believe what the industry says on food safety, according to a survey by BMRB International.The survey of more than 1,000...
Arla Foods, the UK's biggest milk processor, has gone back on its pledge not to screw down the price paid to suppliers.Just two months after...
Up to 600 workers face redundancy at the end of this month following Unilever's decision to sell its Grimsby Birds Eye ready meals plant to...
Manufacturers and retailers could be on a collision course with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) unless agreement can be reached on product recalls under the...
Speciality fine food and confectionery distributor Fosters Traditional Foods has been bought by a new company, with backing from venture capitalist 3i and the Royal...
Multinational food firms are becoming too big and powerful and are threatening the fight against poverty in developing countries, claimed ActionAid.Companies such as Unilever and...
A campaign has begun to make food security an election issue.Organised by the Commercial Farmers Group, a think-tank of influential farmers and other professionals, it...
A contract to supply students with Proper Cornish pasties looks likely to be extended following successful trials at Nottingham and Derby universities.Proper Cornish said feedback...
The European Union (EU) has extended its ban on the import of live poultry and fresh poultry products from eight Asian countries until September 30.Last...
Farmers in England are making up for lost agricultural income by diversifying into profitable non-farming enterprises.According to latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food...
A new grouping of the five sector skills councils (SSCs) in the food and drink industry is to set down guidelines for meeting new European...
A breakaway group of packaging professionals may be set up, following a vote to merge the Institute of Packaging (IoP) with the much larger Institute...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) director Geoffrey Podger has moved from Brussels to EFSA's new offices in the centre of Parma, Italy.The majority of...
Andrew Brown, a former md of RHM's Manor Bakeries is acting as interim director of the Federation of Bakers, after John White stepped down.White left...
UK own-label manufacturers should capitalise on opportunities in European markets, where the own-label share of the food market continues to grow at more than 10%...
McMullen has plans for a new brewhouse at its site near the centre of Hertford, which has been its base since 1827.The proposed £1-million facility...
Premier Foods has revealed that last October's fire at its Bury St Edmunds plant cost around £10m in lost sales.The fire halted production of Branston...
Global farm assurance standards for meat and cereals will be published this month in an attempt to harmonise national schemes.Set by the worldwide retailer, processor...
Inter Link Foods has made its biggest takeover, of Yorkshire Cottage Bakeries It claimed to be now the UK's second largest baker after RHM's Manor...
The soft drinks division of Princes may close its Kidlington, Oxfordshire plant, which employs 110 people, and consolidate chilled fruit juice production at its Manchester...
food industry tops the league for stoppages from breakdowns
Northern Foods' Green Isle Foods is to invest euros 22.6m at one of its two factories at Naas in County Kildare, Ireland to boost pizza...
Nestlé has confirmed that 57 jobs are to go at its Cuddington, Norwich factory which produces yoghurt brands such as Ski, Munch Bunch and Sveltesse.It...
Thames Valley University (TVU) hopes to launch what it claims will be the first course in the UK for chefs working in, or hoping to...
Uniq Prepared Foods is considering cutting up to 180 jobs at its Spalding salad factory following the loss, from April 2005, of an annual £12m...
The failure of new European Union (EU) rules to insist on processors tracking material through their own processes has left the way open for a...
Manufacturers, retailers, caterers and public sector representatives will this month discuss setting up a sustainable food centre for London, which might include processing and warehousing.Dan...
New licensing authority has job cut out tracking down operators
Leading toxicology experts will gather in Rome this month to discuss the latest research on the toxicity of acrylamide in food.The risk posed by food...
Warburtons has reopened its Wednesbury bakery which was destroyed by fire in January 2004.The West Midlands bakery, which employs 495 people, can produce more than...
Leading technologist casts doubt on concerns about salt risks
A new plant which is using the latest refrigeration technology and a natural refrigerant has been set up by Prosper De Mulder for the processing...
Expanded ranges of cryogenic refrigeration and freezer systems are being introduced by German company Linde to strengthen its position in the food industry.In addition to...
A £1.5m contract has been completed by York Refrigeration, which has installed a cooling, chilling, heating, and ventilation system at Welsh Country Foods in Winsford,...
A new concept in the supply of portion cutting equipment to processors of meat, fish, and poultry has been introduced by Scanvaegt. 'Pay-per-Cut' is said...
Platvis, a Dutch company specialising in frozen fish products, was seeking to increase its capacity by processing individual retail packs weighing from 250g to 1kg....
The Cheese Company, part of Milk Link, the UK's third largest integrated dairy business, has invested in a revolutionary cheese tower supplied by Carlisle Process...
Nearly three years of trouble-free operation have been achieved by a reciprocating cutter on the nougat production line at Trebor Bassett in Wakefield. Based on...
A new system has been installed by Charkman at its meat processing plant near Gothenburg in Sweden to handle the slicing, portion control, and packing...
The production of mozzarella, ricotta, and other pizza cheese requires weighing equipment that can handle hot products which create a steamy atmosphere.At Valerio's Olympia Group,...
Balances designed for weighing applications in food and other industries have been introduced by Avery Weigh-Tronix.The Reflex H range incorporates programs for counting, checkweighing, and...
Mettler Toledo Garvens has launched a new checkweigher, aimed at the food industry, which is claimed to optimise production flow and hygiene.Chain checkweighers are said...
Developed for use with vessels, hoppers, and tanks in hazardous food and sterile environments, the Clevermount range of weighing assemblies has been launched by Applied...
A multihead weigher developed specifically for potatoes and gentle handling of other fruit and vegetables is providing a cost-effective solution for increased packing speeds at...
North London-based fresh produce supplier Stubbins is now meeting demand for variable weight products following a factory extension involving the installation of new handling, packing...
Two Krohne Optimass Coriolis mass flowmeters are helping to overcome the problem of ensuring that exact amounts of ingredients are added during the manufacture of...
Berger Wild, based in Passau, Germany, is Europe's largest processor of European game and, among other products, supplies 2.5kg and 5kg bags of cubed deer...
Combustion technology in the food industry has remained relatively unchanged for nearly 50 years. This is the view of Dave Walton who has developed new...
At the Glenfiddich whisky distillery the 'wash' which is created from fermentation of malted barley is distilled in copper pots that are the same size...
Already producing 17,500t of bread improver a year, Manchester-based Bakemark has increased its total plant capacity by 60% and can now also handle 10,000t of...
Suitable for products that require baking from bottom to top within a temperature range of 190°C to 270°C, the Mondial Forni Mondialmatic three/four-deck oven from...
Compared with traditional methods the Microfilm confectionery cooker is claimed by APV Baker to offer greater product variety, better quality, and higher operational efficiency.The system,...
Impulse Compact, a new family of small electromagnetic shakers designed for use in product mixing lines and ingredient feeding processes, has been introduced by Key...
Chemineer has challenged claims that only a few high shear mixers are capable of reverse flow operation. The company's Greerco product, for example, has been...
A new oven which uses carbon infra-red heaters has enabled Oscar Mayer to eliminate maintenance problems, improve energy efficiency, and save floor space at its...
The Turbulizer, from Hosokawa Micron, is said to offer effective layer coating, solids-solids mixing, and the dispersal of liquids on solids for a range of...
Stand-alone, wheel-out spiral mixers from Eurobake are designed for food processors and bakers seeking short mixing times, intense mixing of various doughs, batters, and mixes,...
A specially configured agitator has been developed to ensure maximum product movement in all directions.This feature is at the heart of the MaxxD vacuum processing...
Available with a fixed or removable bowl, the Italian-made Polin spiral mixers for bakery processes are available in this country from Brook Food Processing Equipment....
DataLase from Sherwood Technology is a virtual labelling technique that does away with the need for adhesive labels on packaging.Barcodes, two-dimensional codes, logos, graphics, etc,...
A stainless steel version of its Carrera 500 PC electronic flow-wrapper has been launched by Hapak. It is designed for use with fresh produce, sandwiches,...
A printed film outer wrap which can be added to, for example, large tins of biscuits to eliminate the need for specially printed tins, is...
Problems with stapled boxes has caused Drivers Pickle & Vinegar to specify an Endoline 221 case erector to handle boxes on its processing lines.As the...
Retail Ready Line is described by Ishida Europe as a fully automated solution for packing fresh produce, meat, and fish into trays. The system covers...
AEW Delford Systems' TS250 modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) tray sealer has been designed for fresh produce, meat, fish and ready meals.A range of trays in...
Quaker Oats has installed three Safeline 21 X-ray inspection systems at its Southall site to ensure that cereal bars are free from contamination caused by...
Inspection for correct features, regardless of a product's orientation or position in the sensor's field of view, is one of the advantages of using the...
Sealed to IP 67 and capable of withstanding high-pressure hose cleaning conditions, the X-treme metal detector liner from Lock Inspection Systems offers protection against water...
The Sentry VF metal detector, introduced by Cintex at the Total Processing and Packaging Show last year, is now in full production, says Carla Whyte,...
A spiral conveyor, supplied by Spiroflow, has been installed at Thomas Tunnock, Glasgow, as part of a chocolate pre-blending plant.Three dry ingredients are mixed before...
To improve product quality and reduce manual handling, Swiss chocolate maker Chocolat Frey has installed a new robotic line, supplied by Sigpack Systems, part of...
An 18-year relationship between Bourne Stir Fry, part of the Geest Group, and Allibert Buckhorn has recently seen the latter company's containers being specified for...
A new generation of its ServoForm depositors has been launched by APV Baker for the production of hard and soft candies, toffees, gums, jellies, and...
Niro Soavi, the Italian supplier of homogenisers for the dairy sector, has set up a UK office at Dinnington in Sheffield headed by Steve Huntington.The...
Monica Gimre has been appointed md of Tetra Pak Processing UK. She replaces Paul Wirtz who is moving to be md of the company's Dairy...
Damrow, which is part of the Carlisle Process Systems group, has designed and commissioned a new 18,000-litre enclosed cottage cheese vat at the production facility...
Festo's hygienic pneumatic valve terminals and cylinders are widely used in the automation of the dairy process chain handling fresh milk and cheese. For example,...
Rather than stop production for a major overhaul of existing equipment, Guernsey Dairy invested in a more efficient separator. It specified the Centri H610HGD, from...
A contract to install a range of production facilities at the Dairy Crest specialist product plant in Chard, Somerset, has been awarded to FMA Process...
Problems coping with aggressive citrus oil have led Alfa Laval to use new polymer support plates for its DSS plate and frame membrane filtration systems....
New technology is available from GEA Filtration which helps to improve cross-flow microfiltration separations that are sensitive to variations in trans-membrane pressure.The Isoflux membrane, invented...
Almatec's latest product development, the Biocor series of pumps for sterile applications within the food and pharmaceutical industries, is available from Chemical Process Solutions.Features of...
Fluid control equipment, used as part of a new automated dosing system to add minor fluid ingredients to the dough-making process, has been specified by...
The need for processors to handle food waste in an efficient and hygienic manner has led Mono Pumps to identify a range of uses for...
Pumping media which contain large solids can create major problems for food processors. However, AxFlow believes that it has overcome such problems with the introduction...
Upgrading of Spirax Sarco's pilot-operated, pressure-reducing valves has been achieved by the introduction of a variable rate pressure control spring.Now just one version of the...
New rules governing the use of refrigerant gases will have a major impact on end users. But it could also present an opportunity for introducing some novel processing technology, as John Dunn reports
| « Previous month | Next month » |