< PreviousThe Gluten Free Kitchen trebles in size following six-figure funding The Gluten Free Kitchen has trebled the size of its business after completing its successful move to new premises at Leyburn Business Park in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The increase in space at the new 3,000 sq ft unit has led to sales almost doubling, enabling the team at The Gluten Free Kitchen to meet rising demand for its range of sweet and savoury gluten free, wheat free, soya free, dairy free, egg free food. This includes launching four new products with Ocado: chocolate crunch cakes, strawberry crunch cakes, goats cheese tarts and cheddar tarts. The Gluten Free Kitchen received investment from FW Capital through the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund in 2023 and is now seeing their plans come to fruition. The funding allowed the business to relocate after outgrowing its previous site. The new premises include kitchen and warehouse facilities. The funding has also supported the expansion of the team and development of new product ranges including the products made exclusively for Ocado. It has also assisted the redevelopment of The Gluten Free Kitchen website making it easier for customers to place their online orders. Unilever completes £40m investment in Burton food factory Unilever’s largest UK food factory in Burton has undergone a significant five-year transformation, bringing production of the full Unilever UK condiments business into one specialist hub in Burton. With 99% of products made at Unilever’s Burton site distributed to UK retailers, the investment will support the continued growth of Unilever’s foods business in the UK with a focus on driving supply chain efficiencies, boosting capabilities and delivering significant production growth at the site. A second state-of-the-art factory has been built alongside the existing factory, increasing the site’s footprint by 50% to 31,000 sqm and bringing production of Hellmann’s to the site, alongside Marmite, Bovril and Colman’s. Investment in digital capabilities has created a highly optimised site across two food factories and nine production lines, doubling volume alongside a 13% increase in total factory efficiency at the site in the last three years. 10 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net on line Twin City Foods upgrades sort capabilities with VERYX™ optical sorters from Key Technology Twin City Foods, a leader in the frozen vegetable industry, has partnered with Key Technology and installed two VERYX™ optical sorters at the end of their lines that process frozen peas and corn. VERYX removes all types of foreign material and processor-specified product defects to ensure high product quality while maximizing yield. Twin City Foods selected two of Key’s VERYX B210 belt-fed sorters, each capable of processing up to 40,000 lbs. of frozen vegetables per hour. Both sorters are equipped with top- mounted off-axis cameras and laser sensors as well as Key’s Pixel Fusion™ detection module to achieve Twin City Foods’ rigorous food safety and product quality objectives. Recognizing the color, size, shape and structural property of every object, these VERYX sorters find and remove foreign materials, including metal, plastic, insects, extraneous vegetative matter, as well as defects such as off-color products and pulled corn kernels. To maximize equipment uptime and sorting performance, the VERYX systems are equipped with RemoteMD™, which enables a two-way remote session between the sorter and a Key service technician. For more information about Key Technology, visit www.key.net. Anheuser-Busch invests $14m in Houston brewery Anheuser-Busch, the manufacturer and brewer of Michelob ULTRA, Busch Light, Budweiser, and Bud Light, has announced a new $14 million investment in its Houston brewery. Over the last 5 years, Anheuser- Busch has invested nearly $2 billion in its facilities across the U.S. to help create and sustain jobs and drive economic prosperity. Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, said: “Investing in the communities where our people live and work is part of who we are. “At Anheuser-Busch, we’ve been producing high quality, great tasting products for generations, and through continued investments in our facilities like our Houston brewery, we’re improving our capabilities and also contributing to the prosperity of the communities we serve.” Highlights of the investment include: facility upgrades to maintain quality standards and maximize efficiency, updates to manufacturing equipment, replacing plant infrastructure, including the roof of the warehouse, elevators, and doors, installing new air rinsers on can lines in order to reduce water usage, and upgrading wireless, fiber and copper network connectivity. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to invest £42.3m into Wakefield factory Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the world’s largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola, has revealed a planned investment of £42.3m for a new Automated Storage Retrieval System (ASRS) warehouse at its site in Wakefield, Europe’s largest soft drinks plant by volume. The new ASRS will take two and a half years to build. To maximise space, it will stand at 38 metres tall and will increase Wakefield’s warehouse capacity, allowing it to hold and move an additional 29,500 pallets on top of its current capacity of 29,000 pallets. It will also deliver a reduction of 18,500 vehicle journeys per year from the road, equating to 441,000 km per year. This funding follows a £31m site investment for the installation of a new state-of-the-art, canning line, capable of producing 2,000 cans per minute, which has been operational since July 2024. The line provides additional production capabilities for CCEP’s light-weight 330ml cans across brands including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Dr Pepper and Sprite. © FW Capital © Coca-Cola Europacific Partners © stock.adobe.com/billtsterTreasury Wine Estates launches new Italian wine brand Belorante Say ‘ciao’ to the new bird on the block. Treasury Wine Estates’ new Italian wine brand Belorante brings colour to your table and flavour to your glass with its vibrant portfolio of wines and a bold eye-catching brand identity. ‘La Vita Belorante’ champions a life of colour, beauty and bold self-expression. With its vibrant design and distinctive peacock emblem named ‘Massimo,’ the Italian brand brings colour to the table and flavour to your glass. Proudly rooted in Italian heritage, Belorante responds to a growing demand in the UK, with Italian wine being the second largest category in wine in the UK grocery market. Yet still very much led by tradition, Belorante saw an opportunity to reinvent Italian wine through a bold, modern approach that embodies the true spirit of the Italian lifestyle. Amy Fisher, Senior Brand Manager at Belorante, said: “Belorante is a bold, modern reinvention of Italian wine, bringing colour, freshness and modernity into the Italian wine aisle, inviting consumers to stray away from the neutral and be more ‘peacock’.” CTZN Wine: A new collection of AI-generated wines Australian Vintage has launched its latest wine collection: CTZN, a revolutionary new range of AI- generated wines, combining expertly crafted blends with cutting-edge technology to empower wine lovers with confidence. At the heart of CTZN is SOM, an AI-powered virtual sommelier accessible via a QR code on the bottle. By scanning the QR code, customers unlock a virtual wine tasting experience that offers insights into the wine blends, tasting notes, and pairing suggestions. Here, AI doesn’t replace the winemaker; it enhances the process, ensuring every bottle achieves its potential while empowering consumers to explore their preferences with confidence. The new range includes three SKUs – Red Blend 01 Quantum Quintessence, Red Blend 02 Ethereal Pulse and White Blend 01 Luminous Drift. Red Blend 01 is a well-balanced wine with integrated oak and lingering fruit giving structured tannins and good length. Red Blend 02 is a fruit driven wine with strawberry aromas, hints of spice and underlying herbal notes. Finally, White Blend 01 has a fresh lifted aroma of pears, fresh apple skin and citrus flowers. on the shelf Food & Drink International 11 www.fdiforum.net Baileys Chocolate introduces two new Nut Mixes to range Baileys Chocolates is expanding its confectionery range by introducing two new products into the nut category: Baileys Caramelised Nut Mix and Baileys Chocolate Peanut & Cashews. In response to the growing trend of consumers seeking small, indulgent treats; these editions combine the smooth and indulgent taste of Baileys with the crunchy texture of nuts. The Baileys Caramelised Nut Mix features a luxurious blend of roasted almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and cashews, coated in a caramel glaze with a hint of Baileys. This offering is designed for consumers seeking a sophisticated, sweet snack with a crunchy texture. Whilst HFSS compliant, it still offers consumers a treat option that still delivers indulgence. Meanwhile, the Baileys Chocolate Peanut & Cashews mix combines roasted peanuts and cashews enveloped in creamy milk chocolate with Baileys’ iconic flavour. This product is ideal for the confectionery market, tapping into the growing demand for premium snacks that have the added benefits of more fibre and protein than a traditional chocolate treat. Café Solo launches world-first PX Sherry Cask Coffee Liqueur Café Solo has announced the global launch of a world- first Pedro Ximénez Sherry (PX) Cask Finished Coffee Liqueur. Café Solo PX is the first in a range of cask- finished coffee liqueurs to be released by the brand. Café Solo PX is available to the UK trade via Fortitude Drinks and to consumers via Amazon and cafesolo.co.uk at an RRP of £32. Café Solo’s latest launch adds to their mission to shake up the UK’s coffee cocktail market and offers interest and complexity for mixologists shaking up cocktails in bars and at home. Ground with exceptional coffee, Café Solo is crafted with premium SOLO Cold Brew Coffee, which boasts a full-bodied flavour profile, rich acidity, and a refreshingly clean finish. Café Solo is matured in PX Sherry casks which impart residual sweetness and rich, dried-fruit notes. Sanpellegrino unveils striking new can design for Italian Sparkling Drinks range Premium Italian Sparkling Drinks brand, Sanpellegrino has unveiled a redesign of its iconic cans range in the UK, across both its individual and multipack formats. The refreshed packaging forms part of Sanpellegrino’s plan to solidify its brand’s positioning in the UK, which will also include a new, inspirational communications campaign and the introduction of an extension of the fruit flavoured sparkling drinks range – Sanpellegrino Zero Added Sugar. The new visual identity aims to bring to life the brand’s DNA by playing homage to Sanpellegrino’s Italian roots, craftmanship and heritage through its iconic blue shield. Bold and vibrant colours make an impact on-shelf and are inspired by the citrus flavours of the range. Inclusion of citrus fruits on-pack celebrates the quality of the fruit juices in a natural and authentic way, whilst highlighting the provenance of ingredients used. Allowing customers to learn more about the world of Sanpellegrino, the newly designed multipacks feature top of pack storytelling educating on the authenticity of ingredients whilst giving a taste of a true Italian lifestyle. 12 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT G reek food and drink exports have set successive records in the last decade, with the country’s cuisine only building in popularity around the world. With the Greek brand strong, vast products from cheese to yoghurt to alcohol in demand, and organised promotion of Greek food in international markets, the future for the country’s exports appears bright. Continued emphasis of the benefits of the ever-favoured Mediterranean diet towards growing numbers of health- conscious consumers is further buttressing exports, alongside endorsements in scientific research pointing to the diet potentially reducing heart disease in women, cognitive decline, and helping control weight in children. With health on the agenda, recognition of product quality post-COVID has additionally bolstered the reputation for Greek goods, where during the pandemic Greek foods and ingredients gained favour in Europe over rival countries, which has helped producers in Greece enter and expand into new markets outside Europe, especially in North America and Asia. These factors have been highlighted by Enterprise Greece, the investment and trade promotion agency of the Greek State. Data from the agency shows how in 25 export destinations Greek products have seen uninterrupted export growth for four straight years (2020-2023). This includes some of the world’s largest consumer markets, like Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as some of the most developed, such as Canada and The Netherlands. Concurrently, in almost half of those countries, Greek exports have more than doubled over three years, with the increases ranging from 122.5% in Norway to 1,277.5% in Bermuda. To keep this momentum, Greek groups are making trade missions across the globe to explore new markets, including to Oceania and Southeast Asia in October, with delegates offering a taste of Greece’s cuisine. October also saw Greece hold the seventh largest participation amongst 127 countries at SIAL PARIS 2024, the International Food Exhibition, with Greek exhibitors participating in more than 24,000 business meetings, to present food products Greek Having recently come first in the 2024 list of the world’s best cuisines, published annually by TasteAtlas, the success of Greece’s food exports is perhaps no surprise. 14 Á GreekFood & Drink International 13 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT © stock.adobe.com/anaumenko14 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT produced in the country and promote them to businesses from across the world. Going against the grain, Greek food and beverage exports are expanding amidst a wider export slowdown for the country, with signature products, like Feta cheese and the liquor Ouzo, gaining particular ground in foreign markets. Greece’s food and drink exports are up roughly 7% (against a modest 2.7% increase in global merchandise trade), based on figures released by Enterprise Greece for January to August 2024, with 2024’s gains representing the latest in a decade of continuous growth; Greek food exports have more than doubled in value to over €10 billion a year in the last 10 years. There is especially strong demand for dairy products, such as Feta and yogurt, in addition to fish, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil. For instance, in comparison to a decade ago, exports of Feta cheese — which has been given the monicker ‘white gold’ — have risen exponentially by 700% and now account for €1 billion in overseas sales, up from €142 million in 2014. With around 65% of Greece’s annual Feta production now exported, the country is increasingly protective over its famous cheese, which has a Protected Designation of Origin (ensuring only cheese produced in Greece using traditional methods and local milk can be called Feta), and is hard on imitators. Indeed, in June, The Association of Greek Dairy Industries (SEVGAP) revealed Greece had secured a trademark victory in Chile, taking on Chilean producers backed by an American corporate giant trying to appropriate the name of Feta. It follows numerous other battles in countries the world over. Efforts, meanwhile, are being made to expand recognition of Greek products overshadowed by their counterparts in other countries. In July it was announced that SMERemediumCap and Inspiring Earth had joined forces to create a new group in the Greek olive oil industry, acquiring majority stakes in three olive oil companies for exports. The new group is to expand Greek brand olive oils domestically as well as further develop markets in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and Oceania, which are the regions with the largest imports of olive oil worldwide. The total investment amounts to €10 million. “Greek olive oil has great potential for growth and needs bigger, more powerful and more extrovert businesses,” said Nikolaos Karamouzis, President of SMERemediumCap. It comes as Greece has © stock.adobe.com/pronina_marinaFood & Drink International 15 www.fdiforum.net IMPORT AND EXPORT traditionally sold olive oil in bulk to larger rivals in Spain and Italy, who brand it and sell it on to the world. Despite successes, challenges from competition to conflicts to the environment are threatening the Greek food and drink industry’s export progress. Outbreaks of sheep and goat plague (also known as peste des petits ruminants) in 2024 devastated livestock farms across the country and impacted the production and prices of meat, milk, and Feta. First confirmed in Greece in July, it saw the culling of thousands of animals. Meanwhile, mussel farmers are in a desperate situation as the changing climate hits harvests, with sea temperatures harming mussel yields in northern Greece — wiping out a key contributor to the country’s economy. A complete loss is predicted for the coming year. Greece has further been exposed, like other Mediterranean countries, to high temperatures, droughts, wildfires, as well as floods, affecting crops from chestnuts to cherries. With global challenges continuing, how they impact local export aspirations and growth in the year ahead waits to be observed. © stock.adobe.com/Lukas Gojda16 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT R epeated hygiene outbreaks dominate the news, with Salmonella and E.coli being some of the most recognisable scandals of 2024. With more attention on this than ever before, proper decontamination and safety measures are under the spotlight. Clean in place (CIP) systems are commonplace throughout the food and drink industry and while effective, these systems are intensive and require large amounts of water, chemicals, and energy to operate. Essentially, the system works by using non-foaming detergents and disinfectants which are circulated through pipework and process equipment. But tanks, large diameter pipes, and large containers can be more thoroughly cleaned using spray balls or rotating jet devices. This helps to avoid the frankly unnecessary and uneconomical filling of vessels with solutions as well as slashing overall water usage. Because CIP systems are automated it means that it requires no human contact, so stronger detergents can be used for circulation as well as boosting overall onsite safety. Disinfectants used across the food and drink industry are purposefully designed and used so that any potential residues left on surfaces do not taint the food or harm the consumer. However, many still affect the skin, eyes, or respiratory system and, if ingested in sufficient quantity, can be harmful to human health. Although CIP and spraying systems help to automate the process, cleaning is still predominantly undertaken by human workers, so it’s critical for companies to ensure the welfare of their operatives. Indeed, according to The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), exposure to disinfectants is one of the biggest causes of occupational ill health in the food and drink industry. The handling of such harsh chemicals means operatives will need to be outfitted with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including industrial cleaning gloves – which are usually made from either latex, PVC or rubber depending on the requirement – googles and overalls. Depending on the cleaning process itself, operatives may also need breathing apparatus. While it’s universally understood that health, safety, and hygiene are vital to maintain across the supply chain, it’s also important to understand why. Microbiology is the unseen cog in the great food and drink machine, one which directly affects consumers, but one which they rarely give any thought. So long as the food and beverage products they’re forefront forefront From rigorous cleaning routines to the importance of microbiology, health, safety, and hygiene must be front centre of any food and drink company. At the Food & Drink International 17 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT buying are safe, there’s no need for them to pay it any mind. But consumers have become increasingly more aware of the food supply chain over the last fifteen years, helped in no small part by the advent of social media. Since 2020, there has been a further spike as consumers think more deeply about contaminants that might be lurking within their food. Capitalising on this trend, food companies are interacting with consumers on social channels and are becoming more transparent about their processes in doing so. Part of this means allaying the concerns of consumers in the event of a product recall. There are several reasons why a product is © stock.adobe.com/dusanpetkovic1 © stock.adobe.com/settapong 18 Á18 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT pulled from shelves. Sometimes this is a voluntary precautionary measure, as a manufacturer may have discovered the possible presence of metal, rubber, or plastic. The most common reasons, however, tend towards the presence of undeclared allergens which could put consumers with food allergies at severe risk. Food poisoning can be much harder to identify and catch wind of, with recalls usually initiated after consumers have already fallen ill. But food manufacturers aren’t defenceless against microbial threats such as E. coli, salmonella, and campylobacter. A thorough washdown routine is a must, but it isn’t a silver bullet. Instead, companies can turn to laboratory testing facilities that can assess food and beverage products and production lines for any sign of infection. Although this isn’t mandatory, manufacturers can rest assured that their products are free from contaminants and that their production environment is hygienic. Or, should any microbial threats be detected, they can take steps to ensure consumers stay safe and spare themselves any reputational damage or litigious action. Laboratory testing can also be utilised in the authentication of food products, ensuring that what’s on the ingredients list corresponds with what consumers are putting into their mouths. This safeguard can also be used in the ongoing battle against counterfeit food products, which still flood the © stock.adobe.com/auremarFood & Drink International 19 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT marketplace. Testing works by taking controlled amounts of food products either from a single batch or from a selection. Samples are then rendered down into a uniform slurry, ensuring that results are consistent and precise. The slurries are analysed and processed, ready to return the results to the respective food company. Testing products is one step of the equation, as knowing contamination exists doesn’t solve the issue of eradicating it. Although hygiene is critical in this regard, preventative and defensive measures are coming along in leaps and bounds. Cold plasma has been part of the conversation for years, with its use of reactive gases to disarm microbes on meat, fruits and vegetables sought after by food manufacturers. What gives this method an advantage over others, such as ultraviolet, is that it can kill a high percentage of microbes without damaging the food product or affecting its properties. One study found that the method killed 99.9 per cent of norovirus without damaging the delicate fruit. The technology is hardly ubiquitous, though it is positioned on the precipice of mainstream usage. As well as counteracting microbes on the surface of food products itself, cold plasma can also be used on contact surfaces and processing & packing equipment to help ensure a sterile and contaminant-free production line. Next >