Following today’s (16 June 2021) news that Ronaldo’s dismissal of Coca-Cola at a press conference temporarily cost the brand $4bn off its market value;
Khalid Peerbaccus, Senior Consumer Researcher at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:
“While the power of product placement cannot be denied, Ronaldo’s rejection of Coca-Cola in favour of a bottle of water – and the temporary impact this had on the market value of Coca-Cola – could also be due to the ambiguity that some consumers may have toward carbonated drinks.
“Ronaldo’s decision to shine the spotlight on water rather than Coca-Cola is one that may resonate with *57 % of consumers globally who say that, in the current situation, a product’s health and wellbeing claims has the greatest influence on their purchase choice – as well as a further **28 % who admit that this somewhat affects their decisions. That Ronaldo is a prominent sports figure further adds weight to his promotion of water over the soft drink, as many view and trust him as a symbol of health that is necessary for his athletic accomplishments.
“The temporary drop and subsequent recovery of Coca-Cola’s market value is an important reminder of the power of celebrity endorsement, or lack thereof: particularly when a product has, in recent years, received ‘bad press’ as with high-sugar fizzy drinks.
“The move has already spurred a similar instance where Paul Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken beer from display at a press conference. While these acts may temporarily impact the market value of brands due to impressionable fans of the players, the long-term impact on these well-established brands is yet to be seen. What it does highlight is that the placement of such products at sporting events is at odds with the perception of health that the athletes embody.”
*GlobalData survey asked how the product/service impacts my health and wellbeing. Combined responses: ‘Always’ or ‘Often’ in the current situation **GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 Global Consumer Survey – Global
All Oranges 52.7 Million Boxes
The 2020-2021 Florida all orange forecast released by the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board is raised 1.0 million boxes to 52.7 million boxes. The total includes 22.7 million boxes of the non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season, and Navel varieties) and 30.0 million boxes of Valencia oranges. …
Please download the full citrus crop production forecast: www.nass.usda.gov
Current beverage labeling regulations appear to fall short of helping parents identify the ingredients, sugar and juice makeup of beverages they purchase for their children, a recent study published in Pediatric Obesity suggests. This has researchers calling for changes to beverage labeling regulations to increase transparency and help consumers choose healthier beverages.
The experimental online study included over 1,600 parents who had healthy children aged 1 to 5 years old. Parents were shown product label information for commonly consumed children’s beverages, including flavoured waters, 100 % fruit juice, and juice drinks and other beverages containing added sugars or non-nutritive (artificial) sweeteners. Some parents were shown only front labels, while some were shown both front and back or side labels which included the Nutrition Facts panel and other information. Study participants then answered questions concerning the sugar and percent juice content of the beverages.
About one-third of participants indicated they were not confident they could identify the added sugar and juice content of beverages. Only about half of study participants (48 percent) said they looked at the Nutrition Facts panel all or most of the time when choosing beverages for their children.
Overall, participants frequently underestimated the percent of juice in 100 % fruit juice. Even though the percent juice was stated on the package front for the 100 % fruit juice product in the study, only 51 percent of parents who were shown only the package front correctly identified the juice percentage. When exposed to additional information on the back and side panels, 37 percent still could not correctly identify the percent juice and 40 percent incorrectly said that 100 % juice contained added sugars.
Conversely, participants frequently overestimated the amount of pure fruit juice in sugar-sweetened juice drinks and beverages. For an added-sugar product that looks similar to 100 % orange juice but contains only 5 percent juice, almost all participants (98 percent) could not accurately state the amount of pure juice just by looking at the front of the label and, on average, estimated that the product contained 45 percent pure fruit juice, 40 percent higher than the actual juice content. Fewer than half of participants who additionally looked at back/side labels could correctly identify the percent juice content and, on average, estimated that the beverage contained 24 percent pure juice. For beverages that are not 100 % fruit juice there is no requirement to identify sweeteners or juice content on the front label.
“The results are striking and this study suggests that labels for 100 % fruit juice and fruit beverages or drinks are not working as intended and for many parents may result in misunderstandings and confusion when trying to choose healthful beverages for their children,” said Gail Rampersaud, registered dietitian nutritionist in the Scientific Research Department of the Florida Department of Citrus. “Consumers need more education coupled with labels that are clearer and easier to understand,” added Rampersaud.
The results suggest that lack of knowledge and clear labeling may lead parents to choose less healthy added-sugar beverages over 100 % juices, such as 100 % orange juice. The researchers suggest that the Food and Drug Administration allow label declarations that will increase transparency concerning juice percentage and sweetener content, particularly on front of package, to help consumers make healthful beverage choices.
This summer Finns can drink beer brewed with wild herbs, food waste and even goose feces. The new beers by a local microbrewery Ant Brew celebrate the European Green Capital year of the city of Lahti and share an important message of a wasteless circular economy.
The Finnish city of Lahti is known for their pioneering environmental action, and for their open-minded co-operation with local people. Now the European Green Capital 2021 joins forces with the local microbrewery Ant Brew by crafting a new beer series. The Wasted Potential beers are brewed with wild herbs, local food waste, like bread, berries and fruits – and even goose droppings.
The poop is used in a food-safe way to smoke malt to create a unique stout beer. The goose droppings are gathered from local parks, where geese are causing a messy problem. Now, the local parks get cleaner and the special edition summer beverages are perfect for a picnic in the park – a true two birds with one stone type of solution.
The beers showcase how all waste can be utilized. City of Lahti aims to be completely wasteless circular economy city by 2050, and at the moment 99% of the city’s household waste is already repurposed.
A taste of potential that was not wasted
A sustainable future demands effective use of resources and innovative ways of recycling. Lahti has several well-known breweries, so what would be a better way to celebrate our environment this summer than locally brewed beers, says Saara Piispanen, Head of Communications of Lahti European Green Capital.
The beer that uses goose droppings in the malt smoking process will be released later in the summer. First to be released is a wit-style beer inspired by waste-free circular economy: brewed with orange peels from a local market’s juice pressing station, and fruit purees that have exceeded their best before-date.
This series of beers is our way to create important discussions about food waste, utilization of waste, urban farming, and local and wild food among beer enthusiasts. Working with the Lahti Green Capital has been great. We are constantly developing ways to utilize new ingredients in brewing, and are not afraid to think outside of the box, says Ant Brew’s Kari Puttonen.
Our environment and circular economy are important for us, and we want to discuss these topics in interesting ways. Together we can create solutions that are eco-friendly and represent sustainable consumption, says Piispanen.
The makers of plant-based functional supplement beverages are hoping to disrupt the functional shot category with the launch of their new line of powerful superfood decoctions.
Launched this spring, URBL is a line of premium plant-based functional supplement shots created by the startup Pebble Roots Inc. The release of their new beverage line comes at a time when functional drinks and shots are exploding within the health and wellness community.
Inspired by the principles of Ayurveda and Traditional Herbal Medicine (THM) and reinforced with evidence-based nutrition science, URBL shots are unique “superfood decoctions” created by extracting healing compounds from the stems, roots, bark, and other parts of botanical ingredients and formulating them into three unique products with different ingredients, different functionalities, and completely different flavour profiles – spicy, green, or a tad sweet.
The current line of products includes “URBL ROAR,” featuring ashwagandha, one of the most potent Ayurvedic adaptogens, to help consumers adapt to a variety of physical and psychological stressors; “URBL SHIELD,” a memory boosting and liver protecting shot with brahmi and milk thistle as the key botanicals; and “URBL GLOW,” a collagen booster made with amalaki and turmeric root, providing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits.
“Unlike sugar-rich, high-fructose fruit juice shots with excessive amounts of ginger and pepper added only to overemphasize effectiveness, URBL is a botanical nutraceutical packed with 24 varying superfoods to boost your physical as well as mental health – a comprehensive immune support,” said Suhas Verma, the founder and CEO of URBL.
URBL is the first and only product of its kind to be licensed by Health Canada as a Natural Health Product (NHP). URBL products are manufactured in a state-of-the-art GMP and NSF certified manufacturing facility, with every production batch run through more than 15 types of contamination and allergen tests to ensure the supplement beverages are of the highest quality.
URBL is 100 percent non-GMO and gluten-free. It is naturally sweetened with honey and is free of preservatives, caffeine, added-sugar, stevia, allergens, and anything artificial.
URBL’s 2 ounce shots are also shelf-stable and can be easily stowed and consumed, making them perfect for an active, on-the-go lifestyle.
“Whether you’re a fitness buff, yogi, adventurer, corporate jet setter, or a busy mom, you’re going to fall in love with your URBL boost,” Verma said. “Let URBL fuel your daily adventures.”
Kerry, one of the world’s leading taste and nutrition companies, has announced the opening of its new taste facility in Latin America, which will serve mainly Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Andean region.
Located in Irapuato, Mexico, the new state-of-the-art facility will significantly increase Kerry’s capacity in the region and further support customers in delivering local and sustainable taste solutions.
This new site expands Kerry’s offerings across a number of food and beverage categories, including refreshing and alcoholic beverages, snacks, meat, dairy and bakery. It will also play an important role in enabling Kerry’s ambition to bring sustainable nutrition solutions to more than two billion people by 2030 around the globe. Aligned with the company’s commitments under its Beyond the Horizon strategy, the facility incorporates world leading processes and technologies that will support the company’s environmental goals. These capabilities, combined with expertise across sustainable innovation, marketing insights, research, development and applications, and sensory science, will enable Kerry to co-create with customers, exciting products that will be consumed across the region.
“COVID-19 has impacted consumer behaviour and taste preferences across Latin America, and companies need to be in a position to understand and respond to these evolving dynamics. This new taste facility allows us to deliver on consumer demands across the region and we look forward to working with customers to bring innovative taste solutions to satisfy consumer needs and create a world of sustainable nutrition,” said Marcelo Marques, President and CEO of Kerry Latin America. Commenting on the announcement, Edson Cortes, Taste Lead for Kerry Latin America, added: “Mexico boasts 35% of the taste market in the Latin America region and presents solid opportunities for growth and innovation. With sustainability at the core of our Taste portfolio, this site will also enable us to deliver tailored solutions for customers in the regions. This important investment positions Kerry as the leader in the flavours market in Latin America as we seek to consolidate our position in the market and deliver great taste solutions with our customers.”
About Kerry Kerry, one of the world’s leading taste and nutrition companies, provides sustainable nutrition solutions for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day over one billion people around the world enjoy food and beverages containing Kerry’s taste and nutrition solutions. The company has offices in 31 countries, 149 manufacturing facilities and employs 26,000 people globally, including over 1,000 food scientists. We aim to be our customers’ most valued partner by delivering food and beverage products that meet their consumers’ individual taste, nutrition and wellness preferences, while enhancing their lives and contributing to a more sustainable world.
The 2021-2022 orange crop forecast for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt, published on May 27, 2021 by Fundecitrus, in cooperation with Markestrat, FEA-RP/USP and FCAV/Unesp, is 294.17 million boxes (40.8 kg or 90 lb). Total orange production includes:
51.37 million boxes of the Hamlin, Westin and Rubi varieties;
16.87 million boxes of the Valencia Americana, Seleta and Pineapple varieties;
84.66 million boxes of the Pera Rio variety;
107.07 million boxes of the Valencia and Valencia Folha Murcha varieties;
34.20 million boxes of the Natal variety.
Approximately 26.09 million boxes are expected to be produced in the Triângulo Mineiro.
As compared to the final forecast of 268.63 million boxes in the previous crop, the current projection represents an increase of 9.51 % although it is still below the average of 35 million boxes for the last ten crop seasons, which corresponds to a drop of 10.53 % …
Elopak is today announcing a new tethered cap solution for its iconic Pure-Pak® cartons – the Pure-TwistFlip™.
The tethered cap is the latest sustainability-focused innovation announced by Elopak. The closure remains attached to the carton throughout its entire lifetime, helping to tackle the serious problem of marine littering by ensuring that the cap is disposed of properly. It is also Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, helping to reduce the use of plastics.
As cartons can be recycled with the tethered cap attached, the Pure-TwistFlip™ offers up an exciting new option for brands looking to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging, without compromising on convenience or product integrity.
Commenting on the announcement Elopak CMO Patrick Verhelst stated, “We are delighted to share the news that our tethered cap solution is now ready. Sustainability is a central driver of our innovation efforts at Elopak, in which we are continually seeking to raise the bar and improve on past performance.”
“We have invested heavily in developing more environmentally friendly packaging solutions that meet the same high standards our customers are used to, and at the same time offer them a way to package their products in a manner that fits with a low carbon circular economy. By combining Elopak’s Pure-Pak® carton with the Pure-TwistFlip™ cap, brands can now choose a package that both helps prevent marine littering and reduces the use of plastics.” he continued.
Beverage cartons have strong environmental credentials when compared with alternatives such as plastic bottles. Even with a regular cap studies have shown that in the case of UHT milk, cartons result in 70.7 % less CO2 emissions and in the case of fresh milk 83.6 % less CO2 emissions in comparison to disposable PET bottles .
Elopak supplies renewable, recyclable, and carbon neutral Pure-Pak® cartons. The new Pure-TwistFlip™ cap can be combined with any existing Pure-Pak® carton to provide an original Elopak packaging solution that prioritizes the environment, consumer convenience and safety. The innovation is expected to launch to the market in Autumn 2021.
Elopak already offers customers a number of sustainability-focused innovations such as Natural Brown Board cartons which are renewable, recyclable and have a lower CO2 footprint owing to reduced wood consumption and the elimination of the bleaching process.
Elopak also offers cartons without a cap. The Pure-Pak® Imagine is a modern version of the company’s original Pure-Pak® carton launched in June 2020. Designed with a new easy open feature, it contains 46 per cent less plastic and is 100 per cent forest-based.
A UN Global Compact participant, Elopak has been carbon neutral since 2016 and in 2019 was one of the first companies in the world to formally pledge to cut Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in line with criteria set by the Science Based Targets initiative aimed at keeping the global average temperature increase below 1.5 C.
Although energy drinks have witnessed steady year-on-year (YOY) growth in the US recently, Coca-Cola has decided to discontinue its Coca-Cola Energy brand after 17 months in the market, in a bid to sharpen its product portfolio – a move that highlights the gap in the market for hybrid innovations, writes GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Holly Inglis, Beverages Analyst at GlobalData comments: “Coca-Cola Energy’s launch in the US was long awaited; despite the US market size, it was one of the latter markets to begin sales after many regions in Europe. At a time where the energy drinks market is flourishing, it is interesting that Coca-Cola has chosen to pause sales of a potential future cash cow.”
According to GlobalData, the US energy drinks market grew by 10 % in 2020* and was buoyed by a flurry of innovations such as Monster Mule ginger flavoured drink or Moonlight Wingman Smart Energy. Despite COVID-19 lockdown restrictions throughout the year, the category remained a key purchase choice for many consumers across the country.
In GlobalData’s latest survey, 73 %** of US consumers stated that energy boosting ingredients are nice to have, or essential to purchasing decisions. Interestingly, this comes at a time where health and wellness trends are prevailing and where energy drinks have, in the past, come under scrutiny for high sugar and unfavourable additive content. Manufacturers have worked to offset this by adding functional claims or unique flavour innovations to their beverages.
Inglis continues: “GlobalData’s survey found that 82 % of US consumers stated that immunity boosting ingredients have a positive influence on their purchasing decisions***, reinforcing that there is opportunity for beverage manufacturers to innovate energy drinks products that combine health and wellness claims with energy-boosting ingredients. The US energy drink market is highly competitive, so it is important that producers stay ahead of the curve in terms of beverage trends. It is plausible that Coca-Cola’s energy drink line risked falling behind in the long-term, due to a lack of flavour dynamics and health-halo claims.”
Despite COVID-19 restrictions across much of 2020, the US energy drinks market grew by a sizeable share and is expected to maintain a similar fate in 2021. Consumption from home is the new norm, and producers will continue to innovate retail offerings that promote this trend. Continued drive towards digestive health will persist, reflecting high potential for hybrid innovations that combine natural energy boosting ingredients with added vitamins and gut health claims.
*Data taken from GlobalData’s Annual Soft Market Analyser – US **GlobalData’s Q1-21 Consumer Survey Results – North America ***GlobalData’s Q1-21 Consumer Survey Results – North America – Combined responses: “Essential / Key driver of purchase” and “It is nice to have”
All Oranges 51.7 Million Boxes
The 2020-2021 Florida all orange forecast released by the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board is unchanged at 51.7 million boxes. If realized, this will be 23 percent less than last season’s revised final production. The forecast consists of 22.7 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season, and Navel varieties) and 29.0 million boxes of Valencia oranges. …
Please download the full citrus crop production forecast: www.nass.usda.gov
Plastipak, a global leader in the design, manufacture and recycling of plastic containers has announced a major investment in recycling at its manufacturing site in Toledo, Spain. The new recycling facility will convert PET flake into food-grade recycled PET (rPET) pellets suitable for direct use in new preforms, bottles and containers.
The new facility will be co-located with the current preform and container manufacturing plant facilitating additional carbon savings through the elimination of resin transport. The new recycling plant will produce 20,000 tonnes of food-grade pellet per year and will commence production in the summer of 2022. The project will create approximately 14 new jobs and include additional manufacturing and warehouse space.
Pedro Martins, Plastipak’s Executive Managing Director Europe, explained “The investment in a new recycling facility in Spain will support both Plastipak and our customers in fulfilling our commitments to corporate social responsibility. The project comes in advance of minimum levels of recycled content mandated by the Single Use Plastics Directive, and will support brand owners to reduce their financial obligations under the planned Spanish plastics tax.”
This will be Plastipak’s fifth global location producing recycled PET (rPET) and confirms Plastipak as the largest producer of bottle-grade recycled PET in Europe. With three long-established rPET facilities in Europe (France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom), Plastipak already produces well over 130,000 tonnes of recycled PET in Europe. Plastipak also operates a HDPE and PET recycling plant in the US.
On 12 May 2021, the World Citrus Organisation celebrated its first Annual Meeting online, following the official creation of the organisation last year. During the AGM, the WCO Secretariat presented the consolidation of the production and export forecasts for the forthcoming Southern Hemisphere citrus season 2021. This preliminary forecast is collected from member industry associations in Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay.
The WCO held its Annual meeting ending a first year of activities. The Co-chairs of the association, Jose Antonio Garcia (Ailimpo) and Justin Chadwick (CGA) agreed to state: “The full first year of operation allowed the organisation to quickly build a representative association and provide the benefits and value to the members”.
During the meeting, the preliminary forecast presented shows that the 2021 citrus Southern Hemisphere crops is expected to reach 22.7 million tons, which represents an increase of 3.18 % compared to the 2020 crop. Export is expected to increase by 12.72 % to 3.8 million tons. Philippe Binard, Secretary General of WCO stated while presenting the data : “following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a positive trend of consumers’ demand for fruit and veg. was noted, in particular for citrus fruit, widely recognised for its high nutritional value, notably in terms of vitamin C content. The large volume available is positive news as it will meet the increased demand”. On the processing side, a total of 13.4 million tonnes of citrus are expected to be destined to the juice market, which constitutes a slight increase of 1.26 % compared to the previous year. It is however worth noting that Brazil’s data provided for the forecast remains preliminary, with the official Brazilian data expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
By citrus categories, the soft citrus showed the greatest increase in production, by 10.57 %, with a significant increase in export volumes of over 20 % to 1 million tonnes of export. Orange production remained broadly stable (+ 1.93 %), whilst lemon (+ 2.37 %) and grapefruit (+ 6.44 %) showed greater increases. Exports are also expected to increase for all varieties, orange (+ 11.55 %), lemon (+ 7.20 %) and grapefruit (+ 9.56 %). Eric Imbert (CIRAD- Technical Secretariat of WCO) indicated: “The Southern Hemisphere citrus export continues to grow in particular for lemons and easy peelers. The Southern Hemisphere today represents 27 % of the global citrus market.” During WCO’s AGM, members also reviewed the past season’s results with a focus on the impact of the covid pandemic, and analysed the estimations for the current season.
In addition, during the meeting, Natalia Santos, Deputy Secretary General of WCO announced that: “Members decided to set-up a formal working group on health & nutrition. This will enable better knowledge- exchange among members on citrus nutritional assets and will also contribute towards a better understanding of the health attributes of citrus. The first meeting of WCO’s Health & Nutrition focus group will take place in the second semester of 2021”, she added.
Beverage Partners International (BPI) has the great pleasure of announcing that moving forward, it will offer a licensing and distribution opportunity for SUMOL+COMPAL, a world-leading market player in the fruit beverages category.
SUMOL+COMPAL is the largest juice producer in Portugal, with a global footprint in more than 68 countries around the world. The proud owner of a varied portfolio of 16 brands, the company’s offering is split across 6 different segments: juices and nectars, soft drinks, water, snacks, vegetables and alcoholic drinks.
Moshy Cohen, CEO, BPI, commented: “We are very proud to partner with S+C in their rapid international expansion. S+C is a company with unique know-how in the juice based beverage market, and excellent brands that can significantly improve the capabilities and competitive advantage of BPI’s bottlers across the world.”
Nadia Franco, S+C, Head of New Business, Int’l, added: “Sumol and Compal have great momentum in international markets. Both brands present superior products and unique positioning that perfectly fit the most important consumer trends.
“We are excited to join BPI and present licensing opportunities for it’s bottlers and distributors network across the world. We love our business, our brands and what we do. We want to keep doing better. We improve continuously and we think positively.”
Complementing a healthy lifestyle
SUMOL+COMPAL bases its ethos on inspiration it draws from fruits, vegetables and water, all indispensable natural sources of nutrition, hydration and pleasure. The global market for juice-based beverages, both fruit and vegetable-based, is projected to continue to grow thanks to innovation in the category alongside consumer demand for products that enable a healthy lifestyle.
The drive for Health and Wellness is providing huge opportunities for pioneering beverage industry players. Rising interest in non-alcoholic drinks options and beverages that complement a healthy lifestyle means that SUMOL+COMPAL offers a dynamic opportunity within the beverage category, targeting consumers with tasty, nutritious fruit and vegetable ingredients via established brands and exciting flavours.
Flagship brand COMPAL is the market leader in the Juice category in Portugal, with over 60 % market share in the country as well as a global presence, owing its loyal consumer following to its delicious and nutritional juices and nectars – picked at the perfect moment to ensure the final product is always rich in nutrients, and keeps the flavour and aroma of freshly-picked fruit.
SUMOL, meanwhile, is a slightly sparkling drink made with real fruit juice and pulp. With a wide and unique range of fruit flavours and a 62.4 % market share in Portugal, it is perfect for consumers looking for refreshment without compromising on their health and wellness lifestyle.
Meeting demand for healthy, low calorie beverages containing real fruit and vegetable ingredients, SUMOL+COMPAL’s natural products provide a unique offering that plays into its consumer for individualised products, with a unique range of fruit flavours available in its striking and iconic branded packaging.
With four grams of prebiotic fiber from sunchokes and no sugar or caffeine, Gist works symbiotically with the body
Gist, a thoughtfully created prebiotic sparkling beverage brewed with only five organically certified botanical ingredients, launched today. Created with plants, not extracts, Gist is redefining what it means to be a clean beverage.
Each can of Gist has four grams of prebiotic fiber, 14 percent of the daily recommended value, from sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes). There is no sugar or sweetener and zero caffeine. It’s cold-brewed with steeped herbs that infuse its unique flavours, offering healthful benefits and a natural sweetness.
Lizzy Haucke (Photo: Gist)
Lizzy Haucke, who founded Gist in 2020, has embraced a clean lifestyle for decades and approached the creation of Gist as she does her own life: with intention and a “come as you are” philosophy. As an entrepreneur, mom, dancer and Pilates practitioner, Lizzy wanted a go-to beverage that aligned with her values, while positively impacting her body and everyday life.
“I wanted a drink that was good for my health — not a negative or even net zero,” said Haucke. “As I explored options, I was disappointed by the ingredient list of so-called ‘clean’ beverages. They were full of ingredients I wouldn’t want myself or my family consuming. So, I started cold-brewing different herb combinations in my home kitchen to find the right flavor and ingredient combinations.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve created because Gist is exactly what many people like me have been looking for. It’s not only clean, but also approachable, meeting people wherever they are on their well-being journey. Drinking a Gist every day is one of the small steps I take that, over time, adds up to the life I want to live and how I want to feel living it.”
Gist Flavours + Ingredients
Gist is sold in sleek 12-ounce cans and initially available in two distinct flavours: Chamomile with Rosemary and Ginger with Rooibos.
Chamomile with Rosemary has a light, floral and herbal flavour profile and is brewed with golden chamomile flowers and a refreshing hint of rosemary. Sweet and easygoing, the five ingredients include: carbonated water, organic chamomile flower, organic rosemary, organic Jerusalem artichoke inulin and organic lime juice.
Ginger with Rooibos is sweet, spicy and rich. Robust without being overwhelming, the brewed ginger root and honey-sweet rooibos tea are an energizing combination. Ingredients include: carbonated water, organic ginger root, organic rooibos tea, organic Jerusalem artichoke inulin and organic lime juice.
‘No added sugar’ claims are growing in Europe, with the UK leading the charge as it has the highest proportion (15 %) of European food and drink launches carrying this claim in the past five years, followed by Germany (13 %) and France (10 %). In Poland, ‘no added sugar’ claims have doubled since 2016, reaching 9 % of food and drink launches in 2021.
According to Mintel’s latest consumer research, almost three out of five (59 %) French and German consumers are trying to limit their sugar intake, rising to 65 % of respondents in Poland and 67 % in Spain. However, over half of German (54 %) and (53 %) French* consumers simply prefer eating less indulgent products instead of consuming more ‘light/diet’ alternatives. This is especially true for carbonated soft drinks, with Polish (38 %)** and German (37 %)** consumers being the most likely to agree that ‘better-for-you’ carbonated soft drinks do not feel like a treat.
Neha Srivastava, Food and Drink Patent Analyst at Mintel, said:
“The pandemic has amplified the need for indulgence, influencing consumers’ choice of food and drink. At the same time, the pandemic has seen people place a higher priority on their health by, for example, reducing their sugar intake – but they don’t want to compromise on taste.
“Food and drink companies are starting to pay more attention to cutting sugar from their products. Based on the percentage of granted patents currently active in Europe, France and Germany are among the top five leading countries with the majority of patent grants related to sugar reduction, each accounting for 5 % of all global patent grants. Recent patent activity related to sugar reduction varies from improving the taste of sweeteners to innovating new techniques to reduce the production cost of rare sugars.”
Functional fibre and next-gen stevia could appeal as natural alternatives
Functional fibres in low/reduced sugar food and drink launches are on the rise, increasing globally from 11 % in 2015 to 19 % in 2020. Inulin is the most common functional fibre in low/reduced sugar products, with product launches containing inulin having tripled in the past five years, rising to 9 % in 2020 from 3 % in 2015.
With 63 %*** of Germans concerned about how sugar reduction in food and drink is achieved, combining fibres with sugar to reduce overall sugar content could be an option worth exploring as an alternative. This could also appeal to the 29 %**** of Brits that are interested in more fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies with high fibre content.
Alternatively, stevia as a plant-based sweetener has the potential to appeal to European consumers as a sugar substitute. In fact, 63 %*** of Germans have no concerns about the amount of plant-based sweeteners (such as stevia) used in food and drink.
Neha Srivastava, Food and Drink Patent Analyst at Mintel, said:
“Consumers are aware of the importance of fibres in maintaining gut health. Brands can leverage this awareness by repositioning them as a multifunctional health ingredient that helps reduce sugar content in food and drink whilst improving gut health.
“Stevia continues to gain traction in food and drink launches because of its naturalness and zero calorific value, but its bitter and lingering aftertaste remains a significant barrier. Recent patent innovations to improve taste issues and physicochemical properties, like purity and solubility, to produce next-generation stevia may help overcome the challenge.
“Innovators are looking for alternative approaches, such as the use of sweet flavouring agents and aromas as a promising option to reduce sugar content in new food and drink products – especially in dairy desserts. This can be a promising option to reduce sugar content by providing sweet perception in brain cells.”
*987 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, France; 1,955 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Germany; 997 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Spain; 988 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Poland; March 2021 **1,000 internet users aged 16+ in Poland and 2,000 internet users aged 16+ in Germany, December 2020 ***2,000 internet users aged 16+, Germany, June 2020 ****2,000 internet users aged 16+, UK, October 2020 *****1,000 internet users aged 16+, Italy and Spain, September 2020
EXTR:ACT, the European platform to improve and increase the recycling of beverage cartons and similar fibre-based multi-material packaging in Europe, is pleased to provide an update on the successful and innovative steps taken by different companies to recycle the non-fibre components of beverage cartons throughout Europe. As of today, the below projects allow roughly 50,000 tonnes of non-fibre components of beverage cartons to be recycled annually.
EXTR:ACT expects ongoing activities in recycling to separate the valuable non-fibre components (so-called PolyAl rejects) from beverage cartons after having gone through the process of fibre extraction in the paper mill. The current European projects for PolyAl-recycling include:
Ecoplasteam’s recycling plant in Italy
ReconPolymers in the Netherlands
Plastigram in the Czech Republic
Palurec in Germany, which is operated by the beverage carton manufacturers.
“With these projects, roughly 30 % of the European volume of these PolyAl rejects will now start being recycled in new material cycles, where, for example, the recovered plastics and aluminum can be used in different applications as a substitute for virgin material,” said Michael Brandl, Managing Director of EXTR:ACT. “Further expansion of these processing options is expected for the near future, underscoring the investment and innovative solutions being explored to ensure that the beverage cartons placed on the EU market remain the most sustainable packaging solution as outlined in the industry’s 2030 Roadmap.”
The recycled plastic components can be used in products such as plastic pipes, boxes or panels, while the aluminum will be compounded and used in products such as motorblocks, metallic varnish, and other materials.
The Roadmap, launched by EXTR:ACT’s industry partner ACE (The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and theEnvironment), highlights the industry’s commitment to having 90 % of all beverage cartons collected for recycling, and to have at least 70 % of all beverage cartons recycled by 2030. The Roadmap also outlines the industry’s commitments and targets for delivering the most sustainable packaging for resilient food supply systems which is renewable, climate positive and circular. The continuous expansion of recycling capacities will further strengthen the positive contribution of beverage cartons to the environment.
ABOUT EXTR:ACT Founded in 2018, EXTR:ACT is the European platform dedicated to increase the recycling of beverage cartons and similar fibre-based multi-material packaging. Focused on the technical process of such multi-material recycling from start to finish, EXTR:ACT works with the entire value chain to ensure that multi- material packaging is designed with the life cycle in mind and is able to be collected, sorted, recycled and reused in varying markets.
Groundbreaking micro-algae formula eliminates allergies while providing complete nutrition
Sophie’s Bionutrients, a Singapore-based next-generation sustainable urban food production technology company, announced that it had developed the world’s first-ever pure micro-algae-based milk replacement that promises to eliminate allergies making it safe for consumption for people with lactose-intolerance.
The milk alternative dairy replacement was made with Sophie’s Bionutrients signature micro-algae protein flour with the same essential amino acids as micro-algae. The flour is then homogenised with water to create the dairy-free milk alternative.
The dairy alternative is comparable in nutritional value to cow’s milk. However, the protein value can be elevated by up to 50 percent by altering ratios in the water-soluble micro-algae flour. The sample alt-milk produced has a similar texture to nut-based milk. However, it can be further refined to mimic the creamy texture of dairy.
Sophie’s Bionutrients is the world’s first food tech company to use microalgae and patent-pending technologies to develop 100 % plant-based and sustainable alternative protein with the core vision that micro-algae is the superfood of the future.
“We believe in harnessing the power of nature to build a sustainable, greener future through environment-friendly alternate food solutions. We believe that micro-algae is the best place to help us achieve this. It is the superfood of the future. Through further refinement with food and beverage producing partners developments like this one, the world’s first allergen-free micro-algae milk, we believe we can transform the way we live, produce and consume food for the better,” said Eugene Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Sophie’s Bionutrients.
Eckes-Granini Group GmbH can look back on a challenging business year in 2020, which was strongly influenced by the global COVID-19 pandemic. With an EBIT of 71 million EUR and an EBIT margin of 8.7 %, business results fell short of expectations in the past year, but the international corporate group for non-alcoholic fruit beverages nevertheless draws a satisfactory conclusion. Compared to the previous year, the company managed to almost maintain its EBIT margin, which was 8.9 % in 2019. Total turnover fell from EUR 921 million in the 2019 financial year to 873 million EUR in 2020 (-5.2 %), while sales volumes also declined in 2020, falling by 10 million litres to 843 million litres.
Tim Berger (Photo: Eckes-Granini Group)
“The past business year was without a question a challenge for all of us. However, together we have managed to respond to this extraordinary situation with great flexibility and willingness to perform. We have maintained our supply chain and production throughout the year and expanded our market leadership in Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to affect us in 2021. This year, we will set the strategic internal course for sustainable growth “after Corona”,” says Tim Berger, CEO of the Eckes-Granini Group.
After an initially promising start to the first quarter of 2020, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a massive setback in the out-of-home business from March onwards. In almost all European countries, restaurants and hotels were completely closed for months due to the Corona restrictions. Accordingly, Eckes-Granini suffered losses of up to 50 % in the out-of-home business in some markets.
Strong food retail partially offsets losses in the out-of-home business
The demand for fruit juices and fruit beverages developed positively in 2020. In contrast to previous years, which saw a declining trend, the FJND (Fruit Juice Nectar Drinks) market developed positively in 2020, both in terms of value (+2.2 %) and volume (+1.5 %). In particular the chilled-juice and ambient-juice segments were able to grow. With a growth of 3.9 %, Eckes-Granini grew almost twice as fast as the market in terms of value and was thus the growth driver in the FJND category again last year. In the food retail segment, the Eckes-Granini Group increased sales by 3 %, driven in particular by higher demand as a result of the ongoing Corona pandemic. Overall, the good results in food retail helped to compensate, at least in part, for the drastic decline in the out-of-home business.
Ongoing health awareness among consumers offers growth potential
The rising demand for fruit juices is also attributable to the continuing strong health trend among consumers. This is reflected in the positive development of the
Eckes-Granini Benefit Ranges, which have won over consumers with their additional health benefits. In Germany, Hungary, Austria and Lithuania, for example, the hohes C PLUS range grew by a total of 10 %, thus outpacing the overall growth of Eckes-Granini brands (+5.9 %) in these markets. The juices in the God Morgon Benefit range also benefited from this trend, with growth of 5 %, as did the shots of the Eckes-Granini brands Rynkeby, Brämhults and Marli.
In solidarity through the pandemic
The difficult situation in the out-of-home market was not the only challenge Eckes- Granini was facing in the pandemic year 2020. Ensuring smooth processes along the supply chain, in production and in operations also demanded a great deal from employees in terms of flexibility and commitment. Nevertheless, in the midst of the global crisis, it was important for the Group not to lose sight of its long-standing business partners and the situation in the communities in which Eckes-Granini operates. In an effort to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, Eckes-Granini supported restaurant owners Germany, Austria and France, among other countries, with donations. Under the umbrella of the Group-wide “Corona Relief Fund”, all eleven national subsidiaries of the Eckes-Granini Group also donated some 500,000 litres of fruit juice to people in systemically important professions and to charitable institutions from April to September 2020. And in the pandemic year, the international charity cycling initiative Team Rynkeby also collected 8.7 million EUR for seriously ill children despite many restrictions with regional country tours. Eckes-Granini has been a main sponsor and partner of the charity cycling race since 2016.
Sustainable management was also a priority in 2020
In the past business year, Eckes-Granini achieved a number of strategic milestones on its way to becoming one of the world’s most sustainable fruit juice producers by establishing an in-house sustainability team. The orange juices of Brazil, granini and God Morgon have carried the Group’s own “Sustainably Grown” label since last year and are produced from 100 % sustainably grown oranges. Through its cooperation with ClimatePartner, Eckes-Granini has also come closer to its goal of successively reducing all greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by its own business activities and offsetting them through a compensation project in Portel, Brazil.
Setting the course for future growth
“We have set ourselves a lot of goals for 2025. At the top are innovations strictly oriented to the wishes, expectations and needs of consumers. The current beverage market offers Eckes-Granini numerous growth opportunities, which we will explore. Our goal is to significantly increase our sales revenues and market share in Europe and beyond by 2025″, says Tim Berger, CEO of the Eckes-Granini Group. To this end, the Eckes-Granini Group will continue to develop and expand its strategic brands and existing channels in a targeted manner over the next five years and invest substantially in dynamic growth categories. There will be a clear focus on channels that promise profitable growth, especially e-commerce.”
You can find further information and download the business report at: https://bit.ly/3xK2s2G
About the Eckes-Granini Group: Eckes-Granini is the leading supplier of fruit juices and fruit beverages in Europe. For the independent family-owned company headquartered in Nieder-Olm, Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate), the focus is on committed and competent employees, strong brands in the areas of juices, fruit beverages and smoothies, and a long-term strategic orientation with sustainable value creation. Today, Eckes-Granini operates mainly in Europe with its own national companies and strategic partners and generates annual sales of 873 million euros with a total of 1708 employees. The company’s foundation is formed by the internationally renowned premium brands granini and Pago together with strong national and regional brands for juices and fruit beverages. Consumers in 80 countries worldwide and especially in Europe know and appreciate our fruit juices and the variety of fruit beverages.
Britvic acquires Plenish, plant-based drinks business
Portfolio comprises plant-based milks, cold-pressed juices and functional shots
The transaction strengthens Britvic’s offer in the high-growth plant-based milks and organic juice categories
Britvic announces the acquisition of Plenish, the plant-based milks, cold-pressed juices and shots company, and one of the most exciting brands in its category in Great Britain. Plenish joins Britvic’s portfolio of market-leading brands and strengthens the Group’s offering in the fast-growing plant-based segment.
Founded in 2012, Plenish offers a range of plant-based milks and plant-powered juice drinks all made from the highest quality, organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. The products are carried by major national grocery retailers. Plenish’s sales are further boosted by highly effective marketing and a sophisticated direct-to-consumer sales offer.
Kara Rosen set up Plenish in 2012 after looking for alternative solutions to deal with a recurring health issue. A native New Yorker, Kara moved to the UK and soon realised that there were no cold-pressed juices in the British market free of sugar. Kara decided to make her own juices and nut milks using mainly green vegetables from organic origin. Since then, Plenish has become one of the fastest growing plant-based milks brand in the UK, while its juice-led direct-to-consumer business continues to grow at over 100+ % pa. The transaction is closely aligned with Britvic’s strategy of building a portfolio of soft-drinks brands for every consumer occasion and its focus on accessing new spaces in the soft drinks category. Britvic has a long track record of successfully leveraging its scale and capabilities to grow its brands, and it will draw on this experience to fulfil the full potential of Plenish.
Britvic recognises the opportunity presented by the fast-growing plant-based drinks segment, with plant-based milks set to achieve retail sales values of over £500m by 2024. The non-soya plant-based milks market has grown more than tenfold over the past decade and it is fast becoming a mainstream category, with consumers favouring healthier, plant-based products over dairy.
The transaction also serves to strengthen Britvic’s Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability agenda. The Group is committed to ensuring its products help consumers enjoy life’s everyday moments, as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Healthy nutrition is at the core of Plenish’s brand with a range of products containing the highest quality natural ingredients with low calories, that are certified organic by the Soil Association. As an accredited B-Corporation and a certified carbon negative business, Plenish’s approach to environment will contribute positively to Britvic’s Healthier Planet commitments.
Natural energy and performance recovery brand, Resync, announced the newest Resync beverage, the first vegan ready-to-drink multisystem support drink on the market. The Resync beverage offers a convenient and delicious way to support the heart, immune and digestive system all in one eleven-ounce sparkling beverage.
The Resync beverage brings together the most critical ingredients to support the primary functional systems of the body, including immunity-boosting vitamin C that provides 555 % of daily value; seven grams of plant fiber and prebiotics to strengthen gut health; 200 mg of phenolic antioxidants to aid proper heart and immune system function; and a plant-based nitric oxide blend to support the heart and provide natural energy.
“Although the idea for the Resync beverage predated Covid-19, the pandemic became both my motivation and demand-based rationale to create the first vegan- and one of the healthiest overall-ready-to-drink beverages on the market,” said Resync, LLC founder and CEO Barbara Depta. “It is important to me that my premium line of natural energy and recovery improvement products support a moderately-active senior just as much it does my pro-athlete clients. The Resync beverage, as well as the entire line of Resync products, are both suitable for and accessible to everyone, anywhere, anytime.”
The functional support provided in one eleven-ounce can of Resync beverage brings together what would normally require three separate and distinct consumable products for the heart, immune and digestive systems. The aronia citrus flavour of the Resync beverage was born of the combination of natural ingredients: aronia berries, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants; red beets, which are packed with fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C for improved blood flow; and high-quality red spinach, which supplies nitric oxide, a critical molecule in our bodies that aids in increased blood flow and energy.
In the creation of her product line, Depta discovered that nitric oxide, delivered on the cellular level through the vascular system, could help provide nutrients to the entire body to support energy, heart health, and brain functionality, while supporting healthy inflammatory response due to exercise. It supports many essential reactions underneath the skin and has the potential to relax and widen blood vessels, allowing for more effective and efficient blood flow, nutrient delivery throughout the body. The plant-based nitric oxide blend is the primary element of every product in the Resync line.
Resync RTD can be purchased on Resync’s website at resyncproducts.com. The eleven-ounce cans are sold in packs of 12 for $69.99, or $59.49 with a monthly subscription.
The Resync beverage joins a full line of natural energy and performance support drinks and blends developed on the basis of scientific research, with registered dietitians, and performance testing. Resync uses third party testing certification for their supplement line, including NSF Certified for Sport and BSCG, to ensure all products are safe and free of banned substances. The full line, which offers Resync Recovery Blend and Resync Premium Collagen Peptides, is non-GMO, gluten free, sugar free, contains no artificial sweeteners, and is keto friendly. Resync is the trusted brand of registered dietitians, doctors, coaches and athletes around the world.
About Resync Barbara Depta created Resync in 2017 while she was traveling as a structural balance coach with one of the top NFL teams. Her goal was to develop products that didn’t exist for professional athletes and anyone who wants clinically tested, plant-based blends to sustain their energy, recover better post physical activity -products to help people feel their best, refuel their bodies, and support every layer of their connective tissue health.
With the anticipation of the drought and rainfall below the average in the first quarter of 2021 in São Paulo (SP), the development of the oranges from the 2021/22 season is below the expected, majorly in non-irrigated groves. At the current stage of groves development (fruit enlargement), moisture is crucial, which is warning farmers about the volume to be harvested this season.
So far, it is believed that production will be small, but larger than that in the 2020/21 season (due to the weather in the second semester of 2020 and its effects on flowering and settlement).
Besides the number of fruits, which is not forecast to be high, citrus farmers have been concerned about quality issues that may occur because of low moisture. The top complaints are related to size (since fruits may take longer to reach the ideal size) and wilted oranges (riper fruits), largely pear and early oranges. On the other hand, until the end of April, fruit drop, which may also be worsened by the lack of rain, was not significant, according to farmers.
In order to avoid higher quality loss, some farmers may accelerate the harvesting, even if the oranges have not reached the ideal size and ripening, which may hamper sales and constrain price rises.
INDUSTRIAL YIELD – On the other hand, industrial yield may be favored by the lack of rainfall in citrus-producing regions, since less boxes of oranges may be necessary to produce a ton of concentrated juice.
Delivers double-digit net sales and earnings growth Raises full-year net sales guidance and reaffirms EPS guidance
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and increased its outlook for 2021 net sales growth to 4 % to 6 %, from the Company’s prior net sales guidance of 3 % to 4 %. KDP also reaffirmed its guidance for full-year Adjusted diluted EPS growth of 13 % to 15 %.
Net sales in the first quarter of 2021 advanced approximately 11 % on both a GAAP and constant currency basis, with each of the Company’s business segments reporting strong growth. GAAP diluted earnings per share more than doubled to $ 0.23 and Adjusted1 diluted EPS grew to $ 0.33, a double-digit increase versus year-ago.
Commenting on the announcement, Chairman and CEO Bob Gamgort stated, “We delivered an exceptional first quarter, driving double-digit net sales and earnings growth, behind outstanding in-market execution. Looking forward, we see an improving, but volatile, macro environment marked by increasing consumer mobility and rising inflationary headwinds. We remain focused on delivering our business plan, with increased net sales growth expectations and growing confidence in achieving our Adjusted diluted EPS growth target of 13 % to 15 % for the year, and we plan to reinvest any earnings upside in the business to drive future growth.”
First Quarter Consolidated Results
Net sales for the first quarter of 2021 increased 11.1 % to $ 2.90 billion, compared to $ 2.61 billion in the year-ago period, driven by strong growth in each business segment, particularly Coffee Systems. On a constant currency basis, net sales advanced 10.8 %, reflecting higher volume/mix of 10.3 % and favourable net price realization of 0.5 %.
KDP in-market performance in the quarter remained strong, with retail dollar consumption2 advancing 9.4 % across the Company’s cold beverage retail base, with particular strength in CSDs3, premium unflavoured water, teas, juice drinks, apple juice, vegetable juice, mixers, and coconut water. This performance reflected the strength of Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, A&W, 7UP, and Sunkist CSDs, CORE hydration, Snapple teas and fruit drinks, Clamato vegetable juice, Motts apple juice, and Vita Coco. On a two-year stacked basis, consumption of KDP’s cold beverage portfolio increased 17 %. …
1Employee compensation expense and employee protection costs are both included as the COVID-19 items affecting comparability in the reconciliation of our Adjusted Non-GAAP financial measures. 2In 2021, reflected pay for temporary employees, including the associated taxes, as well as incremental benefits provided to frontline workers such as extended sick leave, in order to maintain essential operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, primarily reflected temporary incremental frontline incentive pay and benefits, as well as pay for temporary employees, including the associated taxes. Impacts both cost of sales and SG&A expenses. 3Included costs associated with personal protective equipment, temperature scans, cleaning and other sanitisation services. Impacts both cost of sales and SG&A expenses.
The IFU Technical Webinars are the virtual equivalents of the IFU Technical Workshop in 2021, which had to be cancelled as a live event due to the COVID pandemic. The IFU Technical Workshop is the meeting point for the national and international juice industry, including R&D, quality, laboratories, suppliers, universities, etc. By holding virtual events rather than a live event, the association look forward to welcoming even more participants to the webinars!
Due to the continued short-term uncertainty around the COVID situation, the IFU has been forced to once again postpone the live 2021 Technical Workshop event which was due to be held in Parma on 14th June. This event is rescheduled for June 2022 and the association has transferred the program for this year into a series of 4 on line Technical Webinars as follows:
25th May 2021 – Quality
27th May 2021 – Authenticity & Safety
1st June 2021 – Health & Nutrition
2nd June 2021 – Sustainability & Legislation
(Photo: IFU)
Tickets The ticket for all 4 webinars is EUR 249 for non-members, EUR 149 for members. www.ifu-fruitjuice.com
The Interprofessional of Lemon and Grapefruit of Spain has also requested “the application of ethylene in citrus” in organic production “because unlike what happens in other fruits or vegetables, does not induce ripening but only to change the color of the skin”.
Both comments have been submitted as part of the consultation period that the European Commission has opened on the draft regulation authorizing products and substances to be used in organic production.
The Interprofessional Association of Lemon and Grapefruit of Spain (AILIMPO) has submitted a proposal to the European Union for the food industry BIO products to replace the use of citric acid (E-330) by organic lemon juice “for being a totally effective and natural alternative“. The proposal has been presented by AILIMPO in the framework of the consultation period that the European Commission has opened on the Draft Implementing Regulation authorizing certain products and substances for use in organic production and establishing their lists.
(Photo: Zumo)
“We have requested the elimination of the authorization of this substance (citric acid E-330) as a preservative in food additives because it is perfectly substitutable in the processes by organic lemon juice whose main component is natural citric acid, whose production in Europe fully guarantees its availability “, said from AILIMPO, while recalling that Spain is a community leader in production and processing of lemon.
AILIMPO, in favor of using ethylene in organic citrus
In addition, AILIMPO has also submitted an observation to be able to use ethylene. The draft regulation establishes an important limitation for its use in organic citrus. This substance is used so that, once the internal maturity of the fruit is reached, the skin changes its green color to the characteristic color of the species and variety. This process is called degreening.
Since its use is restricted to organic citrus as part of a fruit fly prevention strategy, it could not be used for degreening. However, “the application of ethylene in citrus, unlike what happens in other fruits or vegetables, does not induce ripening but only to change the color of the skin,” clarified from AILIMPO whose position is not to limit the use of ethylene in organic citrus.
“AILIMPO has an important commitment to sustainability as is being made visible through the Welcome to the Lemon Age campaign,” they remind. The organic production of lemon and grapefruit has great relevance in its activity, hence the involvement of interprofessional in defending the interests of this sector. Therefore, AILIMPO has already moved this position also to the European organization FRESHFEL EUROPE, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the citrus Autonomous Communities, and the Councils of Organic Agriculture involved in order that their contributions to this draft implementing regulation take into account the considerations of the sector.
Below are the links to AILIMPO’s contributions to the public consultation of the Regulation.
About AILIMPO AILIMPO is a national interprofessional, based in Murcia, officially recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain and the European Commission, which represents the economic interests of producers, cooperatives, exporters and processors of lemon and grapefruit in Spain, a sector in which Spain is a world leader in fresh exports and ranks second in the ranking of processing countries, with an annual turnover of 700 million euros, generating 20,000 direct jobs and a turnover in ancillary industries of more than 250 million euros.
Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, an EQT portfolio company, announces its first major transaction, after becoming a standalone company, further bolstering the company’s position as the world leader in natural colours.
Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, a world leading provider of natural colors with the widest portfolio in the industry, has announced plans to continue its strong growth acceleration with the integration of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L into its portfolio.
This is the first add-on investment since being acquired by private equity firm EQT, and it significantly strengthens Chr. Hansen Natural Colors position by giving it access to SECNA Groups’ strong pigment portfolio, which notably includes anthocyanins from black carrots and grape, and caramel.
“We’re committed to continuing to find new ways to harness and share the power of nature’s true colours. This is the first of many exciting milestones for us as a standalone company. We look to enhance our value proposition and strengthen our operational platform together with the team at SECNA at a time when demand for naturally sourced colours is increasing” said Odd Erik Hansen, CEO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.
For SECNA Group CEO, Gabriel Muñoz, this partnership is the ideal opportunity to join forces with a like-minded established industry leader. “It’s a win–win situation as Chr. Hansen Natural Colors will add our strong pigment offerings in anthocyanins and caramel to their collection, while providing our valued customers and suppliers with access to their portfolio, technologies and market reach, which is the most extensive in the industry”.
“The combination of our colour platforms puts us in a prime position to better serve the market and our customers, and we’re looking forward to welcoming SECNA Groups’ 100 employees to the Chr. Hansen Natural Colors team” said Klaus Bjerrum, COO, Chr. Hansen Natural Colors.
The SECNA group is a holding of several companies, with a presence in Spain, Italy and Turkey.
The Bevolution® Group portfolio just got juicier. The B2B foodservice beverage manufacture is adding not-from-concentrate (NFC) juices to its already robust portfolio that spans from juices and lemonades to smoothie and cocktail mixers, even functional refreshers and add-ins.
Now, new Lemon NFC, Lime NFC, and Pomelo NFC juices join Bevolution’s premium Tropics® brand.
Quality is the defining characteristic of NFC juices. There are no additives or compromising preservatives, just a single ingredient picked peak of season. The delivered product is as fresh as if squeezed that day, naturally rich in colour, flavour, and aroma. It’s a simple but important difference that a chef or mixologist worth her salt will appreciate.
Ease of use and consistency are added benefits of choosing a single-strength juice. One bottle of Tropics 100 % Lime Juice NFC yields as much as 41 hand-squeezed limes without the prep. It can streamline operations and elevate a recipe, providing a key route to efficiency and premiumisation. Use back of the house or front, from cooking and baking to beverage. Whether making a marinade, cheesecake, or signature cocktail, Tropics brings stunning quality and reliable consistency within reach.
That’s because the premium Tropics brand sources from the world’s best growing regions. For example, Tropics 100 % Lemon Juice NFC is made with Spanish lemons selected for their multi-dimensional flavour. Lime and pomelo varieties are equally appealing, respectively sourced from Mexico and the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“It’s all about taste,” says Head of Sales Robert Corlett. “Quality, great-tasting products with broad application – like our new all-natural NFC juices – bring value to the front of the house as well as the back. That’s when you offer more than a product. You offer a total solution.”
Lightly pasteurised and cold-filled into HDPE containers, Tropics’ new clean label NFC juices are packed in 6-61.5 fl. oz. cases and promptly flash frozen. Product is available for sale immediately. 100 % Orange Juice NFC will join the line later in 2021.
About Bevolution Group Bevolution® Group is a leading manufacturer of foodservice and specialty coffee beverages. The B2B company offers a versatile portfolio of innovative, high-quality beverage solutions from brands like Tropics®, Dr. Smoothie®, Lemon-X®, and Refrasia®. Bevolution Group additionally offers customized product development and manufacturing capabilities. Markets serviced include restaurants and bars, hotels, healthcare organizations, cafés and coffeehouses, convenience stores, casinos, education campuses, and military facilities across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Production facilities are located in Chicago, Frostproof, FL, and Fullerton, CA.
Since the financial and economic crisis, there has only ever been an upwards trend for food processing and packaging machinery. In 2020, the 10-year growth phase in tis mechanical engineering sector came to a temporary end with a decrease of 9 percent to 13.9 billion euros.
“The drop in production doesn’t come as a surprise, as 2019 was an exceptionally strong year for our industry. Even without the Corona pandemic, we would have probably only just exceeded this high level,” explains Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association.
In the packaging machinery sector, production dropped by a total of 8 percent to 6.7 billion euros. In food processing machinery, the change rates varied in the individual subsectors. Production of meat processing machinery slightly increased to over 1.2 billion euros. The demand also remained stable for bakery machinery. Both subsectors reported a good domestic business, which overcompensated the decrease in exports.
Production of confectionery machinery dropped by 18 percent below the very high level of the previous year. There was also a double-digit drop in the production of beverage machinery. “These two sectors are very active in non-European countries and are among those suffering from the Corona pandemic. In addition, the customers of these industries include many multinationals that have simply frozen their investment projects,” says Clemens, explaining the different developments.
Corona- pandemic weakens export business
Exports of food processing and packaging machinery dropped by a total of 8 percent to 8.5 billion euros in 2020. The decline varied greatly from one sub-sector to another. Manufacturers of packaging machinery, meat processing machinery and bakery machinery recorded downturns of 5 to 6 percent. Confectionery machinery was down by 24 percent, and brewery machinery saw a 38 percent drop in exports. However, the reference values of the previous year were also exceptionally high in these two sectors. The severe impact on the brewery machinery sector is also directly related to the limited or complete standstill of business activity in the hotel and catering industry as a result of the Corona crisis.
From a regional point of view, foreign shipments of food processing and packaging machinery decreased in almost all economic regions in 2020, except of North America. In particular, deliveries from Germany to the USA increased by 8 percent to over 1.2 billion euros. Positive impetus also came from important individual markets, such as Russia, Mexico and China.
However, deliveries to the EU-27 as the most important sales region dropped by 15 percent. Exports to Asia also decreased by a significant double-digit percentage.
Outlook
According to current estimations, a return to the 2019 level is not very likely for 2021. “We do expect production to grow this year, but it is unlikely to be in double digits,” says Clemens. The general outlook for the industry is positive, according to the trade association’s managing director, as the sector’s companies are well positioned internationally and continue to benefit from a rising global demand for processed and packaged food, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
The VDMA represents around 3,300 German and European mechanical and plant engineering companies. The industry stands for innovation, export orientation, small and medium-sized enterprises and employs around four million people in Europe, more than one million of them in Germany only.
Historically the juice and squash category’s growth were hampered by sugar taxes and a negative health image, however, this trend is set to reverse in the coming years. The industry has a forecast growth of 4 % from $ 52.4 bn in 2020 to $ 54.6bn in 2021*, bolstered by health concerns which are seeing consumers prioritise ‘immunity-boosting’ claims over ‘sugar free’, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s survey found that almost two thirds (61 %) of consumers globally spend a mid to high amount on juice**.
Elisabet Gonzalez, Innovation Team Leader at GlobalData, comments: “Due to the pandemic consumers are more worried about their health and this could be the reason behind the juice category’s success at maintaining its appeal during this tough period. Boosting the immune system has become a top priority for shoppers, hence, functional juice drinks and healthy beverages that offer nutrition-rich ingredients are likely to stand out on the shelves and keep strong positioning.”
GlobalData identifies that health & wellness is a popular trend and a key theme in the juice industry. Some examples of innovative product launches include a Morinaga Sunkist super grape juice in Japan, which is said to contain ‘juice-derived polyphenols. Polyphenols are believed to improve the treatment of weight management difficulties, digestion issues, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. In the US, Softresco launched a charcoal fruit drink shot, which offers a fruit drink with added vegetable charcoal. The infusion of activated charcoal may resonate with the 35 % of US consumers that think charcoal will have a positive impact on their health***.
Gonzalez continues: “While out-of-home juice consumption has taken a dip due to lockdown restrictions, at-home consumption and expenditure seems to be steady for the category as it is expected to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6 % over 2021-2025 to reach $ 60.4bn*. Juice drinks might be seen by consumers as the perfect beverage to help them fight the virus, as it can provide the ideal dose of vitamins and nutrients needed to boost the immune system in an easy and convenient format for both children and adults.
“The COVID-19 pandemic could help some brands to strengthen their positioning and to reinvent themselves as a must-have product, rather than a beverage bought only for specific occasions. The health benefits of fruit juices and their many functional positioning possibilities, aligns well with today’s consumers’ needs, hence, there is a huge opportunity for the category to grow in the long-term and maintain its momentum in a post-pandemic era.”
*Data from GlobalData’s Global Market Data: Channel Insights Cube **Data taken from GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 Consumer Survey. ***Data taken from GlobalData’s 2019 Q3 global consumer survey
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will be the name of the company as Coca-Cola Amatil (Amatil) and Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) join together following completion of the acquisition in May.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will be the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottler and one of the leading FMCG companies in the world. The company will employ over 33,000 people, serving approximately 2 million customers in 26 countries.
The proposed acquisition of Coca-Cola Amatil was announced in October 2020, and was approved by Amatil’s shareholders on 16 April 2021. Following the completion of the acquisition in May, the new company name will come into use.
The company will continue to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange and on the Spanish Stock Exchanges, and will continue to trade under the symbol CCEP.
Peter West, currently Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Australia will become Vice President and General Manager for a newly created Australia, Pacific and Indonesia (API) Business Unit and will join the executive leadership team of Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP).
The leadership of CCEP’s existing business units and central functions remains unchanged. The new business unit’s operations include Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand Fiji and the Pacific Islands.
The company’s name will change to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). CCEP will combine the strength and scale of a large, multi-national business with an expert, local knowledge of the customers we serve and communities we support.
The words ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’ are not often linked to sugar substitutes, but Fooditive BV wants to change that. Over the past decade, the Netherlands-based food ingredient manufacturer has been pear-suing sustain-apple solutions to combat global sugar intake. In 2018, this became a reality with its plant-based and chemical-free sweetener. Since then, Fooditive has focussed on improving the health status of products that use sugar replacements by providing an affordable alternative to other options on the market.
As put by Fooditive’s Product Development Manager, Niki Karatza, “developing a sweetener that could successfully replace sugar in food products required us to first understand the true essence of sugar. We managed that by diving into the science behind sucrose, its taste and its unique functionalities.”
This was achieved through an innovative process: the reverse engineering of sucrose. By starting with the end product and working backwards, it allowed Fooditive to analyse the ingredients’ properties and therefore understand how it could mimic the characteristics of sugar in its sweetener. Combining this knowledge with apple and pear waste led to the creation of Fooditive Sweetener®, which is 70 % as sweet as sugar and does not raise insulin or blood glucose levels.
With sustainability and transitioning to a circular economy as Fooditive’s core principles, it obtains the raw materials for its sweetener in two ways. Firstly, it collaborates with Dutch farmers to salvage both organic and non-organic unwanted apples and pears, and secondly, it collects the side streams of these fruits from other production processes. Once gathered, a continuous fermentation process, which means that more sweetener can be yielded in a shorter amount of time, is used to extract fructose and convert it into keto-fructose; this end product is the sweetener.
For 2021, founder and food scientist Moayad Abushokhedim has set a weekly goal to produce around 30 tonnes of Fooditive Sweetener® by upcycling 83 tonnes of third-grade fruit. With this projection, it will become more widely accessible to consumers in a range of products including Gigi Gelato and Hero jam in the Netherlands.
In Germany, Fooditive was nominated for the Healthy Living Award 2020 for its innovation and positive contribution to the organisation’s eathealthy-philosophy. Fooditive Sweetener® will also feature in the Seicha GmbH drinks as of this year.
“Since the founding of Seicha, my brother and I have been searching for a natural sweetener that has a pleasing taste and no calories. With Fooditive, we have finally found a suitable partner, with which we will revolutionise the beverage industry in Europe. Seicha will launch the world’s first organic certified Zero Iced Tea in Q2 2021. The organic iced tea will be launched in three flavours: Green Tea & Ginger; Rooibos Tea & Mango Passion Fruit; and Black Tea & Orange Vanille.” (Co-founder, Benjamin Böning)
With new products in the works and many other companies going bananas for Fooditive Sweetener®, 2021 is set to be an even more promising year, as the company continues to make healthy food and drinks affordable for everyone, all the while fighting food waste.
About Fooditive: Fooditive BV was founded in 2018 with the aim to make healthy food affordable. Its core business model relies on delivering natural and healthy innovation to food companies, with the Fooditive sweetener as its main product. The company’s philosophy is based on three values: plant-based, sustainability, and innovation. Keeping healthy and nutritious products in mind, we aim to provide food that is tasty, low in calories, high in fibre, and has a high supply chain impact. Fooditive implements the three pillars of sustainability into the business model: caring for people by providing healthy alternatives and raising health awareness; operating within a circular economy by reusing, reducing, and recycling; and minimizing environmental impact by using side streams to create products. Finally, to be able to deliver on the demand, we work with many types of partners to get the best out of new types of side-streams affordably and easily.
SIG announced that it will construct a new plant in Queretaro, Mexico to serve North American markets. The plant will further expand SIG’s global production network and will enable the company to build on its strong track record of growth in North America.
Through its existing sales and service presence, SIG has been able to forge strong relationships with major dairies in Mexico, a large and growing milk market. In the USA, SIG has a well established co-manufacturing customer base and is ideally placed to serve innovative and expanding new categories.
SIG will invest around €40 million in the new plant over the period 2021-2023. The investment will cover state-of-the art production capacity for the printing, cutting and finishing of carton packs. The plant is expected to open in the first quarter of 2023 and will create around 200 jobs. It will have a highly flexible layout with a focus on ergonomics and the environment. Land and buildings will be financed through a long-term lease with an NPV of approximately €20 million.
Eckes-Granini and Refresco today announced that they have established the JuicyChain Foundation. This is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of making the global juice supply chain more sustainable. The foundation will manage and further develop the “JuicyChain”, which is an open source blockchain-based traceability and transparency platform. IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative is acting as an Advisor to the Board of the JuicyChain Foundation.
This new platform, based on The New Fork’s open food chain platform, was designed to create added value for all parties involved in the juice supply chain: from growers to processors, bottlers, brand owners, retailers and consumers. JuicyChain supports a move towards a significant increase in availability of sustainable juice in the marketplace. All companies in the juice industry can join JuicyChain and share information about sustainable juice easily and efficiently. Consumers and other stakeholders will be able to examine provenance and sustainability data by scanning a unique QR code on a finished juice product.
The New Fork has developed the platform blueprint and are the JuicyChain Foundation’s IT Provider. This blockchain based platform brings transparency to the efforts to increase the sustainability of juice in the industry.
“The blockchain technology brings us new and exciting possibilities to drive positive change. With the JuicyChain, we are continuing to work on increasing digitalization and sustainability of our business processes.” explains Holger Schlenger, CIO at Eckes-Granini.
JuicyChain aims to accelerate the uptake of sustainable juice volumes by providing supply chain transparency and trust. It enables customer and consumer-facing communication on sustainable juice with minimum entry barriers. JuicyChain members will need to be aligned with the sustainable sourcing definitions under the Sustainable Juice Covenant, hosted by IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative.
More companies are invited
We invite all parties in the juice supply chain to join JuicyChain so that we can further develop the platform together. Join us and be a frontrunner driving traceability, transparency and sustainability in global juice supply chains. As Coert Michielsen, CPO at Refresco says: “By teaming up with others we can move faster towards a common goal of more sustainable juice supply chains and promote the uptake of sustainable juice across the supply chain.”
Orange production for the 2020-2021 crop season totaled 268.63 million boxes1
The final 2020-2021 orange crop for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt, published on April 12, 2021 by Fundecitrus – performed in cooperation with Markestrat, FEA-RP/USP and FCAV/Unesp2 – was 268.63 million boxes of 40.8 kg each (90 lb), which represents a decrease of 6.65 % in relation to the first crop forecast published in May 2020, accounting for a reduction of 19.13 million boxes. This crop had a decrease of 118.16 million boxes in comparison to the previous season, which is equivalent to a volume 30.55 % smaller than that of the 2019-2020 cycle, confirming a record crop loss for all the years in which the crop suffered the physiological effects of the negative biennial production cycle of orange trees since the beginning of the historical series in 1988. Total orange production included:
47.00 million boxes of the Hamlin, Westin and Rubi early-season varieties;
13.85 million boxes of the Valencia Americana, Seleta and Pineapple early-season varieties;
81.45 million boxes of the Pera Rio mid-season variety;
91.95 million boxes of the Valencia and Valencia Folha Murcha late-season varieties;
34.38 million boxes of the Natal late-season variety.
Approximately 19.33 million boxes were produced in West Minas Gerais.
One of the reasons that explains this substantial crop loss is the fact that orange trees started flowering in the spring of 2019, when reserves were lower because they had been used in the previous crop season when there was a significant yield increase. Decreased reserves led to a significant reduction in the number of fruits per tree in this season, a phenomenon known as alternate bearing. The other reason is the strong negative influence of the climate throughout the season. …
1Hamlin, Westin, Rubi, Valencia Americana, Seleta, Pineapple, Pera Rio, Valencia, Valencia Folha Murcha and Natal. 2Department of math and science, FCAV/Unesp Jaboticabal Campus.
Arla Foods Ingredients is highlighting the potential of its Lacprodan® ISO.Clear to bring the benefits of protein to juice drinks.
Consumers are increasingly seeking beverages that combine health benefits with great taste and refreshment. At the same time, many are turning away from standard juice drinks because of their perceived high sugar content.
This is helping drive demand for fortified and functional beverages, the global market for which is forecast to grow to USD 125 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.1 %.1 High-protein and source of protein claims are also growing in the category, with an 8.6 % increase between 2015 and 2020.2
Lacprodan® ISO.Clear is a whey protein isolate developed for the fortification of functional beverages without cloudiness, graininess or off-taste. Lacprodan® ISO.Clear has a protein content of 90 %, offers high heat stability and is clear in solution making it suitable for pasteurized or UHT processed juice drinks.
To showcase its potential, Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a new protein-enriched juice drink concept. It shows how manufacturers can use Lacprodan® ISO.Clear to deliver the well known benefits of whey protein isolate in a refreshing, great-tasting juice drink format with no added sugar. It also demonstrates how juice drinks fortified with Lacprodan® ISO.Clear can be positioned for a variety of markets, for example as:
A new breakfast standard for health-conscious consumers
A nourishing, on-the-go vitalizer for kids
An enjoyable post-workout recovery drink
A nutritious drink for older consumers, or patients who need extra protein
Mathias Toft Vangsoe, Sales Development Manager, Health and Performance, at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Many consumers are starting to move away from standard juice drinks, but they still want health benefits alongside natural ingredients, great taste and refreshment. This is creating new demand for innovative functional beverages, and protein-enriched juice drinks represent a particularly exciting opportunity in the sector. Products with Lacprodan® ISO.Clear taste just like juice drinks should, but with the benefit of high-quality, natural whey protein isolate. They’re also very easy to add to existing recipes, making them the ideal way to add new appeal to traditional juice drink ranges.”
Lacprodan® ISO.Clear works well with a broad range of juice types, in particular clear juice drinks, and can be combined with other health-promoting ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and probiotics.
The 2020-2021 Florida all orange forecast released by the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board is down 3.80 million boxes to 51.7 million boxes. If realized, this will be 23 percent less than last season’s revised final production. The forecast consists of 22.7 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season, and Navel varieties) and 29.0 million boxes of Valencia oranges. A 9-year regression has been used for comparison purposes. All references to “average”, “minimum”, and “maximum” refer to the previous 10 seasons, excluding the 2017-2018 season, which was affected by Hurricane Irma. Average fruit per tree includes both regular and first late bloom. …
Please download the full citrus crop production forecast: www.nass.usda.gov
Beloved baby food brand to join growing portfolio of better-for-you whole fruit snacks
Sun-Maid Growers of California announced it will acquire Plum Organics, a leading premium, organic baby food and kids snacks brand, from Campbell Soup Company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Plum offers a diverse portfolio of organic foods and snacks to meet the nutritional needs of babies, tots and kids. All of Plum’s products are certified organic and non-GMO.
“We’re excited to welcome Plum Organics’ nutritious line of baby, toddler and kids’ food products to our imaginative world of delicious, whole fruit snacks. Our purpose is to help mom find better-for-you food options that taste great and kids will love. Adding Plum to our innovative product lineup delivers even more choices for her and her family,” said Harry Overly, CEO and president of Sun-Maid Growers of California. “Plum is a natural fit for the Sun-Maid family given our expertise, leadership and rapid growth in healthy snacking, along with our strong emotional connection with family households. Its acquisition is an integral part of our continued dedication to providing superior products while delivering category growth. We’re committed to carrying on Plum’s mission of serving babies the very best food from the first bite.”
Chris Foley, Campbell’s President of Meals & Beverages, said, “The sale of the Plum Organics baby food brand is part of our ongoing strategic process to create even greater focus on driving growth in the division’s core categories of soup, sauces and beverages.”
Plum Organics was founded in 2007 by a group of parents on a mission to give the very best food to their little ones. Campbell acquired Plum in 2013.
The anticipated closing date for this transaction is Spring 2021.
Tetra Pak announced it is ready to deploy its portfolio of tethered cap solutions. The portfolio brings numerous benefits to food and beverage manufacturers and consumers, as the company builds on its vision of the most sustainable food package. These benefits include minimising litter, as the cap will stay attached to the package. The carbon footprint can also be reduced because the company’s tethered caps are planned to become available as a plant-based option, therefore increasing the renewable content of the package.
U-paper straw on Tetra Pak carton package (Photo: Tetra Pak)
In tandem, the company is accelerating the expansion of its paper straws offering to ensure further renewable and low carbon materials across the range of packaging solutions. The aim of this is to address a broad range of customer sustainability needs without compromising on food safety, while still delivering on the end-user drinking experience.
Lars Holmquist, Executive Vice President Packaging Solutions and Commercial Operations, Tetra Pak, says: “These are key milestones in our journey towards the world’s most sustainable food package: a carton that is fully made from renewable or recycled materials, is fully recyclable and carbon-neutral. We consistently strive to deliver products and services that adds value to food and people while protecting the planet. Our promise, ‘PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD™,’ allied with this strong purpose means we are providing customers with innovative products that also meet the rapidly changing demands of society.”
Tetra Pak’s tethered caps and paper straws developments mark the latest additions to its range of responsible end-to-end solutions, allowing manufacturers to achieve their ambitions in three essential areas – food safety, food waste and the environment – simultaneously.
Lars Holmquist (Photo: Tetra Pak)
Holmquist continues: “Approximately 32 % of all plastic packaging is not collected and plastic can take hundreds of years to degrade[1]. We focus on recycling by design, committing to invest approximately € 100 million per year over the next 5 – 10 years to develop more sustainable packaging solutions. This includes alternatives to replace fossil-based plastics and avoid littering, as well as maximising the use of renewable, responsibly sourced materials in our packages. Addressing people’s needs for recycling is a critical component for not only becoming more sustainable but making food more available and safer for all consumers.”
These steps are also central to ensuring that Tetra Pak’s customers in Europe will be ready to comply with the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive, an integral part of the wider approach announced in the Plastics Strategy and an important element of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan[2].
With this in mind, Tetra Pak has accelerated innovation in the caps domain. Holmquist adds: “The significant challenge of deploying tethered caps is the scale of the change that this brings across the value chain. If we look at Europe alone, more than 1,000 packaging lines supplied by us will be potentially transformed, translating into over 20 billion packages which are expected to be converted. All of that in three years, while minimising impact on our customers’ operations, optimising the consumer experience and contributing to both minimising litter and creating a carton package with increased plant-based and recycled content.”
Tetra Pak is progressing on this complex journey by working seamlessly across various project streams. Overall, this covers approximately 40 different packages with tethered caps. Those caps are all planned to become available as a plant-based option. The first one to be released on the market is the HeliCap™ 26 Pro closure. This product features a new screw and flip concept with a self-locking hinge, securing food protection while providing convenience for in-home consumption. Its opening and closing mechanism has proven popular with consumers, demonstrating that the solution is delivering further benefits in addition to meeting legislative requirements[3].
Holmquist concludes: “We won’t stop here. We are continuously innovating our sustainable openings offering. We envision a world where carton packages never become waste and where every carton is collected and recycled.”
[1]Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ [2]Main objective of Directive 2019/904 is the prevention and reduction of marine litter from single-use plastic items. The implementation of this directive into EU member states’ national legislation will lead to a ban of selected products from the market, whenever affordable alternatives are available, among other measures. While bans on plastic straws will come into force by July 2021, EU-based beverage producers, retailers and manufacturers, as well as importers, are obliged to implement tethered caps and lids – designed to remain attached to containers – by July 2024. [3]Source: consumer research conducted in Spain, Italy and Poland in November 2019, with 300 consumers through face to face interviews, focussed on HeliCap™ 26 Pro opening on Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 1000 Square package.
The supply of early citrus fruits was increasing in São Paulo State (SP) in late March, while the demand from juice processors was lower, and businesses were facing a new period of restrictive measures to fight covid-19 in Brazil.
Although estimates do not point to an extremely high availability in April, supply should still be higher than that in March, since more early oranges should reach the ideal maturation stage to be harvested this month. As for demand, besides the new restrictive measures, logistic issues were constraining purchases from wholesalers and retailers in Brazil.
Among the major changes in food services during the covid-19 pandemic are the halt in school meals, which highly demands in natura oranges, and the closure of bars and restaurants, where the demand for juice is high. Thus, in March, fruits were mostly sold to supermarkets.
PRICES – Although orange prices were still high in March, underpinned by lower supply, they decreased late in the month. The average price for pear oranges in March was 38.71 BRL per 40.8-kilo box, on tree, 2.7 % down compared to that in February. For hamlin oranges (early variety), the average closed at 29.48 BRL/box, on tree, practically stable in the same comparison.
According to Cepea collaborators, some farmers anticipated the harvesting of pear oranges, aiming to take advantage of the current price levels – these agents are aware of the forecasts for higher supply of early oranges in the market from April onwards and, thus, fear quotes may drop in the coming weeks.
In the Brazilian market of tahiti lime, which is also largely sold to bars and restaurants, the decrease in the demand and the slightly higher supply pressed down quotes in March. Besides, the pace for exports and crushing slowed down.
The average price for tahiti lime closed at 20.60 BRL per 27-kilo box, harvested, 32.8 % down from that in February. However, despite this devaluation, prices are currently higher than that last year, due to lower production this season.
Organic cold brew sparkling teas crafted in partnership with James Beard Foundation
Enroot launched its much-anticipated line of small-batch, slowly cold brewed, organic sparkling teas. The new beverages, consisting of five unique blends, pay homage to co-founder Cristina Patwa’s grandmother and her legacy as a farmer and food entrepreneur in the Philippines. Birthed in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, Enroot beverages are sustainably sourced and flavourfully combine organic teas, fruits and herbals to create a smooth, delicious tasting experience.
As the NEXTY award winner in Best New Organic Beverage, the sparkling wellness brews are thoughtfully crafted with chefs involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact programs. The botanically packed blends use only organic teas, herbs, fruits and spices, and a 20-hour cold brew method that honors the rituals of brewing to deliver perfectly extracted flavours and wellness attributes. At only 25 calories per bottle – with no added sugar, sweetener or “flavours” – the lineup also offers a variety of clean caffeine options, from caffeine-free to ~ ½ espresso.
The Enroot collection of sparkling teas will be available at drinkenroot.com and at select grocers beginning in Southern California, USA. Flavour profiles launching are:
Relax: Strawberry Lavender Rosemary Tulsi
Reenergize: Mango Turmeric Ginger Guyausa
Revitalize: Raspberry Mint White Peony Tea
Rejuvenate: Peach Hibiscus Jasmine Green Tea
Revive: Apple Lemon Cayenne Yerba Mate
“This has been a three-year labour of love from leaf to bottle with a caring community of award-winning, pioneering chefs and skillful engineers, who developed our distinct brewing and batching method,” said Enroot CEO Cristina Patwa. “The results are delightful, and we are grateful to be on this journey with friends who share similar values.”
The female-led small business was founded by three friends, Cristina Patwa, John Fogelman and Brad Pitt, based on their shared passion for Food, Family and Farms, and a desire to help make a change in the food industry. As a public benefit corporation and pending certified B Corp, Enroot is a Sustaining Partner and proudly gives back to the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Programs, which strives to address the lack of diversity and parity in the food and beverage industry.
“As admirers of the Foundation’s advocacy work, we collectively wanted to create a brand that is rooted in good flavour and intent – particularly by having a strong connection to our health, the earth and each other now more than ever,” said Pitt.
“We are proud of our partnership with Enroot, and our shared values of advancing women and creating a world that is more delicious, diverse and sustainable,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “We remain committed to providing women with the tools they need to create the life they want and build back stronger than ever before.”
Based and brewed in California, Enroot is the first start-up in food and beverage to create a comprehensive responsible sourcing policy with SCS Global Services, the trusted leader in third-party sustainability and food quality certification. Using plastic-free packaging, the company partners with its suppliers to carefully source quality organic ingredients and help reduce its carbon footprint.
About the James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation promotes Good Food For Good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has asserted the power of food to drive behavior, culture, and policy change. The organization is committed to giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before.
First Southern Hemisphere Fruit Trade Congress highlighted the key priorities of the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) in its strategy for 2021 – 2023 and served as a platform for announcing a new cooperation agreement with the Chinese fruit importing industry. The first ever online event also highlighted the key challenges and opportunities for the region and defined that building on individual key strengths is the way forward for 2021 and beyond.
The Southern Hemisphere Fruit Trade Congress organized by the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters, with the defining theme “Keeping the World supplied” has taken place virtually on the 25th of March 2021. With 615 registered participants from all-over the world and two run-ups for convenient dial-in from different time zones, the first annual Congress has reached an exceptional outreach.
Starting with a keynote speech by FAO Deputy Director General Ms Beth Bechdol, highlighting the importance of the support of the fresh fruit industry to the United Nations campaign “International Year of Fruit and Vegetables 2021, at the heart of the conference program have been the outlook review provided by current SHAFFE president Charif Christian Carvajal from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX). Mr. Carvajal highlighted the key areas of activity of SHAFFE, including strengthening the organizations resource availability, stimulating formation of fresh produce industry professionals’, modernizing information systems, and collaborating with like – minded trade organizations and international public entities to create common grounds of dialogue and exchange. The outlook was accompanied by an extensive outlook panel discussion moderated by SHAFFE Secretary General Nelli Hajdu together with 8 thought leaders from the various Southern Hemisphere countries.
The SHAFFE congress was also the scene for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CCCFNA). The Chinese market has become an important outlet for Southern Hemisphere Traders. The market has been growing 90 % over the past five years to 2.5 billion USD market.
The Southern Hemisphere looks back on a very good season 2020 despite Covid-19 constraints challenging producing and trading operations. With a decrease of 8 % in volume but a continued increase of value of 5 % in 2020 (9.8 million T, 14.6 billion USD), Southern Hemisphere traders have secured continuous fruit supply in 2020. The outlook was followed with a panel discussion with thought leaders from the 8 Southern Hemisphere SHAFFE member countries, highlighting the state of play of their respective industries, capitalizing their key individual strengths from investment into organic to emphasis on varietal diversification and/or to branding the desire of consumers for food safety.
The congress additionally showcased contributions from SHAFFE partner organisations including the the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CCCFNA), Freshfel, the European Fresh Produce Association, British Summer Fruits,the US Produce Marketing Association , Canadian Produce Marketing Association and the International Federation for Produce Standards), hence wrapping up a complexity of tasks and challenges for the interconnected global fruit sector.
California-based company aims to revolutionize how consumers experience food and beverage products with natural modifier that enhances flavour, amplifies taste characteristics and improves “Kokumi” mouthfeel effect.
The U.S. subsidiary of one of the world’s top flavour & fragrance development companies is on a mission to unlock the flavour and taste potential in a broad range of food and beverage products across North America.
T. Hasegawa USA introduced its new natural flavour modifier Boostract™ to the North American market. This innovative new technology aims to revolutionize the way consumers experience food and beverages by adding or enhancing the effect of kokumi (which translates to “rich taste” in Japanese). Kokumi increases the richness of taste while maintaining balance between different flavours for a more satisfying experience in foods and beverages.
Developed over a two-year period as an exclusive technology by T. Hasegawa, Boostract solves a recurring challenge that many of the world’s top food and beverage brands face: delivering a consistent taste experience to consumers. The goal is ensuring the sensations of flavour, taste and characteristics are true to the original product recipe, which often presents a major problem during production.
“The moment a food is harvested or produced, it typically begins declining in taste, so an extra flavour boost is required to better define a delicate flavour note,” explained T. Hasegawa’s VP of research & development, Jim Yang. “Often the nuances of flavour complexity are lost during large scale production, so Boostract enables us to deliver a better flavour and taste experience for our customers and ensure consistency in their products.”
In addition to enhancing the kokumi effect and improving flavour, Boostract is an effective masking agent, eliminating unwanted flavour notes in confectionary products and ‘functional gummies’ while boosting the desired flavors in protein bars, ice cream and more.
Boostract also reinforces T. Hasegawa’s leadership in the sports nutrition and coffee/tea categories because the product can both mask bitter flavours and amplify the mouthfeel inherent in these beverage products. The Boostract flavour modifier can also boost the sweet characteristics of fruit notes, such as making citrus taste fresher, or highlighting the distinct flavour notes of an exotic tropical fruit in beverages.
Boostract is developed through three different mechanisms utilized by T. Hasegawa, including extraction, enzyme and thermal reaction technology. These mechanisms are used alone, or in various combinations, depending on the food or beverage product application. The end result is a clean-labelled natural product that is not yeast-based like other flavour modifiers and can even be organic certifiable in the future.
T. Hasegawa’s Boostract flavour modifier is currently available in dairy and non-dairy versions (in both liquid and powder form), with a tomato-based variation adding to the lineup soon. Additional Boostract varieties are currently in development, including Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee and Tea.
Electrolit – the preferred, premium hydration beverage made from pharmaceutical quality grade ingredients – announced the launch of the Zero line in response to growing consumer demand for lower calorie, lower sugar functional beverages. Electrolit Zero will fill store shelves across the U.S. this month in three flavours: Berry Blast, Lemon Breeze and Fruit Punch Splash.
“Over the past year, consumers have increasingly looked at their health as a long-term investment, and they are calling for lower sugar, lower calorie options to achieve their hydration goals,” said Caridad Ochoa, Commercial Director with Electrolit. “We all know that hydration is critical to function at our best, and with our Zero line, we can reach a new set of health-minded consumers seeking premium hydration.”
Electrolit Zero will be available in three new flavours: Berry Blast, Lemon Breeze and Fruit Punch Splash. Manufactured with a slightly modified formula, Electrolit Zero will maintain the integrity and scientifically backed ingredients of the current line, with ingredients like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium glucose, and sodium lactate for fast, effective hydration.
Consumers will recognize Electrolit’s iconic square bottle and logo on the Zero bottles, with an added Zero label.
Electrolit continues to grow their national footprint and will extend their Zero line to select current retailers, including 7-11, HEB, AMPM, among others. Electrolit can also be purchased at Walmart, Kroger, and more, and through online channels.
About Electrolit Electrolit manufactures a scientifically formulated premium hydration beverage that replenishes the body after physical activity, intense heat, hangovers, or sickness. Formulated with magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium glucose, and sodium lactate plus six ions for electrolyte absorption, Electrolit aids in recovery of the hydro electrolytic imbalance, fulfilling metabolic and hydration needs. Available in nine delicious flavors, Electrolit is currently offered in national, grocery, convenience and online channels across the U.S., including Walmart, Kroger, HEB, 7-11 and more. Electrolit is manufactured and owned by Pisa Pharmaceuticals, the largest pharmaceutical company in Mexico and Latin America.
Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the flavour and fragrance (F&F) bio-based intermediates business of Amyris, Inc., which extends DSM’s offerings in Aroma Ingredients with bio-based ingredients for the flavour and fragrance and cosmetics industries.
DSM will acquire the business currently consisting of seven intermediate products (four already generating meaningful sales and EBITDA, two just launched and one under development) which will be added to DSM’s existing Personal Care & Aroma Ingredients activities.
DSM will acquire the business for an upfront consideration of US$ 150 million, which represents an estimated 15x EV/EBITDA 2021 multiple. Amyris will share in the EBITDA growth over the period 2021-2024 of certain of the activities (mainly the products just launched/ under development), receiving additional earn-outs equal to 9x the realized EBITDA in 2024, which is estimated to result in a total earn-out amount of US$ 100-150 million. DSM and Amyris will continue their R&D partnerships.
In recent years DSM acquired Amyris’ Farnesene business and technology for nutritional and F&F ingredients, as well as its Brotas (Brazil) biotechnology manufacturing facilities. DSM has been producing several F&F products for Amyris in this facility. Acquiring now the entire F&F business from Amyris is synergetic for DSM as it:
Further strengthens DSM’s globally-leading biotechnology base with F&F intermediate products and increases the scale of DSM’s biotechnology activities in nutritional ingredients;
Broadens DSM’s existing offerings in Aroma Ingredients with additional biotechnology-based products for DSM’s – already existing – F&F customer base;
Strengthens DSM’s sustainability profile further, as bio-based F&F ingredients offer additional alternatives to chemistry-based products as well as botanically-sourced ingredients.
The fruit, starch and sugar group AGRANA is extending its presence in Asia and acquiring the fruit preparations business of the local food producer Taiyo Kagaku Co. Ltd. AGRANA Fruit Japan Ltd. will be starting with the production of fruit preparations on 1 April and therefore now includes a fourth Asian country in addition to China, India and South Korea. As the global leader in fruit preparations, AGRANA now maintains 26 production sites in 20 countries.
The fruit preparations plant in question is located in Yokkaichi, in southern Japan, around 100 km east of Osaka. From there it will supply customers in Japan’s bakery products sector as well as dairies and ice cream producers. Japan has a constantly growing market for fruit preparations with a volume of around 60,000 metric tons and forecast annual growth of 2-3 % a year.
“The acquisition of this Japanese fruit preparations plant from TAIYO is an important step as part of our expansion in Asia. The growing Japanese market for fruit preparations is characterised by high quality demands and innovations. This ties in perfectly with our high quality standards and the innovative direction as the global market leader in the fruit segment, where we satisfy the needs of our customers with a wide portfolio – ranging from standard fruit preparations for yoghurts and ice creams to premium-segment fruit solutions such as sauces, condiments, fillings and smoothie bases,” explains the CEO of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG, Johann Marihart.
Fruit preperations at AGRANA AGRANA’s fruit preparations contain top quality fruit which is either puréed or diced and used in dairy products or in the ice cream and bakery products industries. These products are individually designed by AGRANA on the basis of close development-related collaborations with customers. In addition to fruit preparations, AGRANA also offers innovative preparations with “brown flavours” such as caramel, coffee or vanilla as well as so-called inclusions (e.g. chocolate balls). In addition to the food processing industry, AGRANA also supplies its fruit preparations to fast-food companies and food service providers.
The next edition of Interpoma, the only international trade show dedicated to the apple sector, will take place in 2022, from November 17th -19th.
After a thorough evaluation and a series of discussions with exhibiting companies, Fiera Bolzano has decided to return to the usual trade show calendar, which sees Interpoma as a biennial event scheduled in even-numbered years, alternating with Agrialp, the agricultural trade show of the Alpine arc, in odd-numbered years. After the 2020 edition had to be held exclusively as a digital event, it was initially planned to repeat Interpoma in physical presence in 2021. However, considering the exclusive format of Interpoma which, in addition to the trade show, includes a program of customized tours at the regional level and the involvement of the entire city of Bolzano, transformed for the occasion into the apple capital, the Board of Directors of Fiera Bolzano has decided to reschedule Interpoma in 2022, from November 17th to 19th.
“The uncertainty regarding international travel for next fall has led us to the decision, after a thorough evaluation, to postpone the Interpoma trade show to 2022. Interpoma thrives on an international atmosphere with trade visitors from all over the world. We are confident that in 2022 we will be able again to offer a format that fulfils the expectations of our exhibitors, visitors and partners”, says Thomas Mur, Managing Director of Fiera Bolzano.
Indeed, Interpoma makes internationality its main strength. At the last edition in attendance, in 2018, visitors came from 70 different countries.
The next appointment with Interpoma at Fiera Bolzano is therefore from November 17th – 19th, 2022.
SIG joins AIM-Progress to collaborate for positive impact through responsible sourcing
SIG announced it is the first in the beverage carton industry to become a member of AIM-Progress, a global forum of leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers and common suppliers, assembled to enable and promote responsible sourcing practices and sustainable supply chains.
Collaborating for positive impact
Responsible sourcing has been a key pillar of SIG’s net positive ambition to go Way Beyond Good for society and the environment since the outset. This commitment is closely aligned with AIM-Progress’ focus on collaborating for positive impact through responsible sourcing, making membership a natural fit.
The goal of AIM-Progress is to positively impact people’s lives and ensure respect for human rights, while delivering value to its members and their supply chains. A priority is to build members’ and suppliers’ capability to adopt and implement the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
As the first beverage carton provider to join the organisation, SIG has an excellent opportunity to build strong partnerships with other members. The aim is to work together to co-create solutions and share best practices that can positively impact people’s lives and ensure human rights are respected through the supply chain.
Helping customers meet demand for responsible sourcing
FMCG brands are seeing increasing demand from consumers, investors and other stakeholders to demonstrate that they meet high ethical, environmental, labour and human rights standards – not only in their own operations, but throughout their products’ supply chain.
SIG’s solutions enable customers to clearly demonstrate that their packaging comes from responsible sources. The company has led the industry in the development and adoption of certifications for responsible sourcing for over a decade.
SIG is the only aseptic carton provider to offer packs with all three main materials certified as responsibly sourced – FSCTM-certified liquid packaging board, ASI-certified aluminium foil and ISCC PLUS-certified polymers. All three of these certifications include stringent requirements on human rights as well as other social and environmental criteria. SIG has also made a strong commitment to human rights in its business and supply chain as a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.
About AIM-Progress AIM-Progress is a forum of leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturers and common suppliers, assembled to enable and promote responsible sourcing practices and sustainable supply chains. It is a global initiative supported and sponsored by AIM – the European Brands Association.
Doctor’s Biome, a probiotic health and wellness shot composed of 15 strains of extensively researched, science-backed probiotics is now available in Canada
Doctor’s Biome, a leader in clinically validated juice-based probiotics, founded by a group of doctors and scientists now offers shipping to Canada. “We are extremely excited to be able to expand into Canada and offer this unique, one of a kind probiotic,” says Dr. Howard Robins, the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer. “Hundreds of my patients in my ozone-therapy practice have seen a significant change in their gut health. Helping people achieve their health and wellness goals has always been a driving force behind Doctor’s Biome.”
Unlike other probiotic brands in capsule or tablet form on the market, Doctor’s Biome guarantees active, living probiotics in an organic vegetable-fruit juice. Since Doctor’s Biome is in a fully hydrated liquid form, it allows for faster absorption and maximum benefit.
In order for probiotics to be most effective, they should be living at the time of manufacture and also upon entering your digestive system. Doctor’s Biome provides active, living strains of probiotics with each daily dose that remain alive upon entering your digestive tract and then continue to flourish in your gut microbiome.
Doctor’s Biome only uses strains that have been extensively researched. The 15 strains of probiotics or “healthy bacteria” compete against a spectrum of harmful bacteria and yeasts for nutrients and space, which helps to rebalance the gut and support healthy digestion.
About Doctor’s Biome Doctor’s Biome is a synbiotic, which is a combination of prebiotics (the food that feeds the good bacteria in your gut) and probiotics (good bacteria in your gut that normalizes and rebalances your gut microbiome) that work together in the gut.
Prebiotics: fiber in the organic vegetable-fruit juice feeds the probiotics, which in turn help them propagate so that they can outnumber the bad bacteria in your gut and create a healthy GI tract.
Probiotics: 15 scientifically-backed strains of probiotics targeted to help normalize digestion and rebalance the amount of good bacteria in your gut microbiome.
To date, AGRANA had been expecting an overall annual EBIT in 2020/21 of at least € 87.1 million. Following a provisional review of the figures, the Group is now expected to achieve provisional earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) in its 2020/21 financial year in an amount of € 78.7 million (prior year: € 87.1 million). Group revenue will amount to around € 2,550 million (2019/20: € 2,480.7 million).
Besides the anticipated, significantly weaker, operating performance in the fourth quarter 2020|21, extraordinary items in the fruit preparations business are the main reason why EBIT in 2020|21 is below the level of the prior year.
The 2020/21 annual report will be published as planned on 11 May 2021.
Since March 01, 2021, Uwe Keiter has been actively supporting A+F Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH, Kirchlengern, as new Vice President Sales and Business Development. He succeeds Uwe Hüsener who retires at the end of 2021. “With the help of such an internationally experienced sales expert we will be able to decisively intensify connections with our current and future customers. This will enable us to offer even better end-of-line packaging solutions for the dairy, food and beverage industries in all relevant market segments“, comments Thomas Lehmann, CEO of EOL Packaging Experts GmbH and managing director of A+F.
Uwe Keiter studied electrical engineering, specialising in automation, at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. He successfully completed his studies with an engineering degree. After leaving university Uwe Keiter worked as a project engineer. He then changed to national and international sales of automation technology for the food industry. Uwe Keiter then went on to hold responsible positions in international key account management in the pharmaceutical, food beverage and care product segments.
His last position before joining A+F was in the development and sales of Industry 4.0 digitalisation solutions. Besides his activities in sales, Uwe Keiter has been doing voluntary work for over ten years for the non-profit organisation OMAC which addresses issues concerning standards for production companies, especially in the packaging industry. Uwe Keiter has been chairman of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup for many years.
About A+F Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH: A+F was founded in 1974 and, as a leading supplier of end-of-line packaging machinery, enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide for its expertise in the development of high-quality packaging solutions. A+F offers integrated solutions for the dairy, food and beverage, as well as the cosmetics industries. The company develops digital solutions for the evaluation of machine and ambient data, the results of which are used to increase production output.
About EOL Packaging Experts GmbH: EOL Packaging Experts (EOL) was founded in 2017. It is an international group of companies headquartered in Germany and offers end-of-line packaging machines and systems. Under the umbrella of the parent company EOL a strong international industrial group has been established. This group comprises the companies A+F Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH, Kirchlengern, as leading supplier of integrated and innovative system solutions for secondary and tertiary packaging, Standard- Knapp, Inc., Portland, Connecticut, as leading manufacturer of end-of-line packaging machines on the American market and BMS Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Pfatter, as leading system provider for innovative sorting systems, state-of-the-art dry part solutions and flexible repacking solutions.
Messe Berlin is cancelling its FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION 2021 on 18-20 May 2021 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Europe and the rest of the world.
“I’m quite sure today’s cancellation is no surprise to anyone,” says Madlen Miserius, Senior Product Manager. “The coronavirus pandemic is lasting longer than expected. We wanted to make an onsite event happen in May. But the prospects both for international business travel to Berlin and for large face-to-face gatherings are too low. And under these circumstances it’s simply impossible for us to meet face-to-face.”
Messe Berlin had worked hard to prepare a special edition of FRUIT LOGISTICA to take place over three days in May. The FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION was designed to withstand key uncertainties of the pandemic and to safeguard customers in terms of their health and of their investment in the show. And the concept resonated with business: more than 600 companies from Europe and the rest of the world had registered.
“We developed FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION as we knew through discussions with the industry that the market’s desire for a physical event was very strong. That’s why we developed a concept to offer our exhibitors the greatest flexibility at the smallest possible risk,” says Madlen Miserius, Senior Product Manager.
“Unfortunately, the pandemic still has the upper hand, and this is what has lead to today’s cancellation,” says Miserius. “There is a huge global family of people in the fresh fruit and vegetable business and it comes together every year at FRUIT LOGISTICA. We are already in discussions with international market players and are hard at work to prepare ourselves for FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022. We will do everything to ensure our 30th edition is a vibrant onsite event. So make a date in your diary for FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin on 9-11 February 2022.”
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