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Sustainable Artificial Casings for the Meat Industry
The usage of plastic for packaging has been under discussion for a long time already. Predominantly the fact of (micro) plastic in the environment is calling for a reduction of plastic usage in general. However, plastic food packaging is helping in the enormous challenge of fighting food waste, while having a lower carbon footprint over its lifetime in comparison to other packaging materials.
According to the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021, an estimated 17 % of the total global food production was wasted in 2019 (https://www.unep.org/resources/report/unep-food-wasteindex-report-2021). In addition to the plastic casing’s inherent benefit of preserving the enclosed foodstuff for a long shelf-life and thus reducing food waste, the new EFAN line is helping to reduce the use of fossil-based raw materials while at the same time avoiding the depletion of natural resources and reducing the accumulating plastic waste.
The EFAN product line represents an important pillar of Viscofan’s commitment to a sustainable world, in which the impact onto the environment is reduced as much as possible without affecting the high standard of quality of our products. By closely working with raw material providers and customers and also in line with the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, aiming e.g. to reduce plastic waste and support the transition to a circular plastics economy, certified plastic casings are now offered which are fulfilling one or more of the following properties: a) Have lower specific weight without affecting their performance. b) Are made with raw materials which are attributed to renewable resources – the so-called bio-based plastics. c) Are made with raw materials which are attributed to the advanced recycling of used plastic (also known as chemical recycling), the used plastic coming either from industry or from consumers.
Plastics made from bio-based sources or from chemical recycling are, at molecular level, the same as their fossil-based versions. Only the source of the initial raw material changes: from oil or natural gas to agricultural waste or used plastic, respectively. As being similar primary raw materials, they can be all fed to the same chemical reactors that produce plastics, and keep the same properties of their fossil-based counterparts, including the same level of food-contact approval. Therefore, the casings made with such materials behave in the same manner as conventional fossil-based casings, but come with an increased sustainability.
As of today, the supply of bio-based and chemically recycled feedstock is limited in comparison to the fossil fuel feedstock.
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• Superiorbarrierpropertiestomaximizeproductshelf-lifeand cookingyields. • Excellentmeatadhesionwithnopurgeandoptionstomodulate peelingprocesses. • efan isanewproductlinewhichreducesenvironmentalimpact withoutsacrificingthewell-knownhighqualityofViscofancasings.
Formoreinformationcontact:
TimSylander
TechnicalSalesManager sylandert@canada.viscofan.com 519-217-4812
Continued from page 8 – SUSTAINABLE ARTIFICIAL CASINGS FOR THE MEAT INDUSTRY Also the costs are higher at this early stage of building up the necessary infrastructure for the generation of the feedstock. Nonetheless, Viscofan and its providers are committed to support the use of sustainably sourced bio-based and chemically recycled materials and to satisfy the growing demand.
As done in other industries, also Viscofan is part of a certified mass-balance accounting, ensuring that along the entire supply chain only such an amount of bio-based or chemically recycled product is sold, for which the respective quantities of feedstock were added at the beginning. In this way, these low-carbon and more sustainable products can be offered to the market in increasing quantities, using available equipment while at the same time building the infrastructure needed to reach world-scale production capacities of the feedstock.
For the Certification of the mass-balance accounting, ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, https:// www.iscc-system.org/) is one of the most renowned sustainability certification schemes, present in many areas of the economy (sustainable agriculture, bio-based fuels, etc.) and supported by a large group of stakeholders including NGOs such as WWF.
The Viscofan plant located in České Budějovice in the Czech Republic is the first Viscofan site (and the first plastic casing factory in the world) to obtain the ISCC PLUS certification, which is adapted to companies committed to a circular economy and a bio-economy. In the near future, further Viscofan sites will also be certified. The efforts to make a more sustainable business do not stop here. Viscofan is continuously working on optimizing their products to reduce the amount of plastic needed per kg of food contained therein, by researching on new materials and optimizing the processes to achieve the balance between protecting the often high-carbon footprint foodstuff and minimizing plastic waste.
The new EFAN line shows Viscofan’s strong commitment to work hard for a sustainable future and towards a circular economy in the casing industry by collaboration with providers and customers.
These new products are now available to customers.
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Price and goods labeling system GLM-Ievo
Flexibility labeling system
The GLM-Ievo intelligent labeling line, is designed for automatic weighing and labeling of prepackaged goods. Available in a variety of confi gurations, this modular design can be optimally constructed for products and performance requirements in the food area. With an output of up to 200 packages/minute, there are no limits in the industrial food area for today’s regulations or any other regulations in the future.
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I N T H E S P O T L I G H T
GRAHAM DALZIEL
Toronto, ON - June 1, 2021 - David Flomen President, CEO Viscofan Canada announced the appointment of Graham Dalziel to the role of Technical Sales Manager, New Business Product Category, with responsibility for “supporting our Viscofan customers with the highest level of application expertise. Graham’s years of experience and commitment to relationships make him a perfect fit for Viscofan Canada and those same qualities make Viscofan such a reliable partner for our customers. ”
Dalziel has been an active member of MPO for over 30 years, received the Lifetime Membership Award in 2015, and currently serves as an MPO board member. For the nine years prior to his new position, Dalziel was responsible for business development at Handtmann Canada where he helped create a period of exceptional growth.
“That success, like all success in our industry, ” says Dalziel “was built on the value delivered by product performance, service excellence and a loyal commitment to customer success. Today, the ever-changing regulatory environment, a critical shortage of skilled labour and the continuing pandemic have really reinforced the importance of reliable supply chain partners, and innovative labor saving solutions; especially for consumables. So, helping provide that dependability with experienced technical support is a great opportunity. ”
Over the past several years, Viscofan has been investing €100’s of million into new product development and manufacturing expertise and Flomen says “the investments we have been making in technology, logistics and skilled people have become even more valuable in this current environment. That forethought has let us dependably maintain the very highest product quality and service reliability that has been so critical to customer success in these unstable times. ”
Dalziel also notes that processors are challenged to produce artisan quality products at unparalleled speeds. “Those demands require an ever wider range of quality innovative casings, sustainable packaging films, shrink bags, and value added technologies that dependably deliver very consistent results. We assure that dependability with the technical proficiency and commitment of our Viscofan Canada Team that works so well together and with our customers to support their success. ”
