Insight Food Technology_Nov-Dec 2022 Edition

Event’s Calendar

Dates: 8-10 | February 2023

Venue: Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Dates: 6-8 | September 2023

Venue: Asia World Expo, Hong Kong.

Dates: 7-9 | November 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 14-17 | February 2023

Venue: Nürnberg, Germany.

Dates: 17-20 | September 2023

Venue: Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, Saudi Arabia..

Dates: 7-9 | November 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 20-24 | February 2023 Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 18-20 | March 2023

Venue: Metropolitan Expo, Greece.

Dates: 19-22 | September 2023

Venue: Crocus Expo, Moscow.

Dates: 7-9 | November 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 23-25 | May 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 11-14 | September 2023

Venue: International Convention Centre Sydney, Australia.

Dates: | September 2023

Venue: Expo Centre, Lahore.

Dates: 7-9 | November 2023

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 19-22 | March 2024 Venue: Cologne, Germany.

Dates: 6-9 | September 2023

Venue: TUYAP Fair & Congress Center, Istanbul Turkey.

Dates: 7-9 | November 2023 Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dates: 12-15 | November 2024

Venue: Hannover, Germany.

www.insightfoodtech.com

Insight Food Technology G-06, Ground Floor, EOBI House, Shara-e-Faisal, Karachi-75350, Pakistan

ONTENTS

FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS

Volume No. I | November/December 2022 | Rs. 850

Most sugar mills reluctant to start cane crushing in Sindh. . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Phase out subsidies to bring efficiency to agri-food system . . . . . . . . . . . 7 China-Pak cooperation can help counter climate change impact. . . . . . 8 Fruits & vegetables valuing $133.456 Million exported. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Rice production pulled Indonesia out of food crisis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Vegetables worth $5.4m stuck at Karachi port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

CORPORATE INSIGHTS

New MULTIVAC SFP Light steam flushing system saves energy costs. . 12 CP Kelco and Chr. Hansen to develop plant-based “vegurts”. . . . . . . . . . 13

Northern Bottling Co. trusts Sidel to install complete PET line . . . . . . . 14

Plant-based drinks: Krones is focussing on oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Exhibitor registration open for ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2023. . . . . . . . . .16

ARTICLE INSIGHTS

Computer vision in agriculture: What’s it and what it can do?. . . . . . . . .18 by Faizan Ali.

GULFOOD MANUFACTURING 2022 REVIEW

Bustling mega event Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 ends on a high. . . 20 Napco National Packaging sustainable food packaging solutions. . . . 25 Arzu Alibaz, CEO at IFFCO Out of Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Mark Napier, Vice President of Exhibitions at DWTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Prince Waleed bin Nasser Al Saud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, DWTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

The Food Tech Summit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Printed & Published by VOT International Nazimabad, Karachi.

BIOFACH 2023 PREVIEW

BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023: Organic system paves the path for ecological transformation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

SIAL PARIS

2022 REVIEW

SIAL Paris 2022 reasserts its standing as the world’s foremost food industry event. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2023 PREVIEW

Spotlights 2023: Discover the novelties at FRUIT LOGISTICA . . . . . . . . .37

WORLD FOOD ISTANBUL 2022 REVIEW

WorldFood Istanbul breaks records in its 30th Anniversary edition. . .38

Editors Page

Dear readers,

After a successful launch of Insight Food Technology® at Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 in November 2022. In November/December edition of Insight Food Technology®, the main focus is on Fruit Logistica 2023, BIOFACH 2023 and Gulfood 2023.

Fruit Logistica 2023 is the leading trade show for the global fresh produce business, and represents the entire value added chain for the fresh produce industry from producer to point of sale will take place

For the interest of our readers, a research article on Computer vision in agriculture: What it is and what better it can do is discussed. The green revolution of 1970’s has great significance in this regard which ensured massive food productions, that allowed the world to think less about sustenance and more about making new technologically gains. The green revolution revolved around usage of various natural resources with focus on production without much consideration of efficiency. Now as the world enters in new era where the globe population is projected to touch 10 billion mark, along with major climate change issues and resource constraints, the very existence of modern civilization is dependent on our ability to change our approach of growing food in a more productive and efficient manner.

At present CV technology has various technical, research and field applications, with prospective growth in applications and effectiveness of the tech. One of the primary implementations involves advance drone technologies mounted with cameras for monitoring of soil, crops, as well as estimation, detection of abnormalities in precision agriculture. Drone based CV applications enable large area sensing and surveillance, providing a substitute for labor shortage with 24/7 monitoring of field conditions.

Imran Shah Editor & Publisher

Most sugar mills reluctant to start cane crushing in Sindh

Although the Sindh government has asked the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) to direct its members to run their mills from Nov 20 and start cane crushing by Nov 29, most of them are reluctant to follow the directive.

Adviser to the chief minister on agriculture, Manzoor Hussain Wassan, had taken the decision while chairing a meeting at the Sindh Secretariat on Nov 10. It was attended by MPAs Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah and Shahina Sher Ali and agriculture secretary Ejaz Ahmed Mahesar, besides representatives of PSMA, Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB), Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) and farmers.

Cane growers, despite having been badly affected by recent floods that undermined their overall yield due to inundation of their lands, appeared desperate to start supplying their

produce to the mills but most of the mills in Sindh are reluctant to start crushing in November.

The only exception is the Matiari Sugar Mills which has lived up to its tradition of starting crushing even without waiting for the government to notify the official indicative price of sugar cane.

“We have started cane crushing on Nov 11,” said Matiari Sugar Mills management’s senior representative Dost Mohammad Baloch. He said cane growers were being offered a rate of Rs250 per 40kg for their produce. This rate was officially fixed for last year’s crop and the provincial government is yet to notify that of the current season.

Local cane growers, like Syed Nadeem Shah, reported that scores of cane-laden trolleys could be seen outside the Matiari Sugar Mills.

Mr Baloch agreed with him saying that around 2.5pc more sugar cane was at present available to his mills, which had the per day crushing capacity of 110,000 maunds. “We are telling them to stop bringing more cane because the surplus produce will get dried and thus cause an additional loss to the growers, who have already suffered economically due to floods,” said Mr. Baloch. alluding to the fact that sugar cane price is paid to them on the basis of weightage and cane loses weight when it dries up.

Nadeem Shah clarified that the Matiari Sugar Mills was buying the produce at Rs250 per 40kg and when the government would notify the new rate, it would be effective from the date of the notification. He believes that any differential, in case the official rate turned out to be higher, would not be payable to the growers.

World Bank: Phase out subsidies to bring efficiency to agri-food system

Saying that the wheat support system needs to be gradually phased down, the latest World Bank report observed that the wheat procurement system in Pakistan is regressive because it benefits mainly large and medium farmers, commercial banks, and millers, and the cumulative outstanding debt from wheat commodity operations is at nearly $4.5 billion creating a circular debt-like situation.

Officially released on Thursday, the World Bank report, ‘Country Climate and Development Report for Pakistan’ says the agri-food system is fraught with inefficient, costly, inequitable subsidies that are an economic burden and create a distorted incentive structure, which plays a significant role in the sector’s poor performance.

According to the report, poor smallholders benefit little because most of their production — about 95 per cent in Sindh — is for subsistence. The procurement system also incurs losses through poor storage, which

costs Punjab an estimated $1.6 billion annually. Wheat remains the primary cereal crop, so its production inevitably absorbs large subsidies.

Given its dietary importance, steady growth in wheat output will remain necessary to maintain food security. However, this needs to be done through substantial improvement in productivity and less intensive use of chemical inputs, land, and water, rather than the further expansion of conventional production methods.

At the same time, for sustained improvements in human capital, a shift is needed in diets and agricultural production towards a more diverse and nutritious basket of foods, including vegetables and fruits, which could contribute to both higher productivity and greater health.

Phasing out the wheat support system, the report says, will reduce direct financial costs to the government and indirect economic losses, free up

fiscal space, arable land, and irrigation water, and create the enabling economic environment needed to induce large-scale crop diversification and climate-smart agriculture.

Freed-up fiscal resources could be invested to improve wheat production systems and value chains. Modelling work indicates that removing support to wheat production could free up 1.4 billion cubic meters of irrigation water per year. This could be used to grow higher-value crops to substitute for agricultural imports for which demand is rising.

Furthermore, with improved agronomic practices and seed quality, total wheat production could increase through gains in productivity, with the much lower land and water use.

The report stated that public support for sugarcane needs to be restructured, and the key entry point is the removal of licensing restrictions that prevent the entry of new mills.

China-Pak cooperation can help counter climate change impact on agriculture sector

Pakistan is highly dependent on the agriculture sector and climate change will significantly affect this sector; however, Pak-China cooperation could help Pakistan counter the climate change impact on the agriculture sector, according to a report revealed during KTrade Climate Change Seminar which was held offline and online in Karachi.

According to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Tuesday, climate change seminar was conducted just ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP27, which takes place from 6 to 18 November this year. Agriculture Sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, which contributes 23% of the total GDP and provides employment to around 37.4% of the labor force. However, now Pakistan’s crops are highly sensitive to changes in temperature and water availability. Right now, the Climate in Pakistan has started negatively impacting the country’s economy as well as the overall society. The seminar focused on the challenges that require structural changes in the economy and industry and shed light on the current and future situation of climate change, making both local and foreign investors

understand the challenges and the changes required.

According to the report discussed during the seminar, the developed countries should shoulder more. As per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the developed world should bear a greater financial responsibility in tackling climate change and bear more financial obligations. There should be a fair and reasonable reduction in emissions, climate finance mechanisms, increased technical and financial support and urged for a stabilized global supply chain of new energy. “solar is the most important source of renewable energy as of today–China is a leading investor in solar energy,” reads an excerpt of the report.

“When we talk about BRI, actually we talk about green corridor,” said a speaker while referring to the report, adding that the green corridor should focus on three things: agriculture & environment, food security and green development. “Pakistan should also seek to become part of that and utilize the knowledge,” according to the report. It added that Pakistan should focus on how to become part of China’s green corridor. The report covers in detail what China has done in its clean energy focus.

Ahmed Shayan, Sustainable Lead of Engro Corp said that like China, his corporation was involved in different joint ventures to address the challenges of plastic waste. They are moving from informal waste-based management policies across the country to sophisticated management systems to safeguard the ecosystem. Besides methodological research and connecting strong governments from the strong municipal bond programs and bringing them together on a platform where everybody has a stake in plastics and waste management can come together and then we can use that knowledge gap.

Nasir Ali Shah, Chairman of KASB Group and CEO of Sindhi Forest, urged for the latest technology, saying that Pakistan as a country contributes less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions while the country is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. “We cannot take ownership of that and not treat it as an emergency because we are disproportionately affected by it. The real argument is balancing economic growth with climate resilience and adaptation to climate change,” Mr. Shah said.

Fruits and vegetables valuing $133.456 Million exported in five months

Different fruits and vegetables worth $133.456 million were exported during first five months of current financial year as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

The exports of vegetables from the country during the period under review grew by 20.86 percent, where as exports of fruits decreased by 37.24 percent as compared to exports of corresponding period of last year.

During the period from JulyNovember, 2022 about 423,489 metric tons of vegetables valuing $121.976 million exported as compared the exports of 278,244 metric tons worth $100.926 million of same period last year.

However, the exports of fresh fruits from the country during period under

review decreased by 37.24 percent as about 187,744 metric tons of fruits worth $111.480 million exported as against the exports of 211,640 metric tons valuing $177.631 million of same period last year, according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

On the other hand, $185.952 million earned by exporting about 71,659 metric tons of fish and fish preparations as against the exports of 56,731 metric tons of fish valuing $150.502 million of same period of last year.

During the period form JulyNovember, 2022, the exports of meat and meat products also grew by 20.64 percent as about 34,340 metric tons of above mentioned commodities worth $161.310 million exported as against the exports of 30,870 metric tons

valuing 133.714 million of same period of last year.

It is pertinent to mention here that overall food group exports from the country during the first five months of the current financial year witnessed about a 1.03 percent decrease, whereas imports increased by 1.63 percent as compared to the exports and imports of the corresponding period of last year.

During July-November, this year, exports of different food commodities was $1.927 billion as compared to $1.947 billion in the same period of last year, whereas food commodities valuing $4.080 billion were imported as against the imports of $4.015 billion of the same period, last year.

Food Industry

Rice production pulled Indonesia out of food crisis

As Indonesia is a major riceproducing country, it has recovered quickly from the food crisis compared to other countries, according to the Vice President's special staff assistant, Guntur Subagja Mahardika.

"The condition has allowed Indonesia to recover faster than other countries facing food issues," Mahardika said at the “International Conference on Indonesia and Global Affairs RPI - 1st Session.”

Though China, Australia, and the United States are three countries with the largest area under agricultural cultivation, Indonesia is the third largest rice producer after China, he pointed out. Indonesia is also the main producer of palm, followed by Malaysia and Thailand, he added.

"We must be proud of our success in achieving food self-sufficiency, which is amazing considering our lack in the food sector for years," Mahardika said.

Countries with formidable agriculture systems, such as Finland, Ireland, Norway, France, and the Netherlands have shown a better level of resilience, he said, adding that Indonesia placed 63rd in the Global Food Security Index in 2022, an improvement from its earlier ranking of 69th last year.

"This indeed gives us new hope, as our ranking has surpassed India’s, despite its status as a major food producer, and also is one of the major consumers," the special staff assistant said.

that the food crisis is one of the four major crises that the world is facing right now, with at least 107 countries affected by it, and 533 million people threatened by extreme hunger, he highlighted.

Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO's) 2022 Global Report on Food Crises also highlighted that more than 200 million people are facing a major food crisis in several countries, such as Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, he noted.

"This will remain our challenge, which we must anticipate," Mahardika remarked.

President Joko Widodo has said

Vegetables worth $5.4m stuck at Karachi port

Commodity importers and drug makers continue to face problems in opening letters of credit (LCs) for the import of raw materials and finished products because of a shortage of dollars in the interbank market.

All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Chairman Mohammad Shehzad Sheikh told the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday that 417 containers worth more than $5.4 million — 250 of onions worth $2.1m, 63 of ginger valuing $0.8m, and 104 of garlic amounting to $2.5m — were currently held up on various terminals of the Karachi Port.

The reason for the holdup is said to be the refusal by commercial banks to release documents because of the shortage of foreign exchange.

The inordinate delay in the clearance of vegetables will drastically

increase their costs on account of terminal and shipping charges, Mr Sheikh said. As a result, consumers will have to pay higher prices, he added. He urged the ministry to take immediate notice of the situation.

‘No raw material for drugs’

Meanwhile, drug makers also warned that with no opening of letters of credit for the import of raw materials, pharmaceutical companies would not be able to continue production after two weeks, which would lead to a serious shortage of medicines in the country.

The fresh warning came a day after the doctors’ bodies — the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) — raised alarms over the shortage of medicines in the retail market and asked the government to intervene and facilitate the pharmaceuticals so they

could open the LCs for import of the raw material.

“My production line contributes supplies of at least two life-saving drugs in the country,” a senior executive of a local pharmaceutical company said. “I fear I would be stopping the production of most of my products after 10 or 12 days, as I don’t have stocks of raw material left and these two would be among them. It’s just one case. There are hundreds of companies which are facing the same crisis.”

With little more than 600 pharmaceutical companies operating in the country, most have left with only two-week production material after the SBP, according to the claim by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), had verbally conveyed to all local banks not to open LCs due to shortage of dollars.

Packaging hot food: New MULTIVAC SFP Light steam flushing system saves energy costs

Soups, ravioli or noodles: Up to now caterers and kitchens have had to allow hot food to cool down, in order for it to be vacuum packed effectively. This costs time and reduces flexibility - and in the case of active cooling this also takes energy. The alternative from MULTIVAC the packaging specialists: the new SFP Light steam flushing system.

Fun fact: It is impossible to cook an egg on Mount Everest. Because the lower the air pressure, the lower the boiling point of water. Water vaporises at 70 °C on the highest mountain in the world, which is 8,848 metres above sea level. But 83 °C is required for an egg to become hard. No problem for mountaineers. They do without or switch to a steam cooker. But the physical principle presents a challenge to caterers and central kitchensparticularly if they want to use a packaging machine to vacuum pack hot food directly after cooking, so that the shelf life can be extended. Why? Here the so-called vapour pressure curve comes into play. The greater the negative pressure, the lower the boiling point - exactly as on the mountain. If the machine creates a negative pressure of 200 mbar for example, the water content in the product vaporises at 60 degrees centigrade. From this point onwards it is no longer possible to reduce the pressure any further.

That is the problem: When vacuum packing hot food, some residual air remains, which can adversely affect the shelf life

When vacuum packing hot products, some residual air with 21 percent oxygen content always remains in the header space. A residual air content that can reduce the shelf life of the food. “Many caterers and kitchens therefore let the hot food cool down before vacuum packing. Or they use active cooling. But by doing this, they lose either time or energy,” says Dominik Eberhard, Product Manager for Thermoforming Packaging Machines at MULTIVAC. “In order to ease the burden on caterers and kitchens, we have launched a new steam flushing system for small to medium batch sizes onto the market, and this is called SFP Light.” SFP is an abbreviation for Steam Flush Packaging.

The solution: The SFP Light steam flushing system packs hot products without a vacuum source

SFP Light is available with immediate effect for MULTIVAC thermoforming packaging machines. “Our thermoforming packaging machines have been used successfully for decades throughout the world. They are groundbreaking in terms of use of resources, process reliability, efficiency,

flexibility, reproducibility and ease of operation. SFP Light also provides another important benefit. The steam flushing system enables hot food to be vacuum packed directly after cooking.”

The thermoforming packaging machine first forms the pack cavities for the product from a plastic film - for packing five kilograms of goulash for example at a temperature of 60 °C. The portions then travel into a hermetically enclosed sealing station. Hot steam at a temperature of 180 °C now flows through the station. Finally the upper web is sealed to the formed film, and the steam remains in the pack.

The secret: Gases have a significantly greater volume than liquids. When the steam turns to water again during cooling, the pack automatically contracts. “Thanks to SFP Light, it is possible to pack hot products without any significant residual air pockets. And all this without any vacuum source, which always has a limited effect due to the vapour pressure curve,” explains Dominik Eberhard. “There is also no danger of the products boiling or packs bursting, since there is no negative pressure in the product space.” Another beneficial side effect of the steam flushing system: The hot gas at 180 °C kills bacteria on the surface of the food, so that the shelf life is extended.

CP Kelco and Chr. Hansen join forces to develop breakthrough, ambient, plant-based “vegurts”

Ingredient powerhouses CP Kelco and Chr. Hansen are proud to offer customers a collaboration combining their world-leading expertise and solutions to take consumer-friendly, shelf-stable, plant-based yogurt alternatives (“vegurts”) to the next level.

Consumer demand for healthy and more sustainable food choices has driven an explosion in launches of plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy products. Within these categories, manufacturers and retailers have recognized the advantages of shelfstable products which can reduce food waste and increase geographical reach. For consumers, ambient-stable products offer convenience. However, to embrace regular consumption consumers are not ready to compromise on taste, nutrition, and the “naturalness” of shelf-stable, plantbased products.

Industrially validated prototypes for oat, soy, pea, coconut and almond

CP Kelco and Chr. Hansen have closely collaborated to demonstrate that production of nutritious and great-

tasting, ambient, plant-based yogurt alternatives are possible for a variety of different plant bases. The result of this collaboration includes industrially validated prototypes of drinkable and spoonable vegurts with either oat, soy, pea, coconut or almond bases.

“The technological challenge to produce both spoonable and drinkable ambient vegurts with great nutrition, taste and texture is significant,” said Christian Gilleladen, Principal Application Scientist at Chr. Hansen. “Selecting the right culture to provide fermentation performance, texture and flavor for each recipe, and having these complement the stabilization and flavor systems is critical to making great products.”

Gilleladen continued, “By working together, we have been able to unlock the synergies between ingredients and process to produce a variety of desired thicknesses and mouthfeel.”

“This collaboration represents a new way of helping our respective customers accelerate their product development and access technical

application support globally,” said Anne Sinha, Marketing Director at CP Kelco, on behalf of the two companies. “With access to teams who know each other and work together well, and who are closely connected to other global ingredient producers, customers can benefit from an integrated team of world-leading experts with insights across their entire development chain.”

To date, a range of vegurt prototypes are available to food producers for tasting, and they have received positive feedback from select customers.

“Formulating plant-based vegurts is not straight forward, and we want to help our customers to be best in class by offering our joint technical expertise,” said Tora Jorn, Sales Technical Service Manager at CP Kelco. “Together, we look forward to this opportunity of sharing our support and helping with the development of the flavors, textures and nutritional profiles our customers are targeting when they embark on the plant-based, shelf-stable vegurts journey.”.

Northern Bottling Company trusts Sidel to install its highest-speed complete PET line

With increasing demand forecast for soft drinks in Pakistan in 2023, PepsiCo partner Northern Bottling Company is relying on Sidel to install a high-volume, high-speed carbonated soft drinks (CSD) line.

Sidel is applying its leading packaging solutions expertise to create the new complete line for Haidri Beverages Group’s subsidiary, Northern Bottling Company (NBC), in the city of Peshawar. Northern Bottling Companyis the market leader in beverages for Pakistan’s northern region and has been a successful PepsiCo franchise over 25 years.

Offering a capacity of over 45,000 bottles per hour, the line represents a new era of innovative technologies, high efficiency and productivity in Pakistan's beverage industry. The new line will help unlock further capacity for Northern Bottling Company, which itself has seen volume growth of 30% in the year 2021-2022. It will handle four bottle sizes and five recipes, producing PepsiCo beverages Pepsi, 7up, Mirinda, Pepsi Diet and Sting energy drink, in

300ml, 345ml 500ml and 1500ml formats.

Serving a dynamic market

Sidel is enlarging its local expertise in Pakistan, a dynamic market, where PepsiCo and NBC are playing a significant role. “Sidel’s absolute commitment to service, along with their unique ability to optimise layout within a high-speed line equipped with cutting-edge technologies has impressed us. These were the key reasons that we have entrusted Sidel with our new investment,” says Ali Navaiz, Group Chief Operating Officer, Haidri Beverages Group. “We are excited by this collaboration,” adds Vedat Guler, Sales Director Middle East, Sidel. “We’re dedicated to helping NBC achieve its commercial, sustainability and efficiency goals by adding value with our innovative bottle design, and lower energy and resources solutions.”

Sustainable production

Sidel’s complete line will help NBC save energy and resources. In fact,

Sidel’s Combi is able to blow bottles using the lowest possible blowing pressure, and the air is recycled It also offers water savings on bottle base cooling. The line is capable of running recycled PET (r-PET) bottles, and with the Sidel’s patent StarLite bottle base, NBC and PepsiCo’s future sustainability goals will be met. The innovative StarLite bottle base optimises the quantity of PET per bottle, contributing to sustainability both by reducing the use of material and lowering emissions during transport.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership

Sidel is confident of meeting NBC’s high performance targets and expectations, knowing that its line engineering and technology, innovative solutions, resource efficiency and packaging design improvements, together with its local service and aftersales support, will add value and reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Plant-based drinks: Krones is focussing on oats

Just ten years ago, plant-based drinks were still a niche product found mostly in organic grocery stores. Today, they’ve made their way into every supermarket, without exception – and they’re filling the shelves with an increasingly colourful array of products. This sheer diversity is also reflected in the processing methods for the various raw materials used because each one possesses certain properties that must be taken into due account in the production process. Krones is focussing above all on the production of oat drinks and can offer three different process variants.

Variant 1 – Using a ready-made oat base: Just like in soft-drinks production, the oat base used in this process variant comes in liquid form and can simply be purchased from suppliers. It is then blended with any additional ingredients such as stabilisers, aromas, or fats to achieve the desired consistency and flavour nuances. Incidentally, this step is common to all three options. The blending itself is done in standard process tanks which are already on hand in the syrup rooms of many beverage plants. That is precisely why this option is ideal for companies wanting to quickly give the production of oat drinks a try without needing to invest in new equipment.

Variant 2 – Using oat meal: This process variant based on oat meal is also suitable for getting started quickly since it likewise uses common process tanks for blending. It does, however, require a disperser (such as a vacuum mixer) for dissolving the oat meal in

water. The difference between this process and variant 1 is that the first step requires the addition not only of water but also of enzymes that catalyse hydrolysis. After that, the solids simply have to be separated from the liquids in a decanter, which will also need to be installed. The resulting base can then be blended to create the final product. The ideal target group for this option is customers looking to make a quick start in producing mid-range volumes of oat-based drinks with little investment. Dairies and other companies with production experience can meet some of the equipment needs with technology they already have on hand.

Variant 3 – Using whole oat kernels or oat flakes: Production in this variant is based on oat kernels or oat flakes, which can be freshly milled on site. Enzymes are added in specially designed enzyme tanks that are based on the mashing technology used in brewing beer. It is only logical to apply

the beer-making expertise of our brewery specialists to plant-based drinks since both processes have a lot in common. Like barley or wheat, oats are grains that are milled and then vigorously blended with water and, later, with enzymes and other ingredients, in a special enzyme tank to create a homogeneous liquid. The pillow plates and integrated vibration units in the tank ensure that everything is heated evenly and the soluble components of the oats are extracted with the utmost efficiency.

Besides high extract yields and product quality, these enzyme tanks offer great potential for energy savings. The specially shaped interior heat exchanger surface transfers the heat so efficiently that the temperature of the heating media can be reduced dramatically and hot water can be used instead of steam. As a result, the energy recovered during the cooling process can be used for the next heating cycle.

Exhibitor registration open for ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2023

Exhibitors can now register online for Asia’s premier fresh produce trade show, which returns to Hong Kong on 6-8 September 2023.

Exhibitor survey results underline positive feedback on ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022. Asia continues to drive growth of global fresh fruit and vegetable trade.

Asia’s leading fresh produce trade show and conference event are heading back to Hong Kong in 2023.

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA and ASIAFRUIT

CONGRESS take place together at AsiaWorld-Expo on 6-8 September 2023.

Exhibitors can now register online to book their stand. Submit your application by 28 February 2023 to be considered in the first round of hall planning.

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 attracted almost 10,000 trade visitors

from over 70 countries, with 420 exhibitors from 42 different countries and regions showcasing their products and services at the event in Bangkok.

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA underlined its position as Asia’s must-attend annual trade show and essential platform for business development.

Exhibitor survey results revealed that 87 per cent of exhibitors gave a positive assessment of the number and quality of trade visitors at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022, and 84 per cent of exhibitors were satisfied with their participation at this year’s trade show.

“We had a very positive experience at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, with a significant number of enquiries,” said Fazeela Kurji, international business development manager of Kenyan exhibitor, Keitt Exporters. “We were particularly impressed with the quality

of visitors, and the organisers did a wonderful job – it was a very successful event.”

Asia drives global growth

Asia remains the world’s fastest growing market for fresh fruit and vegetables, importing close to 16m tonnes of fresh fruit from all origins in 2021, according to analysis in the ASIAFRUIT CONGRESS STATISTICS HANDBOOK 2022.

China is the largest market for fresh fruit imports in the region, with volumes growing to 5.4m tonnes in 2021. As well as being a gateway to mainland China, Hong Kong is located at the centre of Asia, where more than 20 different markets play a significant role in the trade.

Tim Zhang, global purchasing manager of Chinese fruit importer

Zhejiang Sango Trade Co., Ltd, is excited about ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA’s return to Hong Kong in 2023.

“With the impact of the pandemic lingering all over the world, a lot of industries are experiencing challenging times. ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA provides an effective platform for communication, which definitely promotes healthy development of the fresh produce industry,” said Zhang. “We are very confident things will improve soon, and we’re really looking forward to ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA getting back to Hong Kong in 2023.”

Exhibitors can register now to secure their stand at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2023 and get ready to join Asia’s biggest gathering of the global fresh fruit and vegetable business in Hong Kong. Click here to book your stand now.

Computer vision in agriculture:

What’s it and what it can do?

by Faizan Ali.

A brief look over the human history will depict one clear thing that each civilization of mankind is slightly different from its predecessor and each of them is a better, more advanced form than the previous one. George Bernard Shaw has written that the very progress in human life is dependent on change in mind set and without this change in approach advancement is not possible. This is applicable to every walk of life including the field of food and agriculture, that has greatly evolved over the course of last 10,000 years.

Great historical civilization like the Achaemenian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman and all the way to the modern civilization all are uniquely different in their ability to grow food and crops. The world history is full of famine events, such as it was in case of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) where the most advanced civilization of the time was tested with seven fat years and seven lean years. Failure to manage such crisis has often resulted in demise and ultimately dismantlement of empires, such as it was in case of ancient Rome during the 5th century BC. History clearly tells us that many of these historic civilizations failed to adopt the changing dynamics and it has resulted in to complete eradication of such societies.

Over the course of last 3 centuries global population has rapidly increased from 1 billion to 8 billion and all this has mainly been possible due to production of food and resources to feed the world. The green revolution of 1970’s has great significance in this regard which ensured massive food productions, that allowed the world to think less about sustenance and more about making new technologically gains. This new approach (of green revolution) allowed our civilization to move further ahead, but it is now beginning to see its limitations. The green revolution revolved around usage of various natural resources with focus on production without much consideration of efficiency. Now as the world enters in new era where the

globe population is projected to touch 10 billion mark, along with major climate change issues and resource constraints, the very existence of modern civilization is dependent on our ability to change our approach of growing food in a more productive and efficient manner.

All this can be made possible with an element of reverse engineering, where the world will now use more of modern technology to grow food in effective way for survival instead of growing food to much food with inefficient way so that the world can focus on discovering new Tech (as in case of 70’s green revolution). Among the major discoveries of the past century one that has made the greatest impact of all are the digital innovations

that had altered the very reality in which we live, from email, IOT to the modern Artificial intelligence approaches. These technologies are now transforming everything including the field of agriculture, this includes climate related risk assessment and modelling, pest and disease detection as well as smart tracking of pest and livestock. Amon these modern technologies one of the most prominent one is computer vision (CV), which allows machines and robots to access, presume, perceive and understand the visual world in a similar manner to humans. A basic application of this technology includes a combination of cameras, IOT sensors and high performance computers to enable non-contact sensing and surveillance of agriculture field at massive scales. CV technology has received praise over recent years for enabling real time detection and trouble shooting of challenges faced by growers. This empowers the grower to be robust in his growing tactics in a much more efficient and cost effective

manner. Recent advances in deep learning algorithms has revolutionized CV filed and further enhanced the possibilities for more broader application of technology, as well as more effective real time remote diagnosis of issues with effective video analytics.

At present CV technology has various technical, research and field applications, with prospective growth in applications and effectiveness of the tech. One of the primary implementations involves advance drone technologies mounted with cameras for monitoring of soil, crops, as well as estimation, detection of abnormalities in precision agriculture. Drone based CV applications enable large area sensing and surveillance, providing a substitute for labor shortage with 24/7 monitoring of field conditions. Also, this recent advancement has enabled detection of crop based on their expected ripeness and perishability status. In addition to this research based applications like the high throughput phenotyping (HTP) is

empowering researchers across the globe with the ability to unravel many genetic and physiological mysteries of plant crops. CV applications in HTP enables better analysis of numerous plant characteristics including; their growth patterns, which type of climate is best suitable for them as well as the genetic makeup of growing plants.

These nascent technologies offer many benefits for the sector; it can assist in minimizing overall crop failure risk due to sudden climate anomaly, precision agriculture, early disease detection and warning system for effective disease management. AI and computer vision technologies are expected to become a multi-billion dollar industry with in this decade with far reaching significance and value addition to the sector. Furthermore, global institutes like the Wageningen, Cornell, UC Davis, China agriculture and University Florida are working relentlessly to further advance in these fields in order to ensure global food security in face of unprecedented challenges.

Bustling mega event Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 ends on a high

Gulfood Manufacturing, Gulfhost and three co-located events concluded on November 10, 2022, having experienced global participation over a busy three days. As well as underscoring the recovery of the food production and foodservice sectors, the leading global trade event looks set to leave an enduring legacy for the industry, helping improve food security across the UAE, MENA region and beyond. Across the three days, over 2,500 exhibitors at Gulfood Manufacturing, and four colocated events – GulfHost, The Speciality Food Festival, ISM Middle East (previously Yummex ME) and Private Label Licensing ME have showcased their latest products and solutions, reaching a huge global audience of prospective buyers and suppliers, from along the entire value chain.

The UAE’s position as a global food manufacturing hub, thanks to a competitive business ecosystem wellsupported by the government, is a thread that has run through all three days of the Food Tech Summit at Gulfood Manufacturing. A key session in the final morning focused on the reasons why the International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA) is relocating its head office to Dubai and choosing Dubai as its partner, as it seeks to diversify and strengthen the food supply chain to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries,

most of which currently face an underdeveloped food processing sector.

H.E. Eng. Mohammed Mousa Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said “We must act immediately and transform our food systems to become resilient to challenges. This means adopting measures that meet the needs of all, from smallholder farmers to multinational agribusiness firms. These measures must factor in emerging trends in the food production sector to

be effective in the long term. We also need to support the creation of sustainable food supply chains. To address the food security challenges we are facing, we must build effective international partnerships towards our shared objective to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger.”

Immediately following the session, an MoU on cooperation in developing sustainable, innovative, and common solutions for industry was signed between the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) – of which IFPA is a

subsidiary - and Food Tech Valley, a UAE-government led initiative designed to address food security locally, regionally, and globally.

The MoU will empower IFPA members with best practices in agritech by exchanging expertise and operational excellence through industry training, conferences and events, work collaboratively towards the establishment of IFPA headquarters within Food Tech Valley, foster robust relations between agricultural businesses across IOFS member states, and facilitate business connections and strategic partnerships in foodprocessing and the wider food supply chain.

H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet, DirectorGeneral, IOFS commented “ The

International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA), a subsidiary of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), is a very special organisation that can help enable food security for the OIC countries. Through close collaboration with the private sector, IFPA will help OIC member countries build food manufacturing capacit---y and expand trade opportunities.

With IFPA relocating to UAE, and Dubai being its new headquarters IFPA is in a geo-strategic location that has the infrastructure and track record to catalyze the improvement of food manufacturing value chain in OIC countries. In this direction, today's MoU with Food Tech Valley and our close collaboration with Gulfood Manufacturing are our first steps

towards achieving food security within the OIC countries” he continued.

Meanwhile at Gulfhost’s Foodservice Excellence Summit, participants gained a better understanding of the innovations from around the globe that are inspiring changes in the hospitality sector, as well as trends in sustainable design in the F&B sector from some of the world’s leading hotel brands.

During his presentation on ‘Global insights for the future of restaurants, talking about the opportunities’, Benjamin Calleja, CEO of Livit Design, highlighted how the industry is changing at unprecedented speed, and discussed the key trends and opportunities shaping the industry such as the shift towards experience-

led dining, the use of AI and robotics, the movement away from chains and towards uniqueness, innovation labs, cloud kitchens and F&B industry players entering the metaverse. He also highlighted the challenges within the industry, and how to tackle these, including: “On the operational side… the biggest challenge is people. What we know, and what data is showing us, is that we have lost a lot of people in the hospitality industry [as a result of the pandemic]. We’re hearing more and more that restaurants can’t find chefs and sous chefs… but for the equipment industry this is very important, and how they can create equipment that simplifies the operational side of kitchens.”

Meanwhile, in the regional finals of Gulfood YouthX, teams from Burj Al Arab, Sofitel The Obelisk, Jumeirah Al Qasr, and Grosvenor House went head to head. The team from Sofitel The Obelisk, made up of Yubak Bista, Sidney Mathews, and Sameera Shaw, and mentored by Russell Impiazzi, emerged victorious and scooped AED 100,000 worth of prizes, including a cash prize for each chef.

The five-month competition a culinary competition aimed at aspiring young chefs working in some of the region’s most iconic hotels and restaurants, will culminate in the international finale at Gulfood in February 2023, with the prize of a oneweek internship at an international 3Michelin star restaurant for the lucky winning team. The competition was organised in partnership with the International Centre for Culinary Arts.

Across the three days, over 2,500 exhibitors at Gulfood Manufacturing, and four co-located events – GulfHost, The Speciality Food Festival, ISM Middle East (previously Yummex ME) and Private Label Licensing ME have showcased their latest products and solutions, reaching a huge global audience of prospective buyers and suppliers, from along the entire value chain.

SIG, for example, has been discussing the future of packaging and how it is leading the way with its sustainable products and solutions.

“Leading our industry in sustainability with our people, products and solutions, we are setting new industry standards in packaging. We are very excited to take part in Gulfood Manufacturing again this year with a stand showcasing our latest innovations and value-added solutions. Gulfood Manufacturing’s exhibition is the most important forum where industry leaders come together to discuss the latest trends and developments in the food and beverage industry and what they mean for the sector. We are thrilled to take part in the discussion on what the future of packaging is going to be and how we are shaping it today,” said Abdelghany Eladib, President and General Manager at SIG Middle East and Africa.

Peggy Li, Managing Partner at sps;affinity commented from a visitor perspective: “Gulfood Manufacturing is an iconic anchor event of DWTC. Gulfood Manufacturing this year has really shown

that Dubai is fully back in business. Plenty of new technologies on food packaging, and food safety storagerelated machinery, were the highlight for me. Also seeing the headline chefs at Gulfhost’s Top Table truly shows the thriving restaurant scene of Dubai.”

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre commented, “We are delighted at the resounding success of all five shows, with three days of engaging discussions tackling the most pressing global issues facing the industry, and redefining its future. The UAE’s food manufacturing and foodservice sectors have a critical part to play not only in the UAE government’s strategic vision to diversify and grow the nation’s industrial base, but also in ensuring food security beyond the region. This year’s events have been our best yet and we look forward to seeing the positive growth of businesses as a result of the networking and deals that took place between individuals and brands from around the world.”

Napco National Packaging sustainable food and beverage packaging solutions

For over 65 years now, Napco National Packaging serves food and beverage producers in over 70 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe & UK, Asia and the Americas with a wide range of customized, high-quality, sustainable, and safe food packaging solutions.

Napco National exhibited for the 6th consecutive year in this exhibition, which is the largest Middle East’s food and beverage processing trade show focusing on the future of food and beverage production from new ingredients and advanced technologies to integrated supply chain solutions and breakthrough developments driving the industry forward.

From its manufacturing plants in Jeddah and Dammam, Napco National Packaging produces and distributes paper, plastic, multi-layer packaging, and corrugated packaging, including bags, barrier films, cone sleeves and ice lolly tubes, labels, lidding, pouches, shrink films, wraps, as well as corrugated boxes and containers. During this show, food and beverage manufacturers and packers learned about the wide range of food and beverage packaging solutions, including bakery packaging, condiments and sauces packaging, confectionery packaging, dairy packaging, dry food packaging, fresh food packaging, frozen food packaging, ice cream packaging, as well as ready-made packaging.

Arzu Alibaz, CEO at IFFCO Out of Home says,

“Gulfood Manufacturing is the most dynamic platform for engagement with the food and beverage manufacturing industry. We aspire to explore potential challenges faced by our partners and customers in order to provide opportunities and solutions that will drive the industry forward.”

“At IFFCO Out of Home, innovation is the third key core value, in addition to excellence and entrepreneurship. By participating in Gulfood Manufacturing 2022, we look forward to inspiring and empowering the F&B manufacturing industry with our cutting-edge solutions that will redefine the future of food. We constantly go beyond the industry trends and evolve to deliver simply better solutions and we’re excited to be launching the latest additions to IFFCO Out of Home’s Frying Solutions portfolio for the first time at Gulfood Manufacturing 2022.”

Mark Napier, Vice President of Exhibitions at Dubai World Trade Centre says,

“With an F&B market valued at $45 billion, and the ambition to attract 100 million inward visitors per year to the country by 2030, the need and opportunity for a food manufacturing event in Saudi Arabia is clear, and we believe the timing is right.”

Prince Waleed bin Nasser Al Saud says,

Founder and CEO of Mukatafa

“When we talk about food manufacturing, we are also talking about technology, logistics and other segments that we are bringing to Saudi Arabia. At the same time, a lot of policies around ease of doing business in Saudi Arabia are being reviewed, and employment incentives are being introduced. The SaudiFood Show 2023 is coming at the right time, to bring international companies to Saudi Arabia.”

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, DWTC says,

“We are delighted at the resounding success of all five shows, with three days of engaging discussions tackling the most pressing global issues facing the industry, and redefining its future. The UAE’s food manufacturing and foodservice sectors have a critical part to play not only in the UAE government’s strategic vision to diversify and grow the nation’s industrial base, but also in ensuring food security beyond the region. This year’s events have been our best yet and we look forward to seeing the positive growth of businesses as a result of the networking and deals that took place between individuals and brands from around the world.”

The Food Tech Summit

The Food Tech Summit, taking place across all 3 days of the event, was set to welcome global leaders from across the industry under one roof, the first day of the conference saw keynote addresses from Ahmed Mohamed Al Naqbi, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Development Bank, and Saleh Abdullah Lootah, Chairman of UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group, both highlighting their roles in enabling the UAE’s industrial strategy and further establishing the UAE as a thriving, innovative global manufacturing hub. Later in the day, Ally Gugu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Tanzania, will share key insights on the market in Africa.

The Food Tech Summit bring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into focus on the second day, with Vision 2030 and The Kingdoms’ bold and ambitious

sustainability agenda through food production, including a keynote opening address by Prince Waleed N. F. AlSaud, Founder and CEO of Mukatafa Company. Vanessa Adams, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Chief of Party PIATA, AGRA commented: “The food systems economy is changing rapidly today, presenting immense opportunities to open up new trade relationships especially with Africa. The continent is projected to be a trilliondollar food economy by 2030, both in terms of a growing consumer market and also a global trader of food. African governments are shifting their business policies to incentivize enterprise in the sector and in turn private sector are shifting from raw material trade to processed and packaged goods for the global market. AGRA and the Agribusiness Dealroom will be at Gulfood Manufacturing highlighting

this potential and meeting with partners to explore investment and trade with Africa”.

On Day 3, H.E. Eng. Mohammed Mousa Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet, Director-General, Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) utilized Gulfood Manufacturing as a platform to both deliver a keynote speech. This will be part of a session that focuses on how IFPA – a subsidiary of Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) – is choosing Dubai as its partner to achieve food security, and how it aims to strengthen and diversify the food supply chain in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. IFPA is also expected to announce the relocation of its head office to Dubai, further recognising the city’s position as a global food industry hub.

Gulfood Manufacturing Review

BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023:

Organic system paves the path for ecological transformation

BIOFACH, World Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food, will open its doors in Nuremberg from 14 to 17 February 2023 alongside VIVANESS, International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care. Following the one-off summer edition held at the end of July 2022, the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sectors will revert to February again for their annual gathering.

The new Tuesday to Friday schedule from 2022 will be retained. Having been integrated into the BIOFACH halls just for the summer edition, VIVANESS will now be returning to Hall 3C. “We are already looking forward to gathering the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics communities on site in Nuremberg again and offering them a framework for innovation and

transformation, inspiration and networking! In 2023, our international trade visitors can look forward to the comprehensive product displays of around 2,700 exhibitors, 200 of them at VIVANESS,” says Danila Brunner, Director BIOFACH and VIVANESS. “Especially in the current times, it is more important than ever to meet and exchange ideas and knowledge in person, and to look

to the future to prepare the ground for the issues that will define it. In other words, to pave the path together!”

With its focus topic “Organic. Food Sovereignty. True Prices.”, the BIOFACH Congress will provide a global knowledge platform for transformation. The thematic content is being organised in conjunction with BIOFACH’s international patron, IFOAM – Organics International, and national supporting organization BÖLW, the German Federation of Organic Food Producers. The focus will be on pressing issues: What contribution can the organic system make to food security and sovereignty? How can “true prices”, i.e., those that include the consequential ecological costs, pave the path to implementing the necessary transformation of the agrifood industry.

The VIVANESS Congress, with its comprehensive programme and wide

range of sessions, also offers the opportunity for discussion, dialogue and knowledge transfer. In the various forums, the focus will be on topics that are important for the future.

As was the case during the one-off summer edition in 2022, all participants will have the opportunity to watch parts of the BIOFACH and VIVANESS congresses as a live stream via the digital platform. The sessions will subsequently be available as ondemand videos.

Future-oriented and trending issues are also reflected on the exhibition floors in a variety of ways, whether through the lively exchanges within the community or the products on display. The Meetingpoint "Specialist trade" in Hall 9, for example, will be dedicated to the issues currently affecting retailers. How can they hold their ground in the struggle for supremacy between food retailers and

discount stores? What solutions does the sector offer to the increasingly crucial factors of regional sourcing and supply chains? What unique selling points can show the way forward? The pioneers of change in the industry are addressing these and other questions.

In conjunction with the shift to more organic products in the supermarket, independent retailers will be able to meet experts in the procurement of complete ranges of organic food at the special show BIOimSEH, which is making its debut at BIOFACH 2023 in partnership with bioPress Verlag.

The future of the agri-food industry will also be discussed at the Initiatives & NGOs network hub, where industry stakeholders, including start-ups and established organic food companies, will come together to look to the future and network while discussing policy issues, ideas and research findings.

Anyone wishing to gain a foothold in the organic sector or with an interest in training or professional development will find the answers at the Generation Future network hub which is organized in partnership with Kugler & Rosenberger. In addition the BioThesis Research Award will also be presented in the framework of BIOFACH. Its aim is to inspire and support young people with an interest in the organic sector.

Organic, plant-based diets are becoming increasingly important. At the VEGAN World of Experience, visitors can see, smell and taste the diverse range of products on display, hear inspiring presentations and watch cooking demonstrations. Following its excellent cooperation with ProVeg over many years, the World of VEGAN will be working with two new partners, AöL and VegOrganic, in 2023 to create a lively, content-rich agenda.

The dedicated display area “Unverpackt” (unpackaged), which is

organised in partnership with Unverpackt e.V, will explore trending issues like zero waste or sustainable packaging.

The respective novelty stands at BIOFACH and VIVANESS also showcase the latest trends and innovations. During the fair, participants will once again get the opportunity to vote for their favourite product in seven categories as part of the Best New Product Award.

New developments, ideas and inventive minds are also to be found at the two government-subsidised pavilions for innovative young companies that allow visitors to discover and enjoy product innovations by start-ups from the organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sectors. The VIVANESS special show Breeze is dedicated to international start-ups.

At BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023, participants can immerse themselves in

the diverse product range by a highly international mix of exhibitors, add to their knowledge, network on site and chat in person. Moreover, the digital extension to the combined event once again offers the greatest possible added value in 2023. These digital tools allow exhibitors to introduce their companies and products in their corporate profiles, while the matchmaking function helps users to make contacts and organise and conduct meetups within the platform. Parts of the congress can also be viewed as a live stream or watched afterwards as on-demand videos. These and other functions help participants to organise their trade fair visit efficiently, from the initial preparations to the long-term follow-up afterwards.

For more information, please go to: www.biofach.de/congress and www.vivaness.de/congress.

SIAL Paris Insights

The latest edition of SIAL Paris has just come to a close. The results are extremely positive, showing it to be the world’s first large-scale event to succeed in reaching its prepandemic level, both in terms of exhibitors and visitors.

Indeed, the trade fair assembled more than 7,000 exhibitors from 127 countries (90% from abroad) with admission figures nearly equivalent to those of 2018: 265,000 professionals and an even more spectacular proportion of visitors from abroad (85%) including 50% importers/exporters and 8,000 top purchasers who alone represent a purchasing portfolio of more than 50 billion euros. The event upheld all its promises to reunite the businesses of the sector, reinforcing its position as the not-to-be-missed gathering of the worldwide agribusiness field.

SIAL Paris 2022 reasserts its standing as the world’s foremost food industry event

This edition – which got started on a Saturday for the first time in its history – was a fabulous medley of ingredients, recipes and flavors: an unparalleled worldwide showcase of the dynamic Food Planet, consolidating business leaders, inventors, producers, entrepreneurs, distributors and restaurateurs.

This is truly the worldwide laboratory for food innovation in every sense of the word. The agrifood industry is showing resilience and an incredible capacity to face enormous challenges: namely, to feed 10 billion human beings by 2050 in an ethical way while protecting the planet, in the words of Nicolas Trentesaux, General Director of SIAL Network.

This observation resonates with the statements of this year’s spokesperson for the event, three-star Chef Mauro Colagreco. He eloquently declared: The history of humanity is built on great dreams which came true and went on to become customary. That is why it is important to keep dreaming. What better encouragement to embrace change and continue innovating, always and forever!

SIAL Paris is unique yet complete in the way it intermingles various experiences in the food industry. The sectors that matter and those that remain, those which are just emerging, and the up-and-comers that will make a difference tomorrow in France, the United States, South Korea and elsewhere. This was an assembly of companies presenting the most premium products, those committed to more sustainable production methods, and those focusing on more affordable offers, in order to reach consumers seeking enjoyment, maintaining a healthy balance, and making the most of their purchasing power. Audrey Ashworth, Director of SIAL Paris

The five-day event hosted a succession of 120 official visits by

international delegations, demonstrating that food and the culinary arts are increasingly important drivers for a country’s communication and more generally its diplomacy. For the first time, Italy was the most prevalently represented country at SIAL, with more than 800 exhibitors promoting the simplicity and finesse of its flavorful cookery. This edition enjoyed considerable participation from the European countries and a very strong prevalence of purchasers from Turkey, the United States, South Korea and Brazil. South Korea also demonstrated itself to be a new expression for gourmet expression, with 132 brands exhibiting within its pavilion, showcasing their appeal through the skills of Korean chefs and also a renowned French chef, Eric Trochon. A Korean brand also received a SIAL Innovation Grand Prix in the Savory Dry Goods category for the freeze-dried version of a dish which is emblematic of the country’s gourmet heritage: kimchi.

SIAL could not have had a more fitting theme than “OWN THE CHANGE ” which highlighted all the links in the chain which are joining the

commitment to innovate, produce, distribute and consume in a more virtuous way. This is a way for SIAL to project itself into the future and thus provide assistance in anticipating tomorrow’s ingredients and technologies as well as consumer expectations in terms of health, authenticity, transparency and enjoyment.

As an extension of this dynamic, the new CXMP BtoB marketplace will make it possible for exhibitors and visitors to continue their online dealings well beyond the trade fair.

This essential business tool, specially designed for professionals, already boasts 6 million pages viewed.

SIAL PARIS is already beginning to prepare for its next edition, from October 19 to 23, 2024.

Once again, it promises to rally all the professionals of the Food Planet, and moreover will celebrate an important milestone for the trade fair: its 60th anniversary!

The Paris-based trade fair has just come to a close, but SIAL Network still

has great events in store by the end of the year with three upcoming events: SIAL Interfood Jakarta, SIAL in India New Delhi, and SIAL in China Shanghai. The five days of extensive programming featured:

SIAL Innovation: A showcase of new products that stand out among the more than 1,800 applicant innovations and 21 winners recognized at the Awards ceremony of the 2022 SIAL Innovation awards.

SIAL Talks: 76 lectures and debates with 116 prominent key speakers to collectively consider the food of tomorrow. The replay will soon be available on sialparis.com.

SIAL Insights: The 5th edition of the exclusive new study performed by Kantar – in synergy with the expert consultancy in food innovation, ProtéinesXTC, and completed by the restaurant and catering trends examined by NPD (link to insight) –provides a view of the road ahead to all.

SIAL Startup: A specialized village assembling, for the first time, a

selection of 55 new concepts among more than 650 extremely dynamic upand-coming companies participating in the trade fair, featuring the first edition of “SIAL Startup Invest,” an on-site event where the start-ups pitch their ideas before a panel of investors.

SIAL Future Lab: An interactive, immersive space to explore the future of food by 2030, from farm to fork.

SIAL La Cuisine: 7750 guests dined at the SIAL ephemeral gourmet restaurant, and talented chefs performed a number of culinary demonstrations.

SIAL is an essential event for us, reconnecting us to both innovation and our suppliers. We attended as a group of more than 40 people – each a specialist in a specific field – to get our fill of new products, maintain relationships with our existing suppliers, and meet new ones. Steinar Halvorsen, General Director of United Nordic Inc AB – incorporating Dagrofa (Denmark), Axfood (Sweden) and NorgesGruppen (Norway).

Spotlights 2023: Discover the novelties at FRUIT LOGISTICA already now

With its technical innovations the sector is promoting sustainability and less food waste.

FRUIT LOGISTICA is the ideal platform for the fruit trade to present its innovations. Be it new fruit and vegetable varieties, sustainable packaging, data-driven monitoring of production or pest-resistant crop strains, from 8 to 10 February 2023 in Berlin trade visitors can find out about numerous innovations.

In the run-up to the trade show, trade visitors and media representatives can gain an overview of the solutions that exhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA have in store to meet the current global challenges such as climate change and resource shortages.

In the Spotlights, the leading trade show for the global fresh produce business presents a selection of more than 30 innovations, many of them making their debut on the world stage. The corresponding texts are available in English and German.

Innovative packaging methods for example are promoting sustainability. Carton Pack has designed a practical bucket made from Social Plastic® rPET, i.e. plastics recovered from ocean waste. This reduces environmental pollution and benefits the livelihoods of those collecting it. The programme behind the effort provides care and education. Inkarta by contrast uses paper for its packaging which is made from renewable raw materials and is fully recyclable.

The Dutch company Hotraco with its iHotraco Storage Data solution, for example, is showing how precise data can make production more efficient. This system makes crop storage easier for producers and provides a constant overview of data. Delphy Digital’s quality management systems also support crop production, by helping to make greenhouse cultivation more efficient. DeltaTRAK users log data on fresh produce in real time while it is in transit to the customer. With its FlashTrak Cloud Services, DeltaTRAK offers global supply chain actors a turnkey solution with a data-driven decision-making capability. Technical innovations such as these are helping to effectively reduce food waste.

World Food Istanbul Review

WorldFood Istanbul breaks records in its 30th Anniversary edition

The International Food Products and Processing Technologies ExhibitionWorldFood Istanbul, the international collaboration platform of the food industry, has achieved significant success in the number of visitors, exhibitors, and foreign hosted buyers this year. For 4 days, 835 exhibitors from 25 different countries brought together more than 2000 brands with 38,358 professional visitors from 163 countries; one out of every three visitors was recorded as a foreign visitor.

WorldFood Istanbul, the largest sector exhibition in Eurasia and on its way to becoming one of the largest sector exhibitions in the world with the momentum it has achieved and its expanding area of influence, celebrated its 30th anniversary with its

stakeholders as it opened its doors at TÜYAP between 1-4 September 2022.

WorldFood Istanbul, which is a cooperation platform where many local and foreign brands take place and where the sector is represented with all its stakeholders, from producers to entrepreneurs, has made significant improvements in visitor, exhibitor, foreign hosted buyers and business

volume figures compared to last year; WorldFood Istanbul history records were broken.

This year, the exhibition welcomed 38,358 visitors from 163 different countries, with 33 percent of the participants, or 12,633 in total, being foreign visitors. Thus, WorldFood Istanbul increased the number of foreign visitors by 141 percent

Semi Benbanaste, Director of WorldFood Istanbul, stated that the number of hosted buyers has reached a significant number and that the last exhibition was an important experience for WorldFood Istanbul to be among the most important international exhibitions in its sector and added: "The Hosted Buyer Delegation Program is the one that affects the commercial dynamism in our exhibitions and improves the business volume goal. This year, we hosted a significant number of hosted buyers, over 600 of them in Istanbul. As a result, we exceeded the business volume of 1 billion Euros we targeted before the fair, and contributed to sales worth 1.2 billion Euros. I would like to say that especially our local exhibitors who produce in Turkey have taken a big slice of the pie." He drew attention to the contribution of the Hosted Buyer Program to the business volumes of the exhibitors in 4 days.

compared to the previous year, and the number of exhibitors reached a historic level.

The impact of the hosted buyer program in achieving the business volume goal

While 835 exhibitors from 25 different countries presented over 2000 brands to the taste of both professional visitors and over 600 foreign hosted buyers from 77 countries, the preexhibition goal of "at least 1 billion Euros business volume" was achieved as a result of the meetings held within the scope of the WorldFood Istanbul VIP Hosted Buyer Program for 4 days. WorldFood Istanbul 2022 hosted very important hosted buyers, mainly from critical regions such as Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, Balkan countries, CIS countries, South & North America countries, Southeast

Asia, within the framework of this program, which was crucial in establishing new collaborations and signing agreements during the exhibition.

Is a zero-waste kitchen possible?

With sessions, workshops, entrepreneur presentations and award ceremonies held during the exhibition, industry stakeholders followed the sector from the Food Arena event area and on YouTube.

Benbanaste stated that another focus topic of the exhibition was to identify trends and talk about the future of the sector, and said: "This year, in addition to sustainability and safe food, the focus of our events was to find solutions to waste, which is one of the most important problems of our sector, or what can be done to reduce waste, and how we can use our kitchen

in this direction. In addition, our entrepreneurs, whom we care about and support, had the opportunity to introduce their new products and services to the sector."

During the exhibition, Creative Appetizers Inspired by the Zero Waste Movement and Creative Desserts Inspired by the Zero Waste Movement workshops were held in cooperation with the Turkish Cooks Association, focusing on the approaches by which food waste can be utilized, and how waste can be minimized or eliminated to a certain extent, with products selected from the participant booths. The Special Exhibition Tour, organized in cooperation with the Gastronomy Association with the limited participation of gastronomy experts, visited the participant booths and evaluated the approaches, solutions, and products that combat zero waste with healthy and reliable products.

While the Presidents' Forum, which has become a classic for WorldFood Istanbul, was held again this year, İHBİR

(Istanbul Cereals, Pulses,

Seeds

Products Exporters' Association) announced the sector's export target for 2022 as 13 billion dollars; the benefits of the trust created in the product and supply chain to Turkey and domestic producers were conveyed with case studies.

Technology initiatives prepare the sector for the future

While 10 different entrepreneurs presented their new products and services to the participants in the Food Arena event area, the 2020-2021-2022 women entrepreneurs of the "Empowering Women in Agrifood -

EWA" program, which is supported by the European Union and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in cooperation with Impact Hub Istanbul, Foodback.co and Topraktan.co, shared their innovative projects and stories with the audience in the Food Tech Garage area.

Innovative approaches this year included healthy snack production, functional nutrition, non-chemical fertilizer and soil-friendly olive production, as well as solutions and services to help bees produce healthy, abundant and nutritious honey with Artificial Intelligence and to prevent waste.

Oil

and