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Banana plants an a-peeling alternative for packaging
Biodegradable “plastic” bags made out of banana plants sounds a bit…bananas, but a couple of UNSW researchers have found a way to do it, and it could solve two industrial waste problems in one.
Two researchers at UNSW Sydney have discovered a novel way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that is not only biodegradable, but also recyclable.
Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot and Professor Martina Stenzel were looking for ways to convert agricultural waste into something that could value add to the industry it came from while potentially solving problems for another.
A good contender was the banana growing industry which, according to Arcot, produces large amounts of organic waste, with only 12 per cent of the plant being used (the fruit) while the rest is discarded after harvest. “What makes the banana growing business particularly wasteful compared to other fruit crops is the fact that the plant dies after each harvest,” said Arcot, who is from UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering.
“We were particularly interested in the pseudostems – basically the layered, fleshy trunk of the plant, which is cut down after each harvest and mostly discarded on the field. Some of it is used for textiles, some as compost, but other than that, it’s a huge waste.”
Arcot and Stenzel, who is from UNSW’s School of Chemistry, wondered whether the pseudostems would be valuable sources of cellulose – an important structural component of plant cell walls – that could be used in packaging, paper products, textiles and even medical applications, such as wound healing and drug delivery.
Using a reliable supply of pseudostem material from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the duo set to work in extracting cellulose to test its suitability as a packaging alternative.
“The pseudostem is 90 per cent water, so the solid material ends up reducing down to about 10 per cent,”
Bananas are being looked into as a source of packaging material.
Arcot said. “We bring the pseudostem into the lab and chop it into pieces, dry it at very low temperatures in a drying oven, and then mill it into a very fine powder.”
“We then take this powder and wash it with a very soft chemical treatment,” said Stenzel. “This isolates what we call nano-cellulose, which is a material of high value with a whole range of applications. One of those applications that interested us greatly was packaging, particularly single-use food packaging where so much ends up in landfill.”
When processed, the material has a consistency similar to baking paper.
Arcot said depending on the intended thickness, the material could be used in a number of different formats in food packaging.
“There are some options at this point, we could make a shopping bag, for example,” she said.
“Or depending on how we pour the material and how thick we make it, we could make the trays that you see for meat and fruit. Except of course, instead of being foam, it is a material that is completely non-toxic, biodegradable and recyclable.”
Arcot said she and Stenzel have confirmed in tests that the material breaks down organically after putting “films” of the cellulose material in
soil for six months. The results showed that the sheets of cellulose were well on the way to disintegrating in the soil samples.
“The material is also recyclable. One of our PhD students proved that we can recycle this for three times without any change in properties,” Arcot said.
Tests with food have proved that it poses no contamination risks.
“We tested the material with food samples to see whether there was any leaching into the cells,” Stenzel said. “We didn’t see any of that. I also tested it on mammalian cells, cancer cells, T-cells and it’s all non-toxic to them. So if the T-cells are happy – because they’re usually sensitive to anything that’s toxic – then it’s very benign.”
Other uses of agricultural waste that the duo have looked at are in the cotton industry and rice growing industry – they have extracted cellulose from both waste cotton gathered from cotton gins and rice paddy husks.
“In theory you can get nanocellulose from every plant. It’s just that some plants are better than others in that they have higher cellulose content,” Stenzel said.
“What makes bananas so attractive, in addition to the quality of the cellulose content, is the fact that they are an annual plant,” Arcot added.
The researchers say that for the banana pseudostem to be a realistic alternative to plastic bags and food packaging, it would make sense for the banana industry to start the processing of the pseudostems into powder, which they could then sell to packaging suppliers.
“If the banana industry can come on board, and they say to their farmers or growers that there’s a lot of value in using those pseudostems to make into a powder that you could then sell, that’s a much better option for them as well as for us,” Arcot said.
And at the other end of the supply chain, if packaging manufacturers updated their machines to be able to fabricate the nano-cellulose film into bags and other food packaging materials, then banana pseudostems stand a real chance of making food packaging a much more sustainable proposition.
“What we’re really wanting at this stage is an industry partner who can look into how this could be upscaled and how cheap we can make it,” Stenzel said.
Arcot agreed. “I think the packaging companies would be more willing to have a go at this material, if they knew the material was available readily.”
Pernod Ricard Winemakers has become the first large wine company in Australia to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity. The commitment was achieved ahead of schedule and will ensure that all wines from the iconic Australian wine brands Jacob’s Creek, St Hugo and Wyndham Estate will be produced using electricity from renewable sources.
All of Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ Australian sites are now using renewable electricity thanks to the completion of Australia’s largest combined winery solar installation and a 10-year agreement to source renewable electricity.
Energy company AGL has installed more than 10,300 solar panels across the company’s two Barossa Valley wineries, with a predicted annual generation of 4,000 MWH, enough to power the equivalent of nearly 800 South Australian homes.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers has also become connected to both offsite wind and solar farms as a result of a 10-year Virtual Generation
Pernod Ricard has installed more than 10,000 solar panels across the company’s two Barossa Valley wineries.
Agreement (VGA) with wholesale electricity retailer Flow Power.
The agreement means that the remainder of the business’ annual electricity requirements will be met by solar and wind.
Sustainability and responsibility is an important part of Pernod Ricard’s global strategy, with the group recently launching its 2030 sustainability and responsibility roadmap, which sets out eight ambitious goals aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Brett McKinnon, who is Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ chief operations officer, believes that the completion of the project demonstrates that the company is committed to being a leader within the industry when it comes to sustainability and responsibility.
“Pernod Ricard Winemakers is excited to be the first large wine company in Australia to produce wine using electricity sourced entirely from renewable sources, well ahead of our initial goal,” he said.
“Being sustainable and responsible is an important part of our business, particularly as producers of wine – a product that takes its character from the land where it was grown. We want to minimise our impact on the communities where we operate, responding to the local climate and preserving the environment for future generations to come.
“Our journey began in 2016 with a pilot solar installation after we recognised that we had a huge opportunity across our wineries to harness the power of the sun through solar panels.
“Three years later, we are exceptionally proud to say that we are now sourcing all electricity from renewable sources, in alignment with our global ambition,” he said.
$4m grant announced to enhance food chain traceability
The Department of Agriculture is inviting applications for grants worth $4 million to fund projects to enhance traceability in the food supply chain, enhancing trust in Australian-grown products and boosting the competitiveness of agricultural exporters.
Australia’s reputation as a source of clean, green and safe products has helped secure a strong foothold in Asian markets seeking healthy, nutritious food.
Effective traceability systems are critical for continued access to these export markets, responding to demand from consumers domestically and internationally, for greater transparency and real-time convenience around the origins and safety of food in modern digital marketplaces.
An initial $4 million round of Traceability Grants Program (TGP) funding will be available to individuals, communities, government or private sector organisations, as well as agricultural export industries, to enable them to enhance traceability in supply chains.
The program will provide opportunities for successful applicants to carry out projects that enhance product traceability and the competitiveness of Australian produce.
For example, by supporting assertions around organic or location-specific production.
The TGP is part of the Modernising Agricultural Trade agenda announced by the Australian Government to support the target of a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
The program will run over a minimum of two rounds from the end of 2019 to June 2023.
The TGP Opportunity Guidelines set out how the program will operate. The round will close on 21 February 2020.
Platform allows farmers to sell lamb direct to consumers I n a time where Australian farmers are being challenged by adversity in every direction, a new e-commerce platform has been developed to bridge the gap between customer and farmer with a buy direct system.
The PDLmarketplace e-commerce platform has been developed to provide lamb consumers with quality-assured Prime Dorper Lamb directly from Australian farmers, with proceeds going directly to the farmer.
The advantages of an e-commerce system like this are twofold – farmers get better returns by selling premium product directly to customers and customers get a better range of choice when buying lamb delivered directly to their homes. Each PDLmarketplace delivery is traceable to a farm and production system. It allows consumers to select their lamb based on preferences including ethical farming, sustainable farming, as well as quality and flavour ratings based on previous customer reviews and farm location. All Prime Dorper Lamb has to meet strict quality specifications about size, conditions and genetic background to be available for sale through the system. When purchasing Prime Dorper Lamb through the PDLmarketplace, customers can learn about the farms and meet the farmers behind their lamb selection. PDLmarketplace project director, Joe Barnewall, believes that it is critical
PDLmarketplace offers a direct route to selling lamb to consumers.
to develop a much closer customerfarmer relationship. Tim Stevenson, president of the Dorper Sheep Society of Australia, said supporting Australian farmers is important now more than ever.
“With the drought in Eastern Australia, any way for professional producers to become more efficient must be a great thing.”
Stevenson also shared that the project, endorsed by the Dorper Sheep Society of Australia, is one of the first of it’s kind. “The livestock industry in general has been left behind in its uptake of technology. The DSSA is excited for and proud of the PDLmarketplace.”
Prime Dorper Lamb Farmers, like Donna Emmerton of Downs Dorper Lamb, are excited by this new opportunity to sell their product. “I think I speak for the majority of Prime Dorper Lamb farmers when I say things have been really tough for the past five to 10 years, and having a potential system like this that could give us some stability and the prospect of a better outcome is really exciting.”
The PDLmarketplace is a project operated by a Brisbane-based team with support from The Dorper Sheep Society of Australia. The initial launch is for the South-east Queensland consumer market with expansion to Victoria in early 2020 leading up to Australia Day.
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Bubs opens corporate headquarters in Victoria
Danny Pearson, Gabrielle Williams, Mark Edmonson, Dennis Lin, Kristy Carr, Wayne Zhu.
The official opening of the corporate headquarters Bubs Australia Limited was held Friday 13 December at its Australian Deloraine Dairy canning and packaging facility in Dandenong, Victoria.
Danny Pearson, State Member for Essendon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of Victoria, and Gabrielle Williams, State Member for Dandenong and Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Youth in the Victorian Government, signed the Official Certificate of Recognition commemorating Bubs establishing its headquarters in Victoria.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Danny Pearson said: “We were delighted to support Bubs move to Victoria, which will add considerable weight to our reputation as Australia’s gateway to China. As well as creating jobs, this investment is yet another vote of confidence in our farmers and the Government’s work promoting Victoria as an export hub.”
Williams welcomed the arrival of Bubs Australia to area.
“Melbourne’s south-east is the heart of Victoria’s manufacturing industry and having Bubs choose Dandenong for its headquarters is important to local jobs and the broader supply chain.”
Commenting on the occasion, Bubs executive chairman, Dennis Lin said, “We are honoured by the presence of two state members. Their participation recognises the contribution of Bubs to the state economy.
“Our relocation to Victoria was a vote of confidence in the state, its goat dairy farmers and its strategic position as a key export hub for Australia. We are truly excited that the management operations of Bubs Australia and its strategic supply chain partners are now so close together.”
“We see integrating supply chain, production and management in Victoria as a natural progression which will help bring greater agility and scale efficiencies to
our business,” said Bubs founder and CEO Kristy Carr. “The move underlines the Company’s recently announced plan to increase investment in boosting cross border e-commerce with China, both for its existing portfolio and new products.
“By expanding the scope of our portfolio to new demographics, we expect to generate further opportunities for growth among our Victorian farming partners who collectively represent the largest aggregation of milking goats in Australia.
The Victorian goat dairy farms contracted to Bubs are capable of providing some 20 million litres of fresh goats milk from an aggregate herd of around 20,000 milking goats.
“Importantly, most of our other Australian based supply chain partners are also located in Victoria,” said Carr. “In addition to our Deloraine canning and packing plant in Dandenong, Bega’s Tatura Industries in Victoria provides onestep goat’s milk blending and powder production and Fonterra’s facility in Darnum, also in Victoria, processes our grass-fed organic cow’s milk for packing at the Deloraine facility.”
Also present at the ceremony was Mark Edmonson, one of Bubs’ Victorian goat farmers, based in Echuca, Victoria, whose goat farms provide Bubs with important domestic supply of goat milk under an exclusive supply agreement.
Edmonson said that he was passionate about the goat industry and happy to be doing what he loves – supporting Australia’s Goat Industry, which has been a lifetime goal.
“I’m very proud to be one of Bubs exclusive suppliers. With Bubs we now have the guaranteed off-take that gives us the security we need to put this passion into practice. With Bubs support we know we have a partner that understands our business model and how sustainability can make a difference as well as a partner committed to enabling us to have access to skilled, capable people and supporting the gaining of those skills for generations to come.”
Consumers willing to pay for extra-healthy edible oils
The edible oils market is witnessing growth from the past few years, which will continue through the foreseeable future, mainly driven by increasing popularity of edible oils with extra-added health benefits. The global edible oils market is set to cross $233 billion by the end of 2019 and will showcase stable market growth of 4 per cent over the next decade-old period of projection.
Consumers are ready to pay premium prices for healthy food products because of the increasing food-based health issues such as increase in blood cholesterol as well as obesity. The increasing attractiveness
People are becoming more discerning about the types of oils they consume.
about edible oils with added health benefits in many economies is influencing to buy edible oils, which are high in omega 3, vitamins, oryzanol, natural anti-oxidants, and others.
Additionally, the increasing awareness of health is driving consumers to experiment with various edible oils to find the best and healthiest choice for cooking in their kitchens.
This inclination is prompting edible oil manufacturers to offer various types of oils targeting to consumers specifically looking for edible oils, which are good for a healthier heart, making immune systems strong, and many other health benefits. Offering of these types of edible oils is anticipated to support the growth of the edible oils market during the forecast period.
Key features of the study include: • The increasing rate of urbanisation in developing as well as developed economies, and changing lifestyles of the customers, has increased the demand for edible oils. • The increasing popularity of edible oils with added health benefits among customers are providing profitable opportunities to edible oil manufacturers and for market growth. • Leading edible oil manufacturers are implementing various strategies such as cold-pressed and refining among other technologies to showcase their products on various platforms. • The strategy of having products and brands endorsed by celebrities and chefs is facilitating manufacturers in the edible oils to ensure that their product is positioned firmly in the minds of their target audience. Production test, on-board device programming, and design verification require the usage of boundary scan controllers
An increasing inclination of consumers towards specialty restaurants will remain one of the strongest factors driving the growth of edible oils market.
The analysis reveals that such factors will boost profits of domestic market players, driving expansion of local edible oils market in the long run.
Edible oils with a dash of health Manufacturers of edible oils are evolving their marketing approaches according to the ongoing market trends. Most prominent suppliers of edible oils are now targeting the nutritional enhancement of the edible oils offered by them.
Manufacturers have started offering various edible oils with various health benefits. Apart from that, the quality of the edible oils is kept at a high priority.
In March 2018, Bunge acquired Loders Croklaan. After this acquisition, Bunge became an important player for businessto-business in the oil ingredients segment with its product portfolio of tropical oils and softseed.
Four ANZ entries tipped for
Special WorldStar Packaging
The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) has announced that four Australian and New Zealand companies have been shortlisted as finalists for three of the WorldStar Packaging Special Awards, which are run by the World Packaging Organisation.
What makes this recognition even more meaningful is that no Awards
ANZ packaging innovation has ever been recognised or shortlisted in the President’s Award and two of the three finalists in the Sustainability Award are also PIDA 2019 Award winners.
ANZ finalist for the President’s Award is Plantic RV Skin Packaging Materials (PlanticTechnologies, Aust).
ANZ finalists for the Sustainability Award are Woolworths Bakery Plant Fibre Tray (Woolworths, Australia) and LewisRoad 100 per cent rPET Milk Bottle (#Pact, NZ).
ANZ finalist for Packaging that Saves Food Award is Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm and Sealed Air for its Cryovac Darfresh on Tray (SealedAir, Aust).
The winners of each award will be announced during the 2020 WorldStar Packaging Awards at Interpack in Duesseldorf, Germany on the 8th of May.
Winners from ANZ also received the third highest amount of WorldStar Packaging Awards in total in the world behind Japan and China. This brings the ANZ total awards to 17 for the 2020 WorldStar Packaging Awards.
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Néstle is investing $375 million into sustainable packaging.
Néstlé creates market for
food-grade recycled plastics
Nestlé has announced that it will invest up to $3 billion to lead the shift from virgin plastics to food-grade recycled plastics and to accelerate the development of innovative sustainable packaging solutions.
Building on its 2018 commitment to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, Nestlé will reduce its use of virgin plastics by one third in the same period while working with others to advance the circular economy and endeavour to clean up plastic waste from oceans, lakes and rivers.
Food quality and safety are paramount, and packaging plays a major role in assuring this. Most plastics are difficult to recycle for food packaging, leading to a limited supply of food-grade recycled plastics. To create a market, Nestlé is committed to sourcing up to two million metric tons of food-grade recycled plastics and allocating more than $2.5 billion to pay a premium for these materials between now and 2025. Nestlé will seek operational efficiencies to keep this initiative earnings neutral.
Packaging innovation, including new materials, refill systems and recycling solutions, is another key challenge on the path towards a waste-free future.
In addition to its inhouse research through the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences, the company will launch a $375 million sustainable packaging venture fund to invest in start-up companies that focus on these areas.
These two initiatives come in addition to Nestlé’s ongoing efforts in research, sourcing and manufacturing to make its packaging recyclable or reusable and contribute to its goal to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. As part of the company’s packaging commitment and to increase transparency, Nestlé will continue to outline further initiatives and provide regular progress updates.
“No plastic should end up in landfill or as litter,” said Mark Schneider, CEO of Nestlé. “Making recycled plastics safe for food is an enormous challenge for our industry. That is why in addition to minimising plastics use and collecting waste, we want to close the loop and make more plastics infinitely recyclable. We are taking bold steps to create a wider market for food-grade recycled plastics and boost innovation in the packaging industry. We welcome others to join us on this journey.”
“We are pleased to see Nestlé commit a $3 billion investment toward creating a circular economy for plastics, alongside a reduction of its use of virgin plastic in packaging by one third by 2025,” said Andrew Morlet, CEO, Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “By eliminating the plastics we don’t need, innovating in areas like reuse models and new materials, and circulating the plastics we do need – also in more challenging food grade applications – we can create an economy where plastic never becomes waste. Achieving the commitments announced today will contribute towards realising this vision.”
New trade opportunities for red meat
Ne w!
Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said the Government investing $3.9 million in the Beef Australia 2021 Expo to be held in Rockhampton in May 2-8 2021, was designed to allow farmers to grow their businesses by facilitating new trade opportunities.
“2021 is an important opportunity to champion Australia’s fantastic beef products domestically and internationally,” Landry said.
“Rockhampton’s contribution to the industry is central, with Beef Australia facilitating new trade and export opportunities by connecting the local supply chain to international industry leaders.
“Preparations are well underway for the next event, which will feature more than 5,000 cattle from over 30 breeds, a trade fair promoting more than 500 businesses; a symposium, seminars and property tours to deliver new research information to producers. “And let’s not forget Queensland is the epicentre of beef production in Australia, with more than 12,000 businesses contributing $5.47 billion to the national economy.”
Minister for Agriculture, Senator
Queensland beef contributes more than $5 billion to the Australian economy.
Bridget McKenzie, confirmed that the $3.9 mn was designed to help showcase quality Australian beef to the world.
“This is an investment not only in Rockhampton, but in an industry that’s delivering economic benefits to Australia, to regional economies and to farmers’ hip pockets.
“We’re backing Australia’s beef producers by helping to improve returns by maintaining and securing new export markets, and achieving lower tariffs through our free-trade agreements – particularly with Korea, Japan and China.
She said they were backing an industry that creates direct and indirect employment opportunities for around 400,000 people.
“The beef industry is a powerhouse of Australian agriculture, with cattle and calf production valued at about $10.8 bn, and beef and veal exports valued at almost $9.5 bn. Anything our government can do to support and sustain this significant contributor to Australia’s economy and the many thousands of people who work in it, especially during drought, is an investment in the future of agriculture.”
Importers of high dose caffeine products on notice It is illegal to import products that are harmful to humans.
Anyone who knowingly tries to import pure and highly concentrated caffeine products into the country for retail sale could end up facing up to 10 years jail if convicted.
Minister for Agriculture, Senator Bridget McKenzie, has made it clear that it is an offence to import food into Australia that posed a risk to human health.
“Our government has amended imported food legislation to target and prevent entry of pure and highly concentrated caffeine products, intended for retail sale,” McKenzie said.
“This is in support of Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) action to amend the Code to ban the retail sale of these products, which are a threat to human health.
The ban applies to food intended for retail sale where total caffeine is present at a concentration of five per cent or more in solid or semi-solid foods, like powders, or one per cent or more if the food is in liquid form, McKenzie said.
“This is a significant dose at which the risk of serious health effects start to increase and should not be available for retail sale – let alone be allowed into Australia.
“The safety of Australians is paramount and that’s why I have amended the Imported Food Control Order 2019 to classify pure and highly concentrated caffeine products as risk food.
“It is an offence to import food into Australia that poses a risk to human health. Importers who knowingly import food into Australia that poses a risk to human health can face a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment.”
The government tightened regulations following the death last year of a New South Wales man, which was attributed to acute caffeine toxicity associated with the consumption of a caffeine powder product.
Minister McKenzie said the ban would not affect caffeinated products like coffee, energy or cola drinks, which had much lower concentrations, or the import of commercial quantities by manufacturers for use as ingredients in these types of products.
FSANZ will soon be starting a campaign to educate Australian consumers about the risks of pure and highly concentrated caffeine products and the dangers of purchasing these products online.
v2food confirms $20m Wodonga factory investment
V2food, Australia’s newest plant-based meat company, has announced the purchase of a 55,470 sqm site in Wodonga. The purchase of the dormant building represents a chance to inject new life into the site, which will form the cornerstone of the company’s plans to change the way the world thinks about and consumes meat.
The company secured $35m in funding from investors, representing one of the largest ever Series A fundings for a plant-based company.
More than $20m will be invested in refitting the Wodonga site to be a world-class, food-grade facility including the installation of new equipment using the expertise of local contractors.
The factory is expected to begin operations in Q2 2020 with plans to employ 40-50 local workers. Once up and running, the factory will enable v2food to scale-up at speed to produce the plant-based meat that customers will soon find in supermarkets and restaurants across the country. v2food surveyed over 50 locations before confirming the Moloney Drive site.
It is critical that v2 can locally produce plant-based meat in order to make the most of Australia’s expertise as one of the leading global meat producers and export an Australian success story across the globe.
The world’s appetite for meat is growing too quickly for this to be a threat to local farmers.
Instead, there is an opportunity for Australian farmers to become part of a growing industry that could add $6 billion to our economy by 2030.
The Wodonga factory will form part of v2food’s supply chain enabling local farmers to supply this growing industry with Australiangrown ingredients.
Protein technology detects hidden gluten A new study has the secret ingredient to improve the safety of common breakfast foods.
Professor Michelle Colgrave, a researcher based at Edith Cowan University and CSIRO, is using revolutionary protein technology
A new technology is looking for hidden gluten in foodstuffs.
to detect hidden gluten and other proteins causing food allergies.
Most recently, she has focused her investigations on food commonly found on the Australian breakfast menu including cereal, breakfast bars and drinks, powdered drinks and a popular savoury spread.
“We were pleased to find that products that were specifically labelled as gluten-free were on the whole safe to consume,” she said.
“However, it is often another story for many foods that should be gluten-free, such as oats or soy flour.”
Colgrave said her team was looking to improve the safety of all Australian food, and deliver tools to industry and regulators that can ensure compliance to Australian and international standards.
“Coeliac disease affects up to two per cent of the Australian population and despite this group carefully avoiding gluten in their diet, many of them report associated symptoms at least once a month,” Colgrave said.
“We are interested in discovering whether they are unwittingly consuming gluten through hidden traces in their diets.”
Colgrave said contamination can occur at many stages during manufacture – from harvest to processing.
“Commonly used tests might be sensitive enough to detect small amounts of a contaminating substance in a raw ingredient, but might be challenged to detect the same contaminant in a processed food. Yet the human body was still able to detect it and react to it,” she said.
“The technique we use has been successfully deployed to test heavily processed products and it will provide a way to ensure that foods actually contain what it says on the label.”
Ultimate
Non-alcoholic wine and beer market size worth $43bn by 2025
The rising prevalence of coronary diseases and heart related health risks has fueled the non-alcoholic wine and beer market, which has grown exponentially in the past few years along with improved living standards of consumers. Owing to the notable concerns of consuming excess alcohol, worldwide efforts to explore the benefits and production techniques for making alcohol-free or low-alcohol beverages, have escalated. The nonalcoholic wine and beer industry has profited from an incredible shift in preference by millennials and the disease-prone geriatric population, who wish to lower the probability of cardiovascular diseases.
Compared to alcoholic beverages, some studies claim to show that non-alcoholic beers exhibit boosted anti-oxidants, increased Vitamin B6 and slower blood coagulation, all of which help to prevent heart conditions.
Additionally, benefits such as effective stress control have endorsed the global non-alcoholic wine and beer market.
A major cause of obesity and heart issues is unrestrained consumption of calories from beverages containing high sugar content.
Boasting annual earnings of over $23 billion in 2017, the non-alcoholic wine and beer market consists of products with less proportion of calories than alcoholic options.
Consequently, a number of institutions and national level events have been promoting less or non-alcoholic beers and wine in their demonstration portfolio to support companies that aim to brew craft beers and non-alcohol wines. Representing the industry penetration of the non-alcoholic wine and beer market, the Great British Beer Festival, happening every year since 1977, has recently confirmed that it will offer alcoholfree beer for the first time that is produced by Netherlands-based craft brewer, Braxzz.
The company sells both low and no-alcohol beers and the festival organisers expressed an interest due to the increasing importance of such products in the market, which has caused the sale of alcoholic drinks to decline.
Referring to 2018 statistics, the UK non-alcoholic beverages market grew by more than 15 per cent over the previous two years with healthconscious consumers looking for lower-alcohol content in drinks. Aldi, a major supermarket chain, in July introduced two non-alcoholic wines in response to the upsurge in demand. These wines are said to have less than half of the calories found in other alcoholic wines
Non-alcoholic wine and beer are gaining popularity among consumers.
and are also cheaper.
With the presence of several prominent liquor producers and having one of the highest consumption rates, Europe generates huge revenues for the non-alcoholic wine and beer market and registered a demand in the excess of 1 billion litres in 2017.
UK, Germany, Ireland, France and Italy are some of the biggest consumers of alcoholic drinks and the growing intensity of health problems in these countries will encourage the development of the European non-alcoholic wine and beer industry.
A number of popular brands such has Carlsberg, Heineken, Bernard Brewery, Erdinger Weibbrau, among others have dominantly stepped into the non-alcoholic wine and beer market. Seeking to capitalize on the swift expansion of the non-alcoholic wine and beer market, the world’s second largest beer producer Heineken has launched a non-alcoholic lager for the Irish market.
Beer is the more preferred alcoholic beverage in Ireland having a 46 per cent market share in 2016 and contributed close to $2.7 billion to the country’s economy in the same year. The company claims that the alcohol-free lager, Heineken 0.0, has half the calories of regular beer and taster better than most other products in the category.
As the Heineken 0.0 experiences strong sales in Spain, Netherlands, Russia and many other countries, the non-alcoholic wine and beer market will undergo a significant transformation with other brands also attempting to sell healthfriendly low-alcohol beverages through retail stores and ecommerce platforms. Over the past few years, research has continuously been conducted to compare the effects of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on the human body, primarily inspired by the explosion of cardiac disorders globally.
A study performed on 67 men, who had diabetes or displayed three or more risk factors of heart diseases, involved observing the effect of red wine containing alcohol and one without alcohol. Interestingly, when the men drank alcohol-free red wine their blood pressure lowered down to levels that reduce the risk of heart diseases by 14 per cent and chances of stroke by 20 per cent.
The global non-alcoholic wine and beer industry are driven by rapid technological development and innovations across the beverage sector.
Industrialisation and changing consumer lifestyle in the emerging economies of China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil has stimulated the demand for the product.
Rapid improvisations in the brewery industry for alcohol content reduction including improved membrane-based technologies and vacuum distillation is enhancing the quality of the beverage.
Also, rising demand for low alcohol content in various alcoholic beverages regarding suitability for occasional and health-concerned consumers will foster the product portfolio expansion. Developing economies such as Mexico, India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will substantially impact the product development owing to a larger customer base coupled with increasing preferences for low and no alcohol beverages.
All in all, the need for healthier drinks with enhanced antioxidants and electrolytes that can be incorporated in daily life has stimulated the non-alcoholic wine and beer industry, accentuated by disorders like liver cirrhosis, CVD and certain cancers that originate from alcohol abuse.
Offering a solution for people who want to socialise without consuming alcohol, or those who are restricted from drinking alcohol-infused beverages, the non-alcoholic wine and beer market is anticipated to record 7.6 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2024.
Bosch Packaging Technology changes name to Syntegon S yntegon Technology is the new name for Bosch Packaging Technology, and it is now an independent enterprise.
Syntegon Technology’s business focus is on intelligent and sustainable technologies for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Extending the service range is a priority for the company. Syntegon Technology employs 6,100 people at more than 30 locations worldwide. It posted $2.1 billion in sales in 2019. Bosch disclosed its plans to sell the packaging machinery division to a newly incorporated entity managed by CVC Capital Partners (CVC), a leading private equity and investment advisory firm, in July 2019.
The transaction was completed according to plan, with the company gaining full independence at the turn of the year.
The sale of Bosch Packaging Technology was completed on January 2, 2020, as envisioned. Bosch had announced in June 2018 that it intended to sell its packaging division, finding a buyer a year later in CVC.
Bosch Packaging Technology then expanded its headquarters in Waiblingen, Germany, augmenting it with new departments required for the switch. Business developments remained stable in the interim, bucking the trend in the sluggish machine engineering sector.
Sales in 2019 came to $2.1 bn, matching the previous year’s figure. CVC, aims to vigorously develop the company as a whole and expand intra-group synergies.
Commenting on the closing of the sale, Marc Strobel, a partner at CVC said, “CVC is delighted to see the transaction completed on schedule. Syntegon Technology has
Bosch Packaging is now known as Syntegon Technology.
a strong presence in many market segments, great technological know-how, and innovative power.
We want to build on these strengths jointly with management and the entire workforce.”
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Fast-food chicken growing in popularity
Chicken has become the second most popular item in Australian Quick Service restaurants (QSR), approaching burgers number one spot – a traditional fast food leader, according to research by The NPD Group. Over the past three years, the consumption of QSR chicken has increased by 2.8 per cent while the QSR burger increased by 1.6 per cent. The entire foodservice industry grew by 0.5 per cent since 2017, and the entire QSR channel grew 0.8 per cent in the period from October 2017 till September 2019.
Millennial consumers (those aged from 18 to 34 years old) are the main buyers and consume 42 per cent of chicken servings in the foodservice industry.
“Chicken is getting even more attention from millennials who have increased their share of visits to QSR chicken outlets by 4.6 per cent above any other age group in the last three years,” said Seton Leung, head of Australia Foodservice, The NPD Group Australia.
Millennials are quite sensitive to prices and feel the economy stagnate more stronger than others. The survey found that this was the reason that some younger consumers were ordering chicken wings or nuggets instead of a beef burger with French fries.
The average cost of a QSR chicken visit is $9.38. which was an increase of 1.5 per cent in the last three years. By comparison, the average QSR burger spend has risen by 2.7 per cent.
QSR chicken has always sold more chicken than any other restaurant or foodservice outlet. It has generated 36.6 per cent of chicken servings consumption in the
foodservice industry, commanding 8.4 per cent of foodservice visits. Chicken consumption is most likely to happen during the main meal, with more than one in two servings of chicken going at lunch, while dinner generates 40 per cent orders in the year October 2018 to September 2019.
The survey also stated that consumers saw chicken as a healthier and lighter option than beef because of many widespread beliefs with regards to white meat being healthier than some other alternatives, with some doctors suggesting that consumers should limit red meat to a few meals a week.
According to The NPD Group, 8.8 per cent of customers mentioned that they had chosen a QSR chicken outlet because it offers healthy options compared to 7.5 per cent of all fast food outlets in the foodservice industry.
Families with kids are also ordering chicken more often. Consumption by families in QSR grew 14 per cent compared to a year ago.
Kids are key influencers on where the family is going to have lunch or dinner.
They often choose chicken QSR because fried chicken is easy to share and served alongside a variety of condiments like BBQ or mustard sauces.
QSR chicken operators have been effectively targeting families with group bundle promotions for most of 2019.
In addition to special promotions, value packs and seasonal menu items have helped operators to generate traffic.
Thirty-seven per cent of QSR chicken consumers mentioned that they utilised some form of deal in their visits, compared to 27 per cent of deal-led consumers in the food service industry.
The top five chicken dishes (ranked by servings share of total chicken dishes) in QSR (October 2018-September 2019) are listed as follows: 1. burger and sandwiches (46 per cent); 2. nuggets and strips (17 per cent); 3. wraps (14 per cent); and 4. fried chicken pieces (9 per cent) 5. grilled and roast chicken (8 per cent)
Another reason why millennials and other consumers are switching to chicken is their concern about climate change.
“This generation sees climate change as their challenge and believe that the impact of each individual counts towards the societal whole,” said Seton Leung.
‘Chicken has a much lower carbon footprint and requires ten times less energy and resources in production than beef.”
According to the NPD Group, beef consumption by millennials has fallen by -2.3 per cent in the last three years.
The global sugar market is facing its largest supply deficit in five years – in the vicinity of 8.2 million tonnes – following production cuts in India, Thailand and the EU, according to Rabobank’s latest global Sugar Quarterly report.
The supply deficit is now shaping up to be three million tonnes more than anticipated just three months ago, largely due to early-season dryness in India, and subsequent flooding, which is expected to drive a 21 per cent drop in Indian production.
Thai production is expected to drop by a similar percentage, due to drought earlier in the year, while in the EU, planted area has been scaled back due to lower price signals.
These fundamentals have driven a “notable adjustment in market sentiment”, the report says, with NY futures (basis March) rising above 13 USc/lb.
Sugar output is set to be lowest since 2012/13.
And, it warns, “any move above the 14 USc/lb level in the coming months could well trigger a shift in the mix back towards sugar (from ethanol) in the next Brazilian campaign.”
In coming months, the report says, the progress of the Indian and Thai harvests will be subject to close scrutiny, while broader macroeconomic and political factors will also have the potential to impact the sugar market.
In particular, world oil prices will be a key influence on the sugar/ethanol arbitrage in Brazil and exporters are still awaiting an outcome on the WTO’s investigation into the ongoing dispute over India’s export subsidies.
Australia For the Australian sugar industry, the report says the pace of harvest has now caught up with last season, after lagging throughout, with the harvest
now essentially finished.
However, sugar output, according to Rabobank’s commodity analyst Charles Clack, is forecast to fall to its lowest level since 2012/13 to around 4.2 million tonnes.
“The dryness we have seen throughout the season, particularly the lack of in-crop rainfall, has significantly impacted yields,” he says, “and this could have a bearing on next season if rains are not received in coming months.”
Clack says despite the lower output, over three million metric tonnes of raw exports are still forecast in the current season, with Japan, South Korea and Indonesia remaining key markets for Australian sugar.
“In terms of the price outlook, global fundamentals are expected to see prices trade in the vicinity of $440/tonne in the first quarter of next year before rising to around $475/ tonne by year end,” he said.
Grant to study Australian food landscape in 2050 The Australian food landscape could change rapidly over the next two decades.
UNSW Built Environment senior lecturer Dr Joshua Zeunert has received an Australia Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) of $417,128.
The aim of his project is to forecast scenarios of what Australian agriculture might look like and entail in 2050, and to ensure Australia’s food supply landscapes and systems remain sustainable.
Zeunert became a full-time academic around 10 years ago after working in award-winning landscape architecture and urban design offices as well as casual teaching. He completed his PhD by publication in 2018 which, he says, gave him a “track record” for his first DECRA application just a year later.
“There are various narratives around what the next three decades might hold for the agricultural community in Australia,” Zeunert said.
“It’s quite alarming how different these stories are – and it’s not very common within areas of study for there to be such polarised views on what the future might entail. My goal is to understand these narratives and to forecast, test and illustrate them as potential scenarios to help inform stakeholders, politicians and decision-makers.
“The government’s existing narrative is that Australia feeds 60 million people and thus, because we produce a lot more food than we need ourselves, our food security isn’t seen as a concern. But there’s certainly literature out there challenging that as we look ahead several decades.
“And the tragic recent [bushfire] events, which perhaps demonstrate how widespread change can quickly occur, will also make us want to look at that claim a little more closely.”
To synthesise the wide array of existing information, Zeunert will use a conceptual framework that draws on established and overlapping processes – sieve mapping, Geographic Information Systems and geodesign. These will enable him to extract key indicators from text, data and mapping – which is often isolated – into spatial datasets and overlays.
For the project, Zeunert will also interview 40 experts to canvass their views on future likelihoods. The experts will include federal and state government ministers, key government decision-makers, heads of relevant departments like agriculture and primary industries; university-based, CSIRO and independent researchers; national and state leaders of key representational bodies such as the National Farmers’ Federation; NGO, volunteer, advocacy and not-for-profit organisations like Landcare and the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance; and key figures in agriculture and the media.
In addition to a literature review and “crunching” the existing data, he will conduct an online survey targeted at farmers and people directly engaged in agriculture.
Based on the information Zeunert collates, he will create scenarios and use a technique called “scenario testing” to seek feedback from the experts previously consulted. This provides the opportunity to refine the scenarios if necessary.
“Then I’m going to use a technique called ‘projective design’ which is found in spatial design disciplines such as architecture and landscape architecture. So, as well as text, data and numbers, we can make visual representations of the scenarios using graphic, illustrative and spatial techniques.”
Zeunert is hoping the project will help inform politicians, natural resource managers, environmental planners, primary producers and the agricultural community, and also the wider community.
“It’s key that these forecasts of future scenarios reach as wide an audience as possible,” he said.
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