Food Ireland Yearbook & Directory 2020/21

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Yearbook & Directory 2020/21

IRELAND

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2

contents

10 w 2 Minister’s FOREWORD

Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, highlights the importance of the agri-food sector to Ireland from an economic and social perspective, details his Department’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and provides an update on the strategy that will shape the industry over the coming decade.

4 SECTOR Overview

Paul Kelly, FDI Director, emphasises the durability of Ireland’s food and drink sector, highlighting its impressive scale and growth in recent decades, and calls on Government to provide adequate supports to the sector in the face of the twin challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit.

10 The Big Interview

Bord Bia has been working hard on helping the agri-food industry to negotiate a path through the Covid-19 pandemic, arming companies with data to help them to survive and thrive in a postpandemic future, as CEO Tara McCarthy explains.

16 Sustainability

Kevin Maher, Environmental Sustainability Executive, Food Drink Ireland, examines the substantial efforts being made on sustainability both by the EU and the Irish food and drink sector.

22 Animal Proteins

Meat Industry Ireland is involved in two campaigns aimed at balancing the debate around animal proteins, writes its Director, Joe Ryan.

24 Food safety

Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, reminds food suppliers of their obligations if supply chain shortages mean a change of ingredients or packaging.

30 BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

The Irish Beverage Council is leading a major industry study on a deposit and return system for beverage containers, reveals Shane Lyster, Director, Irish Beverage Council.

32 Food Safety: safefood

The safefood Knowledge Network provides the latest food safety information in a free, reliable and practical manner, writes Dr Linda Gordon, Chief Specialist, Food Science, safefood.

38

33 Dairy

48 recycling & Packaging Design

34 Healthy Heroes at Home

50 Packaging

36 Brewing: Beer

52 Education

A new report shows that the dairy sector is worth €11.3 billion to the Irish economy in 2020, reveals Conor Mulvihill, Director, Dairy Industry Ireland.

Healthy Heroes is a primary schools’ lunchtime initiative from the Irish Bread Bakers Association and Bord Bia, explains Michael Jacob, FDI.

54 Pallets & Packaging

37 Brewing: Cider

Mid Cork Pallets, one of Ireland’s leading pallet manufacturers, has expanded into the green energy market.

Drinks Ireland |Cider is calling on the Government to reduce the excise rate on cider and for a temporary reduction in the hospitality VAT rate.

58 Automation & Robotics

Automation and robotics will be crucial to maintaining cost competitiveness as manufacturing returns to the new ‘norm’ post-pandemic.

38 Irish Whiskey

Record sales and a resilient industry will spur Irish whiskey’s recovery after Covid-19, stresses William Lavelle, head of Drinks Ireland | Irish Whiskey Association.

60 Smart Automation

Festo offers smart automation solutions for food applications, covering the complete production process.

39 Drinks: Hospitality

A digital campaign spearheaded by Drinks Ireland, Reopening With Respect #BeSound encourages a safe and respectful reopening of the hospitality sector.

62 Industrial, Environmental and Drainage Services

AQS Environmental Solutions is one of Ireland’s leading industrial, environmental and drainage services providers.

40 Invest Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland has reacted quickly to the needs of Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector in terms of how they deliver support amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

65 Instrumentation

Bonner and B&R’s APROL platform can provide a solid foundation to getting the data required to make decisions for your plant.

Fionnuala Malone, GS1 Ireland, examines changing consumer demands and the conflicting challenge of sustainable packaging.

46 Process Equipment/ Production Solutions

Flexachem provide their food, beverage and dairy clients with effective and efficient production solutions that cater for all scales.

Food Ireland is published by: Tara Publishing Ltd 14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 6785165 Fax: 01 6785191 Email: kathleenbelton@tarapublications.ie Web: www.foodirelanddirectory.com

Limerick Packaging has thrived and grown thanks to its unrivalled commitment to meeting the needs of its customers and by delivering ‘On Time, Everytime’.

The Food Industry Training Unit at UCC is running a series of accredited and non-accredited courses for the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

Beer sales have been heavily hit by the Covid19 pandemic, but it is a resilient sector, writes Jonathan McDade, Head of Drinks Ireland | Beer.

44 SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

Brian Walsh, Packaging Technologist, Repak, provides advice on the impact of packaging design on the various steps involved in packaging recycling.

66 Packaging Systems

Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd continues to deliver complex automated packaging solutions on time and within budget.

LISTINGS SECTION Product & Service Index

69

Company Listings

72

Relevant Organisations

83

Managing Director: Patrick Aylward Editorial and Marketing Director: Kathleen Belton

Editor: John Walshe Sales: Brian Clark, Aaron Stewart Production: Morgan Stokes Design: Tony Hunt Printed by: WG Baird

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 1

minister’s foreword

Navigating

through uncertain times

Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, highlights the importance of the agri-food sector to Ireland from an economic and social perspective, details his Department’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and provides an update on the strategy that will shape the sector over the coming decade.

T

he agri-food sector is a vital part of the social and cultural fabric of Ireland. It has performed strongly in recent years and it makes a significant contribution to our economy. Irish food is produced by farmers, fishers and agri-food companies around the country, contributing to the ever-growing exports from Ireland to the rest of the world. Ireland is a globally recognised trading nation, consistently providing high quality food and drink products, sold in 180 markets by a diverse and ambitious network of over 1,700 food and drinks firms. The value of those food and drink exports reached €14.5 billion in 2019, marking growth of over 60% since 2010. The agri-food sector contributes almost 7% of Modified Gross National Income (GNI) and also makes a significant contribution to employment in rural and coastal communities, accounting for over 7% of total em­ployment, or some 164,400 jobs nationally.

Responding to the pandemic The agri-food sector is our most important indigenous industry and has never been more vital; Irish farmers, fishers, forestry and food and beverage production have been designated as essential services from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping quality nutritious food supplied to all our customers, both in Ireland and internationally. The delivery of essential services to the sector was prioritised by my Department throughout the course of the pandemic; including services such as export certification, scheme payments, and protocols to allow mart services to continue on a limited and controlled basis.

2020 has been a testing time for all sectors, not excluding the agri-food industry. In order to enable agri-food businesses to rise to the challenge, the agri-food sector will benefit from access to the 2 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

measures announced under the July Stimulus, including liquidity and investment responses to the Covid-19 impacts. This includes the expanded €2 billion Credit Guarantee Schemes, which will support working capital lending to SMEs, and farmers and fishers. In addition, food businesses are eligible for the Covid Working Capital Loan Scheme, as well as Enterprise Ireland supports to maintain business continuity and liquidity. Bord Bia has provided an additional €1m Covid-19 Response Marketing Package for food businesses to accelerate eCommerce and expand marketing activities. Along with my colleagues, we have just launched a €500 million expansion to the Future Growth Loan, the Government’s long-term investment scheme, supporting SMEs, farmers and fishers to make strategic investments to grow their businesses.

This is in addition to sector-specific supports such as:  An allocation of €50 million has been provided for beef finishing farms which have been severely impacted;  Following a campaign by Charlie Member States, spearheaded McConalogue

by Ireland, the European TD, Minister for Agriculture, Commission introduced Food and the a scheme of aids to private Marine. storage under the CAP, which has been of benefit for the dairy sector in particular;  A Covid-19 voluntary

Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme for

minister’s foreword fishing vessels is being implemented;  Various practical flexibilities for applications for the main farm schemes have been introduced.

DAFM and its State Agencies, in consultation with stakeholders, will continue to monitor the impacts on the agri-food sector as the situation evolves, and to provide appropriate supports to the sector.

Brexit on the horizon The Programme for Government fully commits to supporting farmers, fishers and food businesses, which underpin the vitality of rural villages and towns across the country. The sector has proved its resilience through a series of challenges, including the current Covid-19 pandemic, and recently significant market disruption in the beef sector and extreme weather events. However, new challenges lie ahead, in particular in relation to the outcome of the negotiations on the new trading relationship with the UK postBrexit.

Brexit presents serious challenges for the agriculture sector, despite increased market diversification in recent years. The UK remains our largest market, with exports of almost €5.5 billion in 2019 representing 38% of Ireland’s total agri-food exports. Of course, some sectors are particularly reliant on the UK market, including the beef sector, where 43% of our exports (over €1 billion) go to the UK. Over €1 billion of dairy exports (including almost €310 million of cheddar cheese) and almost €1.8 billion of prepared consumer foods was exported to the UK in 2019. The UK also remains our largest import market, with imports of €4.6 billion in 2019.

Whatever the outcome of the ongoing EU-UK future relationship negotiations, it will not be the status quo and will involve considerable adjustment, particularly for businesses trading with Great Britain. Brexit places new legal obligations on Ireland and other EU Member States to conduct checks on imports of agrifood goods from GB in order to maintain the integrity of the Single Market. Even the best possible Free Trade Agreement will impact supply chains with customs and regulatory checks and controls in both directions on trade. However, my Department continues to work tirelessly as part of a whole-of-Government effort, to ensure the best possible outcome for the agri-food and fisheries sectors.

Putting farmers first We know family farms and food businesses are the heartbeat of rural Ireland, and we will work with the sector to improve farm incomes and protect the family farm for future generations. We will drive innovation to reduce emissions and build on Ireland’s green reputation for producing high-quality and sustainable produce at the least environmental cost, ensuring the long-term outlook for the agri-food industry remains positive and vibrant.

I am very optimistic for the agri-food sector and the Programme for Government outlines a range of ambitious initiatives and policies, approaches and strategies that reflect the approach this Government intends to take. I will ensure that my Department and State Agencies play a leading role in delivering on our commitments in the Programme for Government.

The process for putting together the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is well underway. This is a challenge but it is important to see the opportunity that lies in change. As part of the new CAP, Ireland has been given a platform

to create and innovate new policies with increased environmental ambition. I also welcome the objectives included in the new EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, which aim to bring about greater environmental, social and economic sustainability throughout the European food chain.

A strategy for the next decade I believe that having a strategy and a shared vision for the future of the sector is now more important than ever. My Department began the process for developing the next 10-year strategy for the agri-food sector in summer 2019, commencing with a public consultation and national stakeholder event. In November 2019, a committee representative of the sector, and chaired by Tom Arnold, was established and tasked with developing the agri-food strategy to 2030. Their terms of reference are to outline the vision and key objectives, with associated actions, required to ensure the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the agri-food sector in the decade ahead. The Committee has held five meetings to date and a number of overarching themes are emerging:  Future food and beverages that meet consumer and societal expectations;  Primary producer viability and well-being;  Climate smart, environmentally sustainable agri-food systems;  Innovation, technology and the bioeconomy.

There is a broad degree of consensus from all that the next strategy will have to focus even more strongly on climate action and environmental sustainability. The approach agreed by the Committee as a starting point is to develop a sustainable food system with environmental, economic and social dimensions. The Committee will finish their work by the end of the year, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, and the new strategy will be launched thereafter.

I believe that Ireland is well positioned to be the world leader in sustainable food production, provided that we take the necessary actions to support this objective. Ireland’s agri-food industry needs, now more than ever, to take steps to build and enhance its reputation for safe, sustainable and healthy food in order to move further up the value chain. The new 2030 Agri-food Strategy and the engagement of all the stakeholders will be essential to the success of this ambition.

Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 3

sector overview

Food and drink remains resilient in the face of unprecedented times

Paul Kelly, FDI Director, emphasises the durability of Ireland’s food and drink sector, highlighting its impressive scale and growth in recent decades, but calls on Government to provide adequate supports to the sector in the face of the twin challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit.

4 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

sector overview

T

he food and drink manufacturing sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous exporting sector, accounting for over a quarter of employment of Irish-owned exporting firms. The sector alone accounts for 38% of total indigenous exports and over 60% of indigenous manufactured exports.

In 2017, the sector spent €1.6 billion on payroll in Ireland, along with €8.1 billion on materials from indigenous suppliers, and €1.3 billion on domestic services. This makes the food and drink sector by far the largest purchaser of goods and services in the Irish economy of any exporting sector.

For every euro in turnover of the Irish food and drink sector, about 58c goes into the pocket of their, mostly rural, employees or suppliers. It accounts for 94% of the total external product flows from the agricultural sector.

The focus on productivity growth in Irish food and drink manufacturing has been intense over recent years as firms sought to improve their performance. The change this has delivered has been dramatic. In 2000, the Irish food and drink manufacturing sector employed 51,000 workers and turned over €13 billion worth of product. By 2018, employing 58,000 workers, it produced more than twice as much (€27.5 billion). A knock-on impact of this has seen payroll per worker (wages and other compensation) growing on average by over 3% per annum in the sector in the period between 2000 and 2017. Average total renumeration in the sector reached €47,000 in 2017.

Ireland’s high levels of R&D spend One of the key drivers moving the Irish food business up the value chain is the high-level of R&D spend in the sector relative to our foreign counterparts. Ireland’s per capita spend on R&D in food and drink is amongst the highest in the world. Looking across sectors, food and drink is the only manufacturing sector, apart from medical devices, where Ireland is competing at the very top of the rankings when it comes to business R&D intensity.

This is reflected in education levels within the sector; two thirds of the 3,500 net new hires between 2011 and 2016 were holders of at least a Higher Certificate. 60% of net new hires had a degree and one in five had a postgraduate level qualification. As of 2015, there were 1,500 R&D personnel working in the sector in total. Other countries of similar size such as Denmark (627), Finland (685), Austria (583), Sweden (444), Switzerland (519) lag behind Ireland, while larger countries such as the UK (4,000), Germany (2,936) and the

The food and drink manufacturing sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous exporting sector.

Netherlands (4,942) are not far off, considering their size differences.

The effects of Covid-19 Ireland, along with the rest of the world, is experiencing an unprecedented time of uncertainty as a result of Covid-19. The pandemic has put massive strain on companies’ finances and supply chains across a wide spread of industries and the repercussions of these pressures will have long lasting effects on the economy.

Covid-19 represents a major supply shock to the Irish economy and in this sense, it is very different from previous recessions, which resulted from falling demand.

This crisis will damage both business and consumer confidence moving forward and there needs to be appropriate fiscal measures and in-depth industry planning in place in order to rebuild this confidence and help to ensure a full economic recovery. This phase involves Government moving beyond the emergency measures they have put in place to keep businesses running and increasing public investment to help both businesses and households.

An Ibec survey of food and drink CEOs has highlighted the need for the introduction of a short-term export credit insurance scheme, continuation of the temporary wage subsidy scheme and further injections of liquidity to restart domestic foodservice and hospitality supply chains and improve the resilience of exporters.

The engine supporting the rural economy Food and drink manufacturing has a turnover of €28 billion. This is the engine that powers the rural economy across Ireland,

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 5

sector overview The survey also found 57% of food and drink companies could stay open for three months or less using existing cash reserves, with no revenue, and 41% expect the time to get paid by customers to increase. Additional measures for business liquidity are particularly relevant to the food and drink sector in light of the substantial domestic foodservice and hospitality customer base and the disruptions in crucial and longstanding export markets.

EU/UK future trading relationship

Covid-19 has brought many changes to the way we live our lives as we usher in a ‘new normal’.

supporting 250,000 jobs, but it is dependent on sales in domestic and export markets.

The CEO survey found that 68% of companies are experiencing a reduction in their order books, 64% are seeing a reduction in their customer base and 73% expect a decline in export sales. With 81% of respondents involved in exporting food and drink, it is crucial that supports are put in place to help businesses regain market positions overseas. Ireland is an outlier across Europe in the provision of short-term export credit insurance – a specific state aid measure to address the crisis provided for by the European Commission. This competitive disadvantage must be rectified urgently.

The CEO survey also found 66% of companies are experiencing reduced production levels and 51% have experienced layoffs or short time working arrangements, but only 14% expect a substantial decrease in employment. The continuation of the temporary wage subsidy scheme is critical to maintaining employment and skills in the sector, particularly as it recovers lost markets.

Autumn 2019 saw the EU/UK agreement on the Revised Political Declaration (RPD). This sets out the framework for the future relationship between the EU and the UK. The declaration establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad, deep, and flexible partnership across trade and economic cooperation, with a comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement at its core, as well as law enforcement and criminal justice, foreign policy, security and defence and wider areas of cooperation.

The Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol abolishes the previously proposed backstop entirely. The new arrangements ensure that the whole of the United Kingdom will be a single customs territory, with control of its independent trade policy, including as regards Northern Ireland. It replaces other backstop provisions with a system whereby Northern Ireland remains aligned with the EU on goods (including certain laws for VAT on goods), and applies EU tariffs in Northern Ireland except for movements within the single customs territory of the United Kingdom, but only for as long as Northern Ireland wishes this system to continue.

The Commission has published Readiness Notices, including for food law. These update the previous Brexit Preparedness Notices by taking account of the Revised Political Declaration (RPD) and Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol.

In January, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation published a report from Copenhagen Economics which analysed the possible impact of Brexit on the Irish economy, based on the

The main way to minimise the economic impact of Brexit on our food and drinks industry is to focus on minimising regulatory divergence.

S i K

K

6 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

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Accessing the latest science and tracking emerging trends, the safefood Knowledge Network focuses on the food safety issues that matter most to the: • dairy • poultry & white meat • animal feed • red meat • fresh produce • fish & shellfish sectors on the island of Ireland.

Knowledge Network Advancing food safety knowledge and skills SAFEFOOD_Knowledge Network Flyer_A5.indd 1

08/02/2018 17:35

sector overview

‘ Covid-19 represents a major supply shock to the Irish economy and in this sense, it is very different from previous recessions, which resulted from falling demand.

trade provisions of the RPD. The report modelled two new scenarios based on the RPD (best case and worst case). Both showed reduced but still significant GDP impacts arising from regulatory divergence, when compared with a traditional comprehensive FTA. This suggests that the main way to minimise economic impact is to focus on minimising regulatory divergence, the RPD best case scenario.

The key issues for Irish food and drink The key issues for the food and drink sector for the future trading relationship are as follows:  Integrated supply chains will be damaged by tariffs and regulatory divergence;  Industry needs a comprehensive trade deal – no tariffs, no fees / charges, no quotas;  Maximum collaboration / co-operation on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical standards and minimal divergence in the application of such standards;  A focus on customs co-operation to mitigate the burden of customs controls and procedures;  Rules of origin must be designed to ensure that sourcing of raw materials and ingredients, as well as integrated production between the EU and the UK (particularly between Ireland and Northern Ireland), can continue without major changes, 8 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

An Ibec survey of food and drink CEOs has highlighted the need for the introduction of a short-term export credit insurance scheme, continuation of the temporary wage subsidy scheme and further injections of liquidity to restart domestic foodservice and hospitality supply chains and improve the resilience of exporters

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particularly in terms of preferential access to trade agreements;  Ensure Northern Ireland controls protect the integrity of the single market;  Ensure procedures in place for goods in transit across the land bridge;  Support measures in the event of a cliff-edge in December 2020 and beyond, due to fracture of the single market, in particular a continuation of the Temporary State Aid Framework;  Country-of-origin labelling rules for Northern Ireland must not undermine the all-island economy.

The quality of Ireland’s food and drink is well-known but the sector needs support from Government to survive the challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown and Brexit.

Supporting the industry

www.bim.ie 9527 BIM Aquaculture & Seafood Ireland 2019.indd 1

20/08/2020 11:54

the big interview

Bord Bia CEO highlights response to Covid-19

Ireland’s food board has been working hard on helping the agri-food industry to negotiate a path through the Covid-19 pandemic, arming companies with data to help them to survive and thrive in a post-pandemic future, as CEO Tara McCarthy explains.

10 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

the big interview

I

t is impossible to discuss the Irish food and drink industry in 2020 without the spectre of Covid-19 making its presence felt.

At the start of the year, our industry was in rude health, looking forward to another highly profitable year, having seen exports reach a record-breaking €13 billion in 2019. Fast forward to autumn and things have changed and changed utterly thanks to the global pandemic, which has left no aspect of Irish society untouched.

The effects of the pandemic on international trade are evidenced by recently released CSO data which shows a 2% decline in Irish food and drink exports for the year to date (January to May).

Domestically, while food and drink production and distribution was viewed as an essential service and thus allowed to trade through the lockdown, the overnight disappearance of the foodservice industry has been a huge blow – Bord Bia’s White Paper on foodservice predicted that the industry would drop in value from €8.5 billion in 2019 to between €3.5 and €4.7 billion this year.

Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia CEO, commends the Irish food and drinks industry for the “huge effort” it made to ensure continuity of production, which meant massive changes to systems to incorporate social distancing measures into operations, while many marketing and service functions had to work remotely, bringing extra complexity.

Bord Bia had to amend auditing procedures for the Bord Bia Quality Assurance programme, so audits could take place remotely, with information updated digitally. But the changes wrought

by Covid were far greater than merely amending production or auditing systems.

“Looking at it globally, the route to market was significantly and severely disrupted overnight. You had millions of consumers locked in their homes, supply chains that were required to change because there was a very different flow to demand,” Tara McCarthy notes. “People still needed to eat so there was a huge boost in retail, but the foodservice sector closed down completely – there were winners and losers, depending on the categories.

“From a sectoral perspective, the closure of restaurants had a huge impact on high value premium products like shellfish, fillet

of beef etc, which were hit disproportionately,” she continues.

“Consumers were buying lots of mince for familiar favourites like Cottage Pie or Spaghetti Bolognese but weren’t sitting down to steaks, which had a big impact on the carcass balance of the beef industry, as the high value parts of the animal decreased, which impacted the overall value of the animal, and the farmer suffered.”

The alcohol industry too was impacted, with the closure of the pub trade. The sector has also experienced the most significant year-to-date export decreases, with exports down 21% to €463 million from January to May. “When it comes to alcohol, people drink very differently in the pub compared to at home, so for some alcohol suppliers, their route to market was severely impacted,” Tara explains. “Many distillers pivoted to start supplying alcohol disinfectant and hand sanitisers in the short-term emergency stage, but other sectors, like artisan beer, were affected disproportionately, as their main market is in bars and restaurants rather than supermarkets.”

Seafood exports are second only to alcohol in terms of export decline for the year to date (down 17% to €205.5 million); however, the May versus May trend indicates a return of demand. This can be seen particularly in our core European markets, which are up 14.6% to €35.4m for the month of May.

A mixed bag for retail categories The belief that all grocery retailers had a field day is simply untrue, according to the Bord Bia chief: “There was a perception that anyone involved in food retail was flying, but that wasn’t the case because the way consumers shopped changed; they preferred to go for long-life, for frozen, for ambient products, while other sectors suffered.”

Certain categories didn’t enjoy any upsurge and, in fact, struggled amid the pandemic: “Any unwrapped sectors, like loose bakery, were hit disproportionately, as were over-the-counter sectors in-store, so consumers may have been nervous going to the fish counter but would have bought pre-packed fish instead, for example. Products with short shelf-life also suffered, as consumers were suddenly going to the supermarket once every 7-10 days, and would only buy one product during that

Ireland’s food and drinks industry deserves huge credit for the massive efforts it undertook to ensure continuity of production during the Covid-19 pandemic.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 11

the big interview

‘

Covid was like a fog that came down on top of the entire globe, and all of the icebergs that we were navigating around pre-Covid were still there; Brexit hadn’t gone away, sustainability as a challenge and opportunity hadn’t gone away, the requirement for insight and innovation hadn’t gone away.

time, rather than every couple of days.”

Bord Bia responded to the pandemic quickly and “the pace hasn’t relented since”. Furthermore, the recent export figures serve to underline the need for the “sustained and targeted supports provided by Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to the agri-food sector,” according to Tara.

Bord Bia operates 15 offices around the globe, with different time zones and different infection rates to deal with (“We had to deal with Covid-19 from the perspective of our Chinese office long before our Dublin office”). They switched all staff to working from home as the virus hit , but because the organisation’s staff regularly travel for work, working remotely “wasn’t a big speed-bump”.

One of the big challenges for Bord Bia, however, was pivoting its programme of events etc: “Overnight, trade shows were cancelled, buyer visits weren’t possible, seminars and events like Bloom in the Park were not happening, so we had to change our work programme, bring those big budgetary decisions to our board, which we have done every month since lockdown to ensure our programmes remain relevant – what we believed was a great idea last January is not possible to implement now - so we are constantly re-evaluating how best to proceed.”

One important element of Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s work are trade missions to priority markets. With international travel restrictions in place, Bord Bia and the Department (DAFM), are planning the first ever virtual

’

trade mission. Taking place in autumn, the trade mission will target 150 trade buyers across Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Additional virtual trade engagements are planned by Bord Bia, in partnership with DAFM, to target key customers across China, Japan, North America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe throughout September, October and November.

Navigating Change Bord Bia launched its ‘Navigating Change’ programme in the early days of the pandemic, “when everybody was knee-deep in the unknown and looking to understand what was happening”. The initiative has three stages.

1. Understanding 2. Support 3. Beyond Covid

Understanding “Everything was changing really fast as the virus took hold, and we wanted to be a hub of knowledge for companies, so they could see from different perspectives and learn from different markets,” Tara explains. “We created a Covid-19 hub on our website and uploaded consumer insights, market insights and sectoral insights on a regular basis, to give companies surety of data and new data sets. We also introduced podcasts, 10-minute slots from each Ireland has an opportunity to highlight the natural credentials of its food and drink industry.

12 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

the big interview of our offices each day, to give people a flavour of the markets around the world and contact details for further information.”

Support

attended the Future Proofing launch webinar.

“It takes 66 days to form a habit,” explains Tara. “We were locked down for more than that so we wanted to see what habits were being formed and how sticky were these habits, so that the habits that were sticking could be embedded into the marketing of the Irish food industry, in terms of innovation, security, quality assurance etc.

That has been hugely valuable for our industry as we brief them on the new messaging they must give to their customers.”

“We then translated all of that information from sectors, insights and markets into the supports we felt companies needed,” the CEO reveals. “Those supports have continuously evolved and include webinars and mentoring, covering topics like ‘how do I behave differently in this new market?’, ‘how do I get a new listing in the current environment?’, ‘how do I move my Fascinating insights into business online?’.” consumer behaviour The Bord Bia website attracted Some of the insights are increased traffic both from fascinating, including the consumers and businesses, who tendency of consumers towards were hungry for information and ‘shielding’. Externally, that means new skills. During the pandemic, wearing face-masks, handBord Bia organised 40+ webinars washing, sanitising, observing with more than 2,600 viewers, coughing and sneezing protocol, for example, including two UKsocial distancing etc, but the Bord focused supply chain webinars Bia chief explains that consumers and a global supply chain are also doing everything to webinar, with 139 attendees.

Meanwhile, their small business The Government’s commitment to real action on the sustainability ‘shield’ on the inside by eating agenda has been welcomed by the Bord Bia CEO. better, healthier foods. In the mentoring pilot project had 10 early stages of the pandemic, for companies and the business example, orange juice commodity prices went through the roof as continuity mentoring had 20 companies involved. consumers sought out the drink in their millions.

Bord Bia also introduced a fast-track grant programme to help “How do you, as an industry, reflect on that shielding dynamic companies to pivot their business model very quickly. “Speed and how sticky will that behaviour prove to be post-pandemic?” and agility were crucial,” Tara stresses. “We had already issued our Tara wonders. “We believe that there is a real opportunity for grants for the year in January and February, but we realised very companies to highlight the functionality of the foods they are quickly that companies were operating in a new landscape so providing to consumers.” we re-opened all of our grants, and incorporated a turnaround of The fact that everyone was eating at home and many were a €2 million approval system in just two weeks. We adjusted the cooking meals from scratch also meant that families began to criteria so businesses could receive a decision from us on grants buy better quality foods. “In lockdown, people weren’t going to and access those grants as quickly as possible, which was hugely restaurants or food-to-go but they traded up to better quality meat appreciated by small businesses.” and vegetables at home. That is a fantastic opportunity for the Irish Beyond Covid food and drink industry to speak to its credentials of natural, grassfed etc.”

As the pandemic and the economic outlook evolved, Bord Bia also The digital revolution was incredible to behold during the began to create new data sets for companies: “Covid was like a fog pandemic, from virtual meeting rooms to online shopping: that came down on top of the entire globe, and all of the icebergs “Grandparents who would never have touched their mobile phone that we were navigating around pre-Covid were still there; Brexit are now able to make Zoom calls, for example, and we are all hadn’t gone away, sustainability as a challenge and opportunity shopping online much more. How sticky will that be and how do hadn’t gone away, the requirement for insight and innovation we as an industry communicate to our customers and consumers hadn’t gone away. But nobody had time to think of these things online? because we were deep in the fog of Covid at the time.”

“We have statistics to highlight all of these trends and we put To understand the changes to the market, Bord Bia created them up very quickly on our website, by country, by sector etc, a future proofing programme with their insights team, looking trying to give companies as much fresh data continuously, to equip at all of the indicators of change. “This wasn’t about sentiment, them to go to their buyers with really relevant messaging.” which was volatile,” Tara notes. “We wanted to see what people were actually doing. We classified it under three headings: general The second phase of coping with Covid behaviours, shopping behaviours and consumption behaviours.”

The Bord Bia CEO explains that phase one of their Covid response Bord Bia identified these behaviour indicators across the globe was based around understanding the challenge, providing and subsequently undertook a series of eight future proofing supports and looking at future-proofing the market. Phase two toolkits for Ireland, UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Japan and is about reassurance, recovery and growth: “Our companies and China for the meat and dairy sectors. Indeed, 80 client companies FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 13

’

the big interview The way consumers shop for groceries has been vastly changed by the pandemic.

customers are going to need reassurance, which is why the latest data is important; they’re going to need the support to recover and find new opportunities, particularly in foodservice, and we see ourselves as partners to help them rebuild and identify where growth will come from. That is now where we are working, looking at reinventing and creating opportunities to inspire and delight customers and convert that into sales post-Covid.”

The organisation is putting in place concrete programmes targeting key markets and sectors, such as the recent development of a pan-European steak promotion with three clients and 22 key customers across the continent.

Bord Bia are examining different recovery scenarios, where physical meeting is allowed, where digital-only meetings can take place or a possible hybrid of the two: “We are experimenting and learning, but also investing in the capabilities that will be required for each of those scenarios,” Tara explains, “including creating a virtual pitch, understanding how buyers are behaving differently online etc.”

Bord Bia recently prepared 150 companies for the new reality of virtual business pitching as part of its ‘Perfecting the Virtual Pitch’ workshop and is currently working with a number of Irish drink exporters in preparation for the organisation’s first ever online trade show, scheduled to take place in Berlin this autumn.

The shadow of Brexit Is there a danger amid all the worry over Covid that Brexit will not get the focus it deserves? Not according to the Bord Bia CEO. “As an agency, we never took our foot off the pedal when it came to our programmes on Brexit, despite Covid,” she stresses. “We continued to run our customs readiness programmes, our supply chain programmes etc, but we just moved them online.”

Reassuringly, results from Bord Bia’s recent Readiness Radar reveal that more than 91% of companies have made progress on Brexit preparedness, and Bord Bia recently noted an upsurge in attendees at their online Brexit seminars as the negotiations 14 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

gain traction once again in the media; so far, 152 companies have completed the Custom Readiness programme in 2020. 128 companies took part in the Readiness Radar; 447 people viewed the virtual event from 10 different countries and 30 people were in attendance.

While 91% of respondents highlighted Covid-19 as the highest priority risk facing the sector, the CEO is reassured that the second priority for businesses was market diversification. “That shows you where the absolute agenda for our food industry lies. In so many ways, the best way to protect your business against Brexit and all these other challenges is to have that focus on market diversification, and not just geographically but sectorally too, perhaps by changing the balance of your portfolio between retail and foodservice; diversification via route to market must now be part of companies’ agenda as well as geographical diversification.”

It has been said that preparing for Brexit in recent years has helped the Irish agri-food sector in terms of increased understanding of and flexibility of their supply chain. Has this been Bord Bia’s experience?

“Absolutely,” Tara admits. “The detailed preparations, the stocks that companies had built up in different markets, the understanding that they had built into customer engagement: these were all essential elements in managing and navigating Covid. Looking at the Bord Bia Barometer in recent years, customer engagement was something we really honed in on: all of our customers, whether in retail or foodservice, were facing a really volatile agenda and those suppliers who engaged with them and understood their dynamic were their first port of call.”

International trade Since the last time Food Ireland spoke to Tara McCarthy, there have been some very unwelcome manoeuvres in international trade, such as the introduction of tariffs on Irish goods (butter, cheese, liqueurs, pork) entering the USA. “Trade wars and trade barriers are never good news,” the

the big interview CEO stresses. “As an Irish food industry, we could not afford to start looking at breaking markets to undercut anybody, and there has been a lot of rhetoric which claims that is what global trade is all about. Whereas, we believe that global trade is about understanding what consumers around the world are looking for and giving them choice. Trade wars and trade barriers, I can’t influence, but I can help to equip our industry to deal with them.”

Bord Bia have actively partnered with the Irish cream liqueur industry to highlight to American consumers in particular the superior quality of Irish cream liqueurs and why they are worth paying a premium for. “We designed a promotions programme for the USA, highlighting the quality of an Irish cream liqueur, and engaging with tastings, pre-Covid, to bring that to life for consumers.” Bord Bia also commissioned an economic analysis to look at the price implications for consumers, working out the price elasticity with the tariff, “to help manufacturers to manage their pricing so they don’t hit their margins unnecessarily and so that they can explain to consumers the premium they require to provide them with a quality product”.

Programme for Government A new government sometimes means a change of emphasis for agri-food but the Bord Bia CEO is very encouraged by the unified voice of the new Cabinet and the commitments made in the Programme for Government. Tara McCarthy, along with Chairman Dan MacSweeney, has been in regular contact with the new incumbents at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Minister Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State for Agriculture, Pippa Hackett, and Martin Heydon, Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development.

“We briefed the Ministers on all the programmes and plans we have in Bord Bia, explaining our strategy that all market growth be insight-led, the importance of Ireland’s reputation and our commitment to the talent of the industry, and bringing that to life,” Tara reveals. The Programme for Government resonates with Bord Bia’s own goals to help the Irish food and drink industry navigate its way to a bright future. “There is a huge commitment to market diversification and growth in the market, which we very much welcome, while recognising that the only way we can win in these markets is with a data-driven approach, a fact which is recognised and appreciated by the Ministers,” Tara states.

“The commitment to real action on the sustainability agenda and the biodiversity agenda is fantastic because it speaks to Ireland’s reputation. Some of the other areas covered, such as encouraging the next generation of farm families to really engage in the areas of technology and sustainability, may not be within our remit to deliver but will be in our remit to harvest the outputs from. For example, Teagasc will implement some of these new programmes with farmers, and when the results of that partnership come through, we can market those outputs, which again feeds into Ireland’s reputation.

“We are delighted with this ‘one government’ approach, and the commitments to the environment, to sustainability and to talent: Bord Bia believes that the food industry needs the best people to work there. We want young people to be excited by this industry, and that is what we have been investing in over the last five-plus years. It is great to see a clearly co-operative agenda by Government.”

the uncertainty we are facing, you can’t predict the future but you can shape it. Your behaviour today shapes what tomorrow looks like. So much of what we do in Bord Bia is looking towards the indicators of the future to try to ascertain what companies should be investing in today to harvest that benefit tomorrow. Everything we do is about the medium and long term.”

She cites the example of the Readiness Radar, which highlights the importance of diversifying markets, once we progress past the pandemic. “We know there are challenges within market diversification for companies large and small – it’s about building networks and understanding the market and that’s where Bord Bia can really help. I know we have the challenge of Brexit to deal with, but the industry is increasingly confident it has the capacity to manage that risk. Then you’re looking at the challenges of sustainability, innovation, the drive for talent.

“What really impresses me about this industry is that not only is it looking continuously at trying to enhance its ability to confront what is expected or unwelcome, but it has recognised the importance of a ‘whole of business’ approach to doing that, so you are seeing every element of our food industry working hard, leveraging what it learned from Brexit to deal with Covid, leveraging what it learned from Covid to deal with what comes next. What we are looking at here is to ensure that when we are moving forward that we are effectively managing risk and effectively addressing opportunities. In that respect, the Irish food industry has proven its capacity to do both and so from that perspective, I would be optimistic for our food industry in the longer term.”

Looking to the future In closing, the Bord Bia CEO sounds a broadly optimistic note for the future of the Irish food and drink industry post-Covid.

“My DNA is an optimistic one,” she smiles. “When you look at

Tara McCarthy, CEO, Bord Bia: “We want young people to be excited by this industry, and that is what we have been investing in over the last five-plus years.”

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 15

sustainability

Protecting our future

Kevin Maher, Environmental Sustainability Executive, Food Drink Ireland, examines the substantial efforts being made on sustainability both by the European Union and the Irish food and drink sector itself.

T

he food and drink industry is the only major industrial sector with a full domestic supply chain from farm to fork (as well as a parallel overseas chain of imports and exports). It interacts with a wide range of economic, social and environmental interests across Ireland.

In recent years, sustainability has become a key business priority for the food processing and manufacturing sector. A recent survey was conducted with the Prepared Consumer Foods (PCF) Council, a group within Food Drink Ireland that is made up CEOs

16 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

of approximately 60 value-added food and drink companies, both large and small. The survey asked the PCF Council members to identify the priority areas they felt most important to focus on for the work programme for the group going forward. There was a clear outcome of the survey. The top three issues were as follows: 1. Brexit and the EU/UK trading relationship 2. Covid-19 3. Sustainability (with a particular focus on packaging).

sustainability This highlights the fact that food and drink companies are genuinely embracing sustainability at the core of their operations.

It is important to acknowledge and give recognition to the progress that the food and drink sector has made on sustainability.

Many businesses are exploring options to decarbonise their plants, eliminating food waste, implementing sustainable sourcing policies, and driving towards a circular economy, for instance, by reducing single-use plastics.

The EU Farm to Fork Strategy The food and drink sector is being asked to further accelerate the progress being made on sustainability. Policies coming from the EU are presenting ambitious targets for the food and drinks sector to meet, none more notable than the EU Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F).

F2F, the European Commission’s high-level five-year strategy for sustainability throughout the food supply chain, was published on May 20, 2020, alongside the EU Biodiversity Strategy. It provides food businesses with a clear signal of the areas of focus for EU legislative and non-legislative measures over the coming years.

F2F sets out measures to deliver more sustainable food systems to help achieve the EU’s Green Deal objectives towards climate-neutrality in Europe by 2050. The strategy is the ‘food chapter’ of the European Green Deal and includes 27 legislative and non-legislative actions, which will be developed by the European Commission in the coming years.

The overall objective of the Farm to Fork Strategy is to “reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and strengthen its resilience, ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss and lead a global transition towards competitive sustainability from farm to fork and tapping into new opportunities”.

The F2F Strategy includes several explicit targets, mostly at farm-level, as well as plenty of measures that focus on the food and drink industry.

The F2F Strategy is divided into six thematic areas, with related actions:  Ensuring sustainable food production;  Ensuring food security;  Stimulating sustainable food processing, wholesale, retail, hospitality, and food services practices;  Promoting sustainable food consumption and facilitating the shift to healthy, sustainable diets;  Reducing food loss and waste;  Combating food fraud along the food supply chain .

Theme 3, entitled ‘Stimulating sustainable food processing, wholesale, retail, hospitality and food services practices’, is directly targeted at the food and drink manufacturing and processing sector, while all other areas either directly or indirectly concern and/or impact on the food and drink industry.

The Farm to Fork Strategy will work in synergy with other strategies, such as the Biodiversity Strategy and the Circular Economy Action Plan, and will have a direct impact on industry over the coming years in areas such as packaging and food waste.

Sustainable packaging Packaging is an area of major investment and innovation. Food and beverage packaging has many important functions, from protecting, containing, and preserving products to letting consumers see the nutritional information on the label. Business leaders across the food and drink sector consider the industry an essential part of the transition to a more circular economy and members are keen to play their part, alongside suppliers, retailers, and consumers.

Government support is also essential to accelerating work in this area. The forthcoming Waste and Circular Economy Action Plan should be developed as a coherent strategy based on scientific evidence and backed

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 17

sustainability up with government investment.

With the opening of a state-ofthe-art Prepared Consumer Foods Centre within Teagasc in 2018, companies in the sector can now access advanced equipment and expert research support in areas such as packaging and shelf-life.

Further R&D supports will provide an important incentive to help manufacturers to research, identify and scale up production or reusable and recyclable packaging.

Driving the development of waste infrastructure is a key area to be addressed in the Government’s Action Plan. There are many examples of measures being taken by food and drink manufacturers to reduce their use of non-recyclable packaging.

However, attention must also be given to expanding the capacity within Ireland to recycle a wider range of materials. Priority areas for development include recycling of plastic films, composting of cups and other food containers, closed-loop facilities for food and drink packaging, and an increase in capacity to produce food-grade recycled content. Currently, it is extremely costly for companies to source food-grade recycled content and as demand increases, the financial viability will reduce further. A short-term intervention to incentivise and support companies should be coupled with future-focused measures to increase availability.

Food waste Ireland has committed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include a target of halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses, by 2030. Reducing food waste has positive social and environmental impacts. Furthermore, improving efficiencies in production and consumption leads to economic benefits throughout the food chain.

An estimated one million tonnes of food waste is generated throughout the food system in Ireland annually. In addition to the lost economic value, this represents a massive waste of resources (land, water, materials), as well as producing associated greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the commercial sector (food wholesale, food retail and foodservice) accounts for 17% of food waste in European countries and has been identified as an area that has great potential for food waste reduction.

The Farm to Fork strategy will step up EU action against food loss and waste by proposing EU level targets for food waste reduction (2023), revising the EU rules for date marking by 2022, investigating food losses at production stage and exploring ways of preventing such loses.

Having successfully reduced food losses throughout the chain over recent years, the food and drink sector is committed to contribute to the SDG target 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030.

The priority is to drive out inefficiency within supply chains and 18 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

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sustainability to prevent food wastage in the first place. Where surpluses cannot be avoided, redirecting food to feed people should be the first consideration, in accordance with the food waste hierarchy.

The EU Member States’ food waste reporting exercise, starting this year, should help assess progress, share best practices and identify challenges and needs for further actions. To this end, the European Commission should ensure that reported data will be coherent, consistent, and comparable. This is even more important given the proposal of EU binding targets in 2023.

Policies and measures arising from the F2F Strategy should promote harmonised, coherent, and effective action to tackle food loss and waste along the entire food supply chain.

The future of the food and drink sector

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The food and drink sector in Ireland believes in a sustainable, green future. The sector has made great progress on sustainability issues in the past and continues to show leadership in the move towards more sustainable practices, offering greater consumer choice and providing exciting employee opportunities. The Irish food and drink sector also has an opportunity to be a European leader in paving the way towards a sustainable future, by continuing to explore options to decarbonise plants, continuing the fight against food waste, implementing sustainable sourcing policies and driving towards a circular economy.

Research and innovation have played a key role in the transition to more sustainable practices in the sector and will continue to do so. Research and innovation have helped develop solutions to overcome barriers and adopt new technologies and practices.

Innovative initiatives, such as the Prepared Consumer Foods Centre in Teagasc’s Ashtown Food Research Centre, have provided companies with the opportunity to pilot new equipment, with a

20 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

view to scaling up their own production and to enable adoption of novel technologies to meet evolving consumer demands and expectations.

The future for the food and drink sector is green. The sector will continue to show leadership on sustainability issues and embrace future policies that will set ambitious targets for the sector to meet.

The sector will continue to explore innovative technologies that will help to reduce GHG emissions, plastic packaging, and waste, all the while continuing to operate under a world-class food safety regime to produce the highest quality products.

Policies and measures arising from the F2F Strategy should promote harmonised, coherent, and effective action to tackle food loss and waste along the entire food supply chain.

’

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animal proteins

Balancing the debate on

There has been a lot of misinformation around the consumption of animal proteins.

Meat Industry Ireland is involved in two campaigns aimed at balancing the debate, writes its Director, Joe Ryan.

animal proteins

It is important that debate around food choice is balanced and based on fact and that consumers are informed of the many benefits of animal proteins in a balanced diet.

22 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

animal proteins

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In recent times, there has been an increase in misleading information, particularly in online forums, in relation to the consumption of animal protein.”

O

ver the past 12-18 months, the meat industry has collaborated with stakeholders, both at home and across Europe to provide online resources where consumers can access information in relation to the benefits of animal protein consumption.

In recent times, there has been an increase in misleading information, particularly in online forums, in relation to the consumption of animal protein.

It is essential that consumers have access to the facts in order to make informed choices about their diets. It is also important that debate around food choice is balanced and based on fact and that consumers are informed of the many benefits of animal proteins in a balanced diet. In that context, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) is involved in two campaigns aimed at balancing the debate.

Meat and Dairy Facts Meat and Dairy Facts (MADF) was launched in late 2019 as a cross-sector industry campaign to direct Irish consumers towards science-based information about the nutritional benefits of meat and dairy, and the efforts that Irish farmers and food processors are taking to protect the environment and care for their animals.

The MADF campaign brings together Meat Industry Ireland (MII), Bord Bia, Dairy Industry Ireland, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the Irish Farmers Association and the National Dairy Council. The goal is to promote the health benefits of meat and dairy, to highlight how the sector constantly strives for sustainability in everything it does and to showcase our pride in our sustainably produced livestock and the care given to them.

MADF provides a go-to resource for consumers providing science-based facts about the role that meat and dairy plays in a healthy and balanced diet. It also explains the major steps that the Irish meat and dairy sectors are undertaking to care for their animals and the environment.

MADF has been working with leading dietician Orla Walsh to inform consumers about the benefits and importance of including meat and dairy produce as part of a well-balanced diet. Another initiative of the campaign includes a three-part video series hosted by chef and food writer Lilly Higgins, which sees her travelling the country meeting some of Ireland’s farmers, nutrition

’

experts and food producers. Filmed on the farms and in the homes of these world class farmers, it allows consumers to hear from the farmers themselves and gain an insight into the day-to-day running of a progressive Irish farm. Each episode centres on a different theme, including the evolution of farming, the importance of food for fuelling our bodies nutritionally with Orla Walsh and the Sport Ireland Institute, and the craft of farming, which highlights the passion farmers have for the industry.

Further information on Meat and Dairy Facts can be found at: Website: www.meatanddairyfacts.ie Instagram: @meatanddairyfacts Facebook: @meatanddairyfacts Twitter: @Meat_DairyFacts

#MeattheFacts Meat Industry Ireland (MII) is also collaborating with counterparts across Europe in another initiative aimed at bringing a balance to the debate around the meat sector, which plays such an essential role in the European heritage and economy.

This initiative involves stakeholders across animal health, feed, breeding, farming and processing. Further information is available at: Website: https://meatthefacts.eu/ Twitter: @LivestockVoice

Know the facts  Red meats such as beef, lamb and pork play a central role in a balanced, healthy diet and help you get the vitamins and minerals you need.  Beef, lamb and pork are naturally rich in protein and low in sodium, while also containing vitamins and minerals that are important for a healthy diet.  Beef, lamb and pork are rich in Vitamin B6, which helps to boost energy, reduce tiredness and helps the immune system function.  Vitamin B12 – which beef, lamb and pork are

all rich in – helps psychological function, assists in the maintenance of the nervous system, while also helping in red blood cell formation.  Beef, lamb and pork are rich sources of

niacin, which helps sustain energy production, assists the nervous system to work normally, while also helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue.

 Beef and lamb are rich sources of zinc, which helps with fertility, supports bone health and normal eyesight.  Meat and dairy products contain essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to good health and wellbeing.  Meat and dairy products are naturally rich in protein, which contributes to the maintenance and repair of muscle mass, while also helping to maintain strong bones.  Meat and dairy are natural sources of vitamin B12 which assists the nervous system to function correctly. It is especially important during pregnancy.

Red meats such as beef, lamb and pork play a central role in a balanced, healthy diet and help you get the vitamins and minerals you need.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 23

food safety

24 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

food safety

Putting food safety first Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, reminds food suppliers of their obligations if supply chain shortages mean a change of ingredients or packaging.

W

hile most food suppliers have remained open during the Covid-19 pandemic, as they continue to provide an essential service, disruption to supply chains has affected certain product formulations, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is stressing to processors that any changes to ingredients bring new obligations which food businesses must adhere to.

“When you are not able to get your normal supply of ingredients or of packaging or other products you might need, you need to assess the risk associated with bringing new products or processes into your business,” explains Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO of the FSAI. “That requires Good Hygiene Practice and HACCP to be considered and your food safety management system to be adapted to reflect any changes.

Allergens and allergen labelling are another concern. “If you are using different ingredients, different suppliers or you are making up your product using a different recipe, you need to be absolutely sure that you are not introducing new allergens into the product, or if you do, you need to communicate that on the packaging or labelling,” she warns.

Navigating uncharted waters During this Covid-19 pandemic, these are uncharted waters for food suppliers, retailers and regulatory authorities alike, Byrne admits: “We are doing our best to help businesses navigate their way through

this. We are working with our colleagues in other European regulatory authorities and with the European Commission.” Indeed, the FSAI, along with other European food regulatory bodies, asked the Commission to provide guidance on a number of issues, including a potential labelling issue which may arise as a result of supply chains being disrupted as the pandemic continues to have an effect.

The CEO stresses that stakeholder engagement is hugely important to the FSAI, who engages with different parts of the industry through a host of industry forums, and is also in regular contact with other international food safety bodies: “We took advice from our counterparts across Europe, from the World Health Organization, as they developed guidance for food businesses and for food regulatory authorities across the world.”

Communicating the facts The most important thing for the FSAI in the Covid-19 pandemic is to “communicate the facts about the virus with respect to food safety,” Byrne stresses, “that we are communicating to the right audiences and ensuring they have the right information and advice that they need to operate safely.

“We wanted to take off the table the potential connection that people may make between the virus and its potential risk to food. There is no scientific evidence that there is any risk associated with the virus and food safety. It’s really important for consumers to have trust in the safety of the food supply and not feel anxious about

purchasing food.”

The FSAI advice line has been incredibly busy, with more than 430 Covid-19 related queries. Many of those calls were from those in the restaurant sector who wanted to change their business to a take-away or delivery service, but some have been from food manufacturers who have encountered difficulties with sourcing certain supplies and may have to substitute ingredients.

“What we are saying to those businesses is, ‘the legal responsibility to put safe food on the market is yours; our job is to make sure we can verify that’. The verification is done in a number of different ways and a lot of it relies on inspections, but we are relying on and trusting industry to do the right thing here. In the main, we have had very good experiences with the industry, who are doing a great job. You will always have a few businesses who will decide to take short-cuts and our message to them is that you should never be complacent about food safety.”

Mapping the supply chain The current pandemic has “required every food company to look at its business and how it operates, to take the advice of Government, to put in place the measures that are required to protect workers’ health.

The Government’s National Emergency Plan rightly recognised that food is a critical supply chain that needs to be maintained.

So you then start to look at the critical parts of that supply chain,” Byrne notes.

Many Irish food businesses had already put huge work into mapping their supply IRISH PACKAGING & PRINT FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 25

‘

food safety

‘

Our biggest concern is that things the industry does now may potentially and unintentionally lead to food safety issues in the future

chains in recent months and years to deal with the spectre of Brexit, work which has actually benefitted them amid the current pandemic. “It has helped them to become more flexible when it comes to their supply chain, which has been a positive,” Byrne notes.

Even in the midst of an international pandemic, the FSAI’s mission remains the same: to ensure safe and trustworthy food for everyone. Its CEO pays tribute to the “hugely committed team”, who “really pulled on the FSAI jersey” in difficult times. “I’ve been amazed by the agility and flexibility of the team to mobilise and work through all this,” she says. “It’s not just the FSAI, though: that has been the case not just in the civil and public service but right across the private sector, companies who have changed their business model and production systems overnight.”

The FSAI had been preparing for the Covid-19 pandemic for some time before it arrived on our shores, the CEO stresses: “We had been watching what was going on around the world, listening to our counterparts across Europe and listening to Government, and we started to plan internally for a situation if the Government indicated that we would have to work in a different way. We now have 100% of the organisation working from home.”

A fundamental shift One of the big challenges was to ensure that access to the FSAI system from outside the building was secure and did not compromise any data or sensitive information. But the pandemic has meant a more fundamental shift in the way the FSAI operates.

“We had to work out what the pandemic and its effects mean for the FSAI as an organisation,” explains the CEO. “How do we still deliver on our vision of safe and trustworthy food for everyone? We had to take our mission and our strategic goals and embed them into a new way of working, 26 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

with everyone working remotely. We had to move from an organisation that was built around a regular Monday-Friday, 9-5, to become a task-based organisation; figuring out what needs to get done, how we get it done and in what timeframe. We have navigated that successfully and the management team are working really well with both the senior leadership team and their individual teams.”

Covid-19 Incident Response Team The FSAI immediately set up a Covid-19 Incident Response Team within the organisation. “That was about co-ordinating the business activities that are necessary to maintain business continuity during this time,” Byrne explains. “We meet weekly and more regularly if we need to. We problemsolve as a team, highlighting what is working and what isn’t, and then communicate out to the broader organisation any key decisions that impact them and how they work.”

The Incident Response Team aims “to identify potential issues and risks for food safety and food integrity and use the information at our disposal to work out what actions might be required to minimise, to mitigate or even remove those risks to food safety or to the integrity of the supply chain.

It’s about monitoring what is happening, both globally and locally, and responding accordingly.”

The FSAI coordinates the enforcement of food law via service contracts with a number of state agencies, including four who are involved in food inspections: the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine; the HSE, via its Environmental Health Officers; the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority; and the Local Authority vets, who carry out inspections in smaller meat processing plants and slaughter-houses at local level.

“We have been working with them to understand how their business continuity plans will ensure that we can collectively achieve our vision of safe and trustworthy

’

food for everyone. We need to understand the constraints they are working under to recognise if that could lead to increased food safety risk or issues within the supply chain that could compromise the integrity of that supply chain.

“We have identified a team of essential workers, who carry out essential functions within the FSAI and the agencies we work with; for example, if there was an outbreak of foodborne illness during this time, we need to ensure we could go out and investigate or engage with the businesses where that might be an issue. We have prioritised that and made sure that we have the systems to back that up internally.”

Food inspections amid the pandemic The pandemic has meant that a lot of businesses are either closed or are not operating at full capacity, including sea fishing and foodservice in particular, which has reduced the number of inspections needed.

“It’s hugely disappointing for business owners and for society in general but the protection of public health remains the priority,” Byrne notes. “A lot of businesses had to close their doors, which has had a knockon effect on the number of inspections that have had to take place. Those businesses suffered and it is very difficult for the business owners and employees, but what they are doing helped to take pressure off the public health system by minimising the risk of transmission within their businesses. I hope that those businesses will survive and that we in the FSAI can help them in terms of providing them with guidance around food safety around the reopening of their businesses.”

The FSAI also examined where it can be flexible, albeit within the legal framework, in overseeing the delivery of a robust inspection system. “We have worked with the various agencies on that in terms of how

food safety

Dr Pamela Byrne: : “Food businesses should be applauded for the fantastic work they have been doing. Their real commitment to ensuring that there is a supply of food, that the supply of food is safe and the work they are doing to maintain the diversity of food products available has been incredible.”

they can still deliver effective inspection without putting their own staff at risk or putting others at risk. That is a difficult thing to navigate because we still have a job to do. It is always important to have high standards of food safety and food integrity within food businesses, but even more so now. We are also working closely with the food inspectorate regarding the new EU regulations on how food inspections are carried out. These new regulations, which came into force at the end of 2019, have a greater emphasis on food authenticity, which will mean greater scrutiny of food to ensure it is what it says it is. This ultimately gives an added layer of protection for consumers.”

With our health service already under severe pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last thing it or the country needs is another health emergency, such as an outbreak of food-borne illness: “We are making sure that the crisis plans we have in

place within the FSAI and the inter-agency plans and protocols that we would use if we had an outbreak of food-borne illness or we had to deal with an incident of food contamination are fit for purpose.”

Food businesses should be applauded The CEO believes that the majority of Ireland’s food businesses have stepped up to the plate in their response to Covid-19: “Food businesses should be applauded for the fantastic work they have been doing. Their real commitment to ensuring that there is a supply of food, that the supply of food is safe and the work they are doing to maintain the diversity of food products available has been incredible. It is maintaining some level of normality for consumers at a time when nothing is normal.”

She warns against complacency, however, as the months go by: “A number of serious

incidents have been identified in recent months where authorised officers found people operating out of food premises or vehicles where no adherence to basic food safety and hygiene practices were in place.

Anyone who is selling food must register with or have their business approved by a competent authority and abide by food law. This is to protect consumers’ health in relation to food, as each registered/approved business then comes within the food safety inspection process. Consumers have a right to safe food and bogus operators seeking to make a quick profit at the risk of potentially making consumers sick or selling non-compliant or fraudulent foodstuffs will be pursued through the legal powers. As food businesses continue to respond to the pandemic, it is important that staff maintain their understanding of food safety. If they have new staff coming in, it’s vital that those staff are trained in food safety and hygiene.

IRISH PACKAGING & PRINT FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 27

food safety We have so many resources on our website regarding food safety and hygiene and we have significantly increased our engagement on social media.”

The FSAI has seen a surge in followers on social media, where it regularly provides updates on issues such as food alerts, food allergen alerts and advice for food businesses on ensuring food safety. It has also attracted more than one million hits on its website since the start of the pandemic, many of them to the site’s dedicated page for Covid-19 and food (https://www.fsai. ie/faq/coronavirus.html), which covers a variety of topics, including if the virus can be transmitted through food (no reported cases have been linked to contamination of food), advice for food workers, advice on open food displays, what to do if a food worker tests positive for Covid-19, what to do if you encounter a supply chain problem caused by the pandemic, and many more.

Indeed, the FSAI’s FAQ’s page has been used

If food producers cannot get their normal supply of ingredients or of packaging or other products they might need, they need to assess the risk associated with bringing new products or processes into the business, including Good Hygiene Practice, HACCP and allergens, and their food safety management system must be adapted to reflect any changes.

28 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

as a template for other European food safety agencies, who have translated and adapted it for their own markets.

While the FSAI’s ‘Breakfast Bites’ meetings are no longer possible in person, the organisation has very successfully organised a series of webinars since May, which have proved hugely successful as the FSAI continues to reach out to food businesses.

Minimising the risk The number of food alerts across Europe, including Ireland, has reduced greatly in the current pandemic, but Byrne feels that as things eventually get back to some kind of normal, those numbers will rise again.

“Our biggest concern is that things the industry does now may potentially and unintentionally lead to food safety issues in the future,” she maintains. “We want to make sure the industry ensures food safety and integrity is a priority. I appreciate it’s difficult

but the one thing that is really important is to keep food safety and food integrity as a priority in your business and understanding that by doing so you are minimising the potential impact on public health services, which are already constrained in dealing with the pandemic.”

Brexit on the horizon While food businesses continue to grapple with this new working environment with the current pandemic, they must not forget that Brexit is coming at the end of 2020, Byrne says: “The timing of Brexit is out of our control, unfortunately. However, food businesses have time now to familiarise themselves with the food law requirements specific to the import or export of their food.

We know that many food businesses were very well prepared already, but for those who are not, we have a lot of information on our website at www.fsai.ie/brexit that can help them.”

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beverage containers

Major study underway on DRS for beverage containers Colm Jordan, Director of the Irish Beverage Council, argues that the forthcoming tax on sugar sweetened drinks (SSD) will not reduce obesity levels in Ireland.

T

he seminal Single Use Plastics Directive, formally adopted in June 2019, introduced a series of sweeping new obligations on EU Member States to significantly reduce consumption and stimulate the circularity of certain plastic products and plastic packaging. Covering outright bans to widened EPR requirements and elevated targets to new initiatives, a portion of the legislation specifically relates to beverage bottles.

All beverage bottles with a capacity of up to three litres must have their lids or caps attached for the duration of their intended use by 2024 and must be made of at least 25% recycled plastic content by 2025 in the case of PET bottles and 30% by 2030 in the case of all materials. Most notably perhaps, by the end of 2025, 77% of all plastic beverage containers on the EU market must be collected via a dedicated channel known as a separate collection method. By the end of 2029, that target further increases to 90%. The Directive suggests that Member States may choose to legislate for these new separate collection targets by introducing a DRS - a deposit and return system. Despite EU governments’ understandable focus on

30 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

The Irish Beverage Council is leading a major industry study on a deposit and return system for beverage containers, writes Shane Lyster, Director, Irish Beverage Council.

Shane Lyster, Director, Irish Beverage Council.

beverage containers the public health and economic crisis of Covid-19, the European Commission has already warned that no extensions will be granted to the two-year transposition period after which it expects domestic laws to be fully enacted.

Ireland’s non-alcoholic beverage industry – made up of manufacturers, distributors and marketers of soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled waters and sports and energy drinks – is proudly committed to supporting Ireland’s new obligations. Together employing over 3,500 people, supporting an additional 3,000 jobs and generating an annual economic value of some €1.5 billion, the sector takes seriously its role in leading an effective solution to the separate collection targets in particular.

Cross-industry consortium established Putting that commitment into early practice, the industry’s representative body, the Irish Beverage Council, has established a cross-industry project consortium of 18 major companies. Earlier this year, the group commissioned a renowned global specialist to carry out a detailed assessment, determining the feasibility, cost and other major considerations of introducing a DRS in Ireland. The study’s findings and outputs will allow the industry to assess if and how the system can be operated. Given that the recent Programme for Government references an intention to introduce a DRS, the industry’s learnings will be an important contribution to decision-making in this area.

It is not a novel idea as such; some countries and territories have had certain types of deposit and refund systems for decades. Indeed, Ireland once had its own system for glass bottles. Deposit and return systems or deposit refund schemes – the acronym is interchangeable – incentivise consumers to return their used beverage containers to a dedicated point by refunding a cash deposit originally levied at the point of purchase.

Reverse vending machine Some international examples see the applicable container’s barcode scanned by a device attached to an RVM – a reverse vending machine. Once the product is recognised, the machine accepts the container, crushes it and sorts it appropriately before being collected. A token or coupon then prints which can be used as a discount when shopping or buying services in an approved retailer. More innovative systems process the refund via an app downloaded to the consumer’s device. Others allow credit

The EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive introduced a series of sweeping new obligations to significantly reduce consumption and stimulate the circularity of certain plastic products and plastic packaging, including plastic beverage containers.

or debit cards to be swiped for an immediate transfer to bank accounts. Others still allow public transit cards to be topped-up or even charitable donations made in lieu of directly claiming the refund.

Reverse vending machines can be located anywhere consumers congregate; most operate from within or close to grocery retail outlets, others are located in municipal waste sites or local recycling centres. Smaller machines capture on-the-go containers on busy city streets, at major office locations, education campuses or public transport hubs.

Whatever the method, location or specific system used, DRS ensures that the applicable materials are collected through a dedicated, separate channel which may enhance the availability and value of the returned material and may increase the ease of recycling.

Accurate and comprehensive results To generate the most accurate and

comprehensive results, the scope of the consortium’s project is very broad, covering all materials used in the packaging of beverages in Ireland: plastics, glass, aluminium cans and composites/cartons.

The study will harness the learnings of the various models already in place throughout the EU and other leading global examples, including Australia and Canada. Reflecting the uniqueness of the Irish market as one combined marketplace across two territories with two fluctuating currencies, the study will also encompass Northern Ireland and the cross-border element. It will, therefore, be the most comprehensive analysis of its kind ever carried out in Ireland.

With work now well advanced, the study is expected to be completed in October 2020.

For more information about the study and the Irish Beverage Council’s activities more generally, contact shane.lyster@ibec.ie or connect with us via www.fooddrinkireland.ie.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 31

food safety: safefood

Expanding your knowledge of food safety  I Joining the safefood Knowledge Network is free and can provide the latest food safety information in a reliable, practical manner, writes Dr Linda Gordon, Chief Specialist, Food Science, safefood.

t’s exciting to see the innovation in the agri-food sector now, but we need to make sure that it is matched by our food safety knowledge and skills,” said Jenny Morris, Chair of the Knowledge Network Expert Group. “Joining the safefood Knowledge Network can provide you with reliable, practical, easy to understand and up-to-date food safety news and information.” safefood is responsible for promoting food safety across the island of Ireland, both to consumers and those with a responsibility for food safety within the food supply chain.

Food safety is critical at all stages of the food chain, from farm to fork. Food safety is one of the central pillars on which the reputation and sustainability of the agri-food sector is built. It is a key element that underpins food production, ensuring that consumer expectations and the highest levels of public health are met.

safefood Knowledge Network To support this, safefood established the Knowledge Network in 2011, with the aim of encouraging collaboration and allowing greater knowledge sharing by those involved in all parts of the food supply chain.

To date, the network has been a great success,

with over 3,300 members benefiting from a range of services, including events, briefings, workshops, newsletters and the Knowledge Network website, videos and webinars. safefood are adapting their programme of activities to deliver more services online, including webinars, training and remote learning tools.

Knowledge and passion for food safety To help achieve their goals, safefood have brought together a group of experts in areas including food microbiology, food trade, environmental health and food hypersensitivity to share their knowledge and passion for food safety. They strategically lead safefood’s network, guiding activities and advising on required training and supports, new services for members, and providing insights on food safety risks and emerging issues.

The issues safefood look at are prioritised, based on their impact on public health and the wider food chain. These include: chemical and microbiological food safety, food production and processing issues, food fraud/crime, new food safety innovations, as well as broader topics which may impact on food safety, including trade and economic issues, climate change and sustainability.

Membership is free Membership of this all-island Knowledge Network is free and safefood’s members include those working in trade representative bodies and in the food supply chain across primary production, processing, distribution, retail and catering, as well as environmental health officers, laboratory staff, food safety researchers and food safety regulators.

Membership is also open to anyone with an interest in food safety working across the entire agri-food sector.

In 2020 and beyond, the Network will continue to keep members up-to-date on food safety issues and trends. With the support of the expert group, this allisland initiative will ensure members have access to the very latest developments in food safety as they emerge.

To join the Knowledge Network, visit www.safefoodkn.eu.

For more information, contact: Dr Linda Gordon, Chief Specialist, Food Science safefood, 7 Eastgate Avenue Eastgate, Little Island, Co. Cork, T45 RX01 Tel: (021) 2304100 Email: knowledgenetwork@safefood.eu 32 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

dairy

Value of dairy sector underlined in new report

A new report shows that the dairy sector is worth €11.3 billion to the Irish economy in 2020, writes Conor Mulvihill, Director, Dairy Industry Ireland.

T

he vital importance of the dairy industry to Ireland in the face of the Covid challenge was underlined in a new report, ‘The Potential Impact of Covid-19 on the Irish Dairy Industry’, which was commissioned by Dairy Industry Ireland and conducted by business advisory firm, EY. One of the key findings of the report was that currently the sector supports almost 50,000 people in direct and indirect employment across Ireland. The report also revealed that the dairy sector was anticipated to generate output of €11.3 billion in the Irish economy in 2020.

This makes dairy, by some distance, the largest food sector in the Irish economy by value, and Ireland’s largest native industry.

Overlapping Covid and dairy peaks Irish dairy is an engine of the rural and the national economy and it faced in April, May and June, the twin challenge of the Covid peak in Ireland overlapping Ireland’s largest ever dairy peak. The industry has forecasted milk production of 8.3 billion litres in 2020, up from 5.3 billion litres in 2015.

During the time the Covid peak overlapped with dairy peak, well over a billion litres of milk a month were collected and processed from 18,000 farms without disruption, in what amounted to a herculean effort by all the supply chain: farmers, drivers and employees.

Dairy products were maintained on shelves both in Ireland and abroad for consumers. Also, critical industry output such as foods for special medical purposes for people on ventilators were manufactured and delivered without disruption.

Minimising the impact of Covid-19 Since January, Irish milk processors, working in tandem with Dairy

Industry Ireland, had been proactive in their approach to putting in place measures to best minimise Covid-19 impacts. Key measures included: • Covid-19 response teams established by all processors; • Specific actions to protect employee health; • Investment in remote working technology; • Enhanced industry co-operation.

The spread of Covid-19 had a dramatic impact on international dairy markets. In particular, the foodservice sector has been adversely affected, with restaurants, airlines and hotels shut across Europe. Milk destined for foodservice customers had to rapidly switch into other production areas, such as powders and butter.

Supply chain disruption Supply chains were also fundamentally disrupted, with a critical shortage of shipping and logistical routes to markets currently substantially paralysed across the globe.

Irish dairy processors now export 92% of all products produced, with the EY report finding that Irish dairy has a significant exposure to global markets worst affected by Covid-19. The report found that 76% of Irish dairy export volumes are exported to countries in the top 15 most effected Covid-19 countries.

Currently, the industry is working to ensure that the vital necessary steps are taken quickly to enable the industry to be in a position to contribute to the national economic reboot as it occurs.

The report also recommended that the Government could help limit the exposures of dairy companies by underwriting extensions to existing export credit insurance. This is now allowed under EU competition law, and disappointingly at the time of writing, Ireland remains the only exporting state in the EU that does not have a scheme in place.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 33

healthy heroes at home

Encouraging children to be Healthy Heroes

Healthy Heroes is a primary schools’ lunchtime initiative from the Irish Bread Bakers Association and Bord Bia, which aims to help children to change their eating and fitness habits for the better, writes Michael Jacob, FDI.

J

ust over one in 10 Irish children (13%) meets the national physical activity guidelines, which recommend 60 minutes of moderate physical activity per day (Footnote 1), while at least one in five nationally are still overweight or obese, according to findings from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (Footnote 2). However, Ireland has begun to make an impact on childhood obesity with reductions in obesity levels among Irish children between 2003-2004 and 2017-2018 (Source: IUNA, Footnote 3), with initiatives such as Healthy Heroes playing their part.

Healthy Heroes is a primary schools’ lunchtime initiative from the Irish Bread Bakers Association (IBBA) and Bord Bia, which aims to help children to change their eating and fitness habits for the better.

Heathy Heroes follows a peer teaching model where older children (usually fifth and sixth classes) mentor younger pupils on nutrition and the importance of being active. It includes suggestions for various healthy lunches, along with lots of simple physical activities.

Designed by teachers and behaviour change experts Designed by teachers and behaviour change experts with the support of Dr Mary McCreery, one of Ireland’s leading consultant nutritionists and dieticians, the programme allows children to learn about nutrition and boost their activity levels, all while having lots of fun in a non-competitive environment.

34 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

This includes easy-to-understand information on the food pyramid and the contents of the ideal lunch box to encourage children to have a more balanced lunch and become more engaged in the ingredients used. One of the primary aims of the programme is to decrease the amount of treat foods and increase the nutritional value of the lunch box.

Healthy Heroes Lunch Club Children form a lunch club that meets to eat together regularly, where nutrition is addressed informally and in a fun way, using materials provided in the Healthy Heroes Lunch Club pack. With a recent report showing poor fruit and vegetable consumption among 10-17-year-olds and no improvement since 2014 (HBSC – Footnote 4), the Healthy Heroes programme recognises the importance of intervening early so children develop healthy eating behaviours before they leave primary school.

The Healthy Heroes Lunch Club has a holistic approach, giving children an opportunity to take ownership of their own club and develop leadership skills, whilst having fun and taking part in a range of activities to develop an active lifestyle.

Almost 1,800 schools across the country have participated in the programme since it began seven years ago. Over 900 schools across the island of Ireland had registered to take part in the programme

healthy heroes at home The Healthy Heroes Lunch Club meets regularly, and nutrition is addressed informally and in a fun way.

Michael Jacob, FDI.

this year, which typically runs during the spring and summer terms.

Healthy heroes amid the pandemic With the schools closed since mid-March, the IBBA made a range of activities and information available online for use at home via irishbread.ie. While designed originally to be used in the classroom, all materials and activities provided were simple and easy to adapt for children of all ages in the home. There are also activities where older children can mentor their younger brothers or sisters.

In the new ‘at-home-hub’, many parents face the challenge of finding a balance of working from home, sharing childcare as well as keeping healthy eating habits and physical activity levels on track.

In its new form, the Healthy Heroes at Home programme aims to help children learn about nutrition and healthy lifestyles in a fun and interactive way. It can help parents shape good habits for the future and make sure that no time is lost until the campaign can be relaunched in schools later in the year.

Footnotes 1 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day: The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA Study) in the Republic of Ireland – Findings from 2010 and 2018 2 The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) in the Republic of Ireland Findings from 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015 3 IUNA: https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/46a7ad27/files/uploaded/The%20 National%20Children%27s%20Food%204 Survey%20II%20Summary%20Report%20 -%20September%202019.pdf 4 Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC), 2018

Pupils from Navan Educate Together NS with their teacher Tom Polhill and Healthy Hero Mia for the 2020 Healthy Heroes Lunch Club Launch.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 35

brewing: beer

Beer sales badly hit by lockdown T Beer sales have been heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is a resilient sector, writes Jonathan McDade, Head of Drinks Ireland | Beer, who calls for Government support to help the industry recover.

he adage of the past being a different country could not be more apt for 2020. The convivial ritual of going a pint was beyond us for many months. The closure of hospitality outlets and the subsequent slow return to the “new normal” of socialising in public has taken its toll on the brewing sector.

Pubs, restaurants, and hotels and make up two thirds of total beer sales in Ireland. This has resulted in a significant drop in beer sales in 2020.

Total beer sales in the first quarter of 2020 fell by 8.5%, according to Revenue. This was followed by a 36% fall in beer (and cider) sales according to Nielsen’s market data. In other words, 24 million fewer pints were consumed in April this year compared to the same month last year.

The closure of hospitality outlets presented logistical challenges for breweries during the lockdown. Prior to the reopening of pubs, dispense technicians from breweries worked tirelessly to make sure beer lines in outlets were cleaned and ready for service. Beer delivery staff collected large quantities of kegs, many of which contained expired product. All this had to be done while adhering to the physical distancing guidelines set out by the Government. The success of these logistical operations during this time of crisis is a credit to the brewing industry.

A declining home market

Jonathan McDade

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, total beer sales had declined by 2% in 2019, according to Revenue.

Beer’s share of the total alcohol market went from

36 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

45.2% in 2018 to 44.6% in 2019. Total alcohol sales were down by 0.5%. Average per adult alcohol consumption decreased by 2.1% in 2019 compared with 2018. Indeed, since its peak in 2001, the average per adult alcohol consumption has declined by 24.8%.

Beer exports have remained steady around €270 million per annum for the past five years leading up to the Covid crisis. However, a ‘no-deal’ Brexit and the continuing fallout from Covid does present ongoing challenges for the sector. Despite the decline in consumption and challenging economic circumstances for the brewing sector, however, beer comfortably remains Ireland’s favourite alcohol beverage.

Research points changing consumer habits Furthermore, Irish consumers still have an unprecedented selection of beer available to them, particularly in off-trade outlets, and consumption habits have evolved in recent years. The Brussel-based lobby group, the Brewers of Europe, commissioned research into Irish consumers, which was conducted by the RepTrak Company. The research, conducted in late 2019, found that Irish customers want to increase their knowledge of different varieties of beer, with 58% saying they want to learn more about appropriate pairing of beer with certain foods, compared to 45% in 2017.

The research also found that 70% of Irish diners want to see beer menus when they go out for meals, an increase of 7% from 2017, while 48% of Irish consumers are likely to change the beers they buy, depending on the season or time of the year, an increase of 8% since 2017. The brewing sector is already adapting to changing consumer demands in recent years by offering an expanded range of products, including more non-alcoholic beers.

Ireland’s brewing sector is quite resilient. It has survived economic shocks, regressive legislation, and punitive taxes. However, permanent reductions in excise and a temporary reduction in VAT would greatly assist a sector that is adapting to the post-Covid world which it’s entering. Better days lie ahead for the brewing sector, but it will be in a new world.

brewing: cider

I

The cider house cools

reland’s cider industry is navigating through some uncharted waters. Covid-19, Brexit and a continuing decline in overall alcohol consumption are the backdrop that the sector is likely to endure in the coming years. Despite the uncertainty, Irish consumers can still avail of an unprecedented selection of world-class homegrown ciders in our retail and hospitality outlets.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, total cider sales in 2019 decreased by 1.7% in 2019, with over 63 million litres of cider sold. It is the first decline in sales since 2015. It is estimated that over 50,000 tonnes of apples are used every year to manufacture cider in Ireland. Per capita consumption of cider also declined, which is in line with the overall downward trend of total alcohol consumption. This could have been due to the slightly wetter 2019 summer when compared to the heatwave of 2018.

Drinks Ireland | Cider is calling on the Government to reduce the excise rate on cider to offer relief to the hard-pressed consumer, while a temporary reduction in the hospitality VAT rate would help the hospitality sector get back on its feet, writes Jonathan McDade, Head of Drink Ireland | Cider.

Ireland’s third most popular beverage Cider’s market share of total alcohol sales has declined marginally from 7.5% in 2018 to 7.4% in 2019. However, cider is still Ireland’s third most popular alcohol beverage behind beer and wine, once the spirits category is split into its different variants (such as whiskey, vodka, gin etc.).

The performance of Irish cider exports in the last decade has been a cause for concern.

2019 saw some positive developments, with a significant increase in cider exports by 32% compared to the previous year. In 2019, 90% of Irish cider exports went to the UK, possibly due to stockpiling ahead of the original Brexit deadline. Uncertainty around Brexit and Covid-19 could impact on investment within the sector in the coming year.

Government to reduce the excise rate on cider to offer much needed relief to the hard-pressed consumer.

In addition Drinks Ireland, the VFI and the LVA are calling for a temporary reduction in the hospitality VAT rate, and extending it to apply to alcohol sales in the on-trade (pubs and bars), until December 31, 2020, in order to offset the loss of income for the hospitality sector.

A clearer picture of the state of Ireland’s cider sector will present itself later in the year, in what will, hopefully, be in a post-Covid world.

Despite these uncertain and challenging times, there is hope for the cider sector. The EU Structures Directive on excise has provisionally agreed to extend the excise relief rebate, currently enjoyed by craft brewers, to craft cider producers. This directive can enable the Department of Finance to enact legislation, through the budget, to allow craft cider producers to avail of up to a 50% reduction in its excise rate if production remains below a declared threshold. Such a reduction would send a clear signal by Government that cider is a valuable consumer asset that needs to be protected.

Jonathan McDade

Call for excise reduction Like other alcohol variants, cider makes a significant contribution to the exchequer, accounting for just under €60 million in 2019.

Over the past decade, it has contributed over half a billion euro in excise alone to the exchequer. Irish cider consumers pay the third highest rate of excise on cider in the European Union. Considering the uncertainly around Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, Drinks Ireland |Cider is calling on the

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 37

irish whiskey

The Irish Whiskey industry is focused on getting back to 12 million case sales as soon as possible.

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anuary 2020 proved to be a momentous month in the world of Irish whiskey as the rolling 12-month total of Irish whiskey sales globally exceeded our industry’s long-standing target of 12 million cases. This wasn’t just a random number we set as a commercial goal. 12 million was the estimated historic high point for Irish whiskey sales before the tumult of world wars, trade wars and prohibition, which precipitated a century of decline for our industry. Getting back to 12 million cases represents a final casting-away of the dark shadows of the 20th century. It is an achievement to be celebrated, particularly by all those who contributed to this sales success: our industry’s owners, distillers, blenders, marketeers, brand ambassadors and everybody in our vibrant Irish whiskey family.

But if history has taught us anything, it is that it has a funny way of repeating itself.

Just as Irish whiskey sales hit 12 million cases, things began falling apart in the early 1900s; and in 2020, Irish whiskey sales again hit 12 million cases just before the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic has hit orders and sales across the world, with shut-downs across the on-trade and global travel retail, and more widely in key markets such as South Africa.

A remarkable decade of growth But our industry intends to win back these sales losses across all our key markets. The Irish whiskey industry has proven itself to be resilient. After decades of decline, we’ve just experienced a remarkable decade of recovery. That recovery will continue. We’re 38 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Irish Whiskey to recover after pandemic Record sales and a resilient industry will spur Irish whiskey’s recovery after Covid-19, writes William Lavelle, head of Drinks Ireland | Irish Whiskey Association. ready to bounce back again.

With growth in 2020 impacted, 2019 will likely represent a new benchmark year for Irish whiskey sales, with our industry now focusing on getting back to 12 million case sales as soon as possible.

While brands will lead and deliver sales growth, our Association will play a key role through promoting Irish whiskey in key international markets, from the US and Canada to central and eastern Europe, which has rapidly become Irish whiskey’s fastest-growing region. We will be looking to the domestic Irish market and seeking to re-position Irish whiskey in what is quite likely to be a re-imagined Irish hospitality sector. We are also working to exploit new opportunities in areas such as eCommerce.

Call for Government support But we will also be looking to the Government for support. We continue to lobby state agencies, north and south, to Irish whiskey sales have enjoyed a huge resurgence in recent years, hitting 12 million cases in the year to January 2020.

support Irish whiskey exports. In particular, we are asking for the reinstatement of the previously available funding to allow drinks brands to directly and exclusively employ graduate brand ambassadors in key international markets. Putting ‘bootson-the-ground’ would greatly support the reboot of Irish food and drink brands in our top markets.

While the crisis has been hard, it has been inspiring to see how many Irish whiskey distilleries mobilised to support the national effort by producing alcohol-based hand sanitisers for the health service and their local communities.

This spirit of solidarity runs deeps in our industry, as does the gritty resilience which has got us through tough days before. We have gone from two distilleries to 31. We have doubled sales to 12 million cases in the past decade. That sales total will fall back this year, but together we can get back to 12 million cases very soon. After that, there will be no stopping us.

drinks: hospitality

ish Whiskey ry is focused ting back to lion case sales n as possible.

F

or a sector that was recognised as one of the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the reopening of hospitality venues was seen by many as a glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel.

At the outset of the pandemic, drinks producers, large and small, began to play their part in the national response; producing sanitiser products and creating and contributing to national and international funds to try and mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

As the date of reopening drew closer, it began to become apparent to many operating in the drinks industry that there was mounting sense of unease amongst consumers about a return to a hospitality setting.

The April Omnibus from Amárach placed pubs 28/30 in terms of perceived safety compared to other settings, and later, research by publican groups and drinks producers showed that 68% of pub goers were worried that other customers will not take safety measures seriously.

A new type of social etiquette With this information in hand, Drinks Ireland, working on behalf of its members, identified the opportunity to act as a positive player in the successful reopening of the hospitality sector by developing a consumer campaign establishing and encouraging a new type of social etiquette as consumers return to bars, pubs and restaurants.

Reopening with Respect, #BeSound would support the work being done by the Government and relevant agencies,

A digital campaign spearheaded by Drinks Ireland, Reopening With Respect #BeSound sees all stakeholders coming together to encourage a safe and respectful reopening of the hospitality sector.

including Fáilte Ireland, who introduced new guidelines and safety measures across the hospitality sector.

The campaign encourages consumers to ‘Respect the Guidelines’ set out by individual venues upon re-opening; to ‘Respect the Staff’ by being patient and co-operative; and to ‘Respect Each Other’ to ensure the experience is enjoyable for everyone. Overall, customers will be reminded at all times to #BeSound to ensure everyone is kept safe, and importantly, has a great time.

A unified voice The aim for Drinks Ireland was to highlight how we all have our part to play to ensure our favourite venues remain safe and

enjoyable for all. Drinks Ireland created a unified voice for the sector through simple, friendly, identifiable and welcoming language and visuals.

The campaign was launched initially

by Drinks Ireland, with the support of the LVA and VFI, to members on June 22, with a subsequent media launch. Significant players and stakeholders right across the sector adopted the messaging in their social channels, showing their support and encouraging respectful behaviour.

The campaign is just one small part in the reopening of the sector but an important moment as iconic drinks brands, small producers and the venues in which they are enjoyed come together to work toward a positive outcome.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 39

Irish wh have en huge re recent y 12 milli the year 2020.

invest northern ireland

Adapting to the new normal Invest Northern Ireland has reacted quickly to the needs of Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector in terms of how they deliver support amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

T

he unprecedented impact of Covid-19 has proven to be hugely challenging for the food and drink sector across the island of Ireland. However, according to Jen Guiney, Business Development Executive with Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s economic development agency, Northern Ireland Food and Drink is very much open for business.

“Undoubtedly, these last few months have been very difficult, but it has been so encouraging to see many local companies demonstrate resilience and innovation in the midst of such a quickly evolving crisis,” explains Jen. “Many Northern Ireland-based food and drink processors have made a significant contribution to keeping our food supply chain moving and the supermarket shelves across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland stocked with pure, natural, quality products.”

Reacting quickly to the new normal “My role is to broker mutually beneficial and profitable business relationships between retailers and foodservice operators in the Republic and Northern Ireland companies,” she reveals. “We have had to quickly adapt how we provide support to our companies.

Within a week of lockdown, we were providing online crisis management webinars to help producers navigate their way through the crisis. In addition, our colleagues who specialise in Consumer Insights turned to Skype to deliver 1:1 market intelligence clinics, so that our companies were up-to-speed on changing consumer purchasing behaviour and market trends to help them react to the rapidly evolving and challenging landscape.”

Maintaining key relationships Maintaining personal relationships built up over many years with retail buyers across the Republic of Ireland is a key priority as we enter a very different business environment, as Jen explains: “Whilst for the foreseeable future, we may not be able to physically meet with key retail customers in the way we once did, 40 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

thankfully, enhanced digital platforms enable us to maintain these invaluable relationships. We recently hosted a hugely successful virtual ‘Meet the Buyer’ event incorporating a cookery Jen Guiney, Business demo by local chef, Paula McIntyre, Development Executive, utilising circa 14 local food and drink Invest Northern Ireland. products, samples of which had been couriered advance to several key retailers including Aldi, Fallon and Byrne and Lidl.”

Encouragingly, many smaller Northern Ireland-based producers are also benefiting from Aldi’s popular Grow with Aldi and Lidl’s Kick Start Supplier Development Programmes, which are helping artisanal producers gain invaluable footholds into the Republic of Ireland market.

Significant wins Recent listings with Aldi include Belfast-based Hellbent, who are supplying their distinctive coiled South African Boerewors sausages; a new innovative brand of fruit infused balsamic vinegars under the brand 56 Degrees from market leader Burren Balsamics; and a Smoked Chicken Wings product under the Orchard Smoke House brand from Armagh-based Meadow Farm Quality Foods.

Derry-based producer of spicy artisan sauces, Lo&Slo is supplying Lidl with a spicy BBQ sauce and its American-style vinegar mop sauce.

There have also been some significant retail wins for larger companies, including Crust and Crumb Bakery in County Fermanagh, who has supplied Lidl since 2013 and has recently announced a new contract worth £24 million a year to supply pizzas to 1,000 Lidl stores in Ireland and Great Britain.

The deal involves supplying 20 varieties of Lidl’s Deluxe range sourdough pizza, six Chef Select pizza lines and two flavours within its Simply pizza value range.

If you are looking for that innovative product to give you a Mark McCaffrey point of difference coupled with of Crust & Crumb flexibility, quality and consistency Bakery with Lidl’s – why not make contact with Jen Northern Ireland Regional Director, T:+44 (0) 7985111024 Conor Boyle.

E: jen.guiney@investni.com

Northern Ireland.

Bringing our world-class food and drink to your table.

When you source food and drink from Northern Ireland you can be sure of its pure, natural, quality.

That’s why Invest Northern Ireland’s Food and Drink division works with local producers to help them take their products around the world. Whether it’s helping companies to find new markets in the Republic of Ireland, or working with UK supply chains to drive new sales, Invest NI partners with our local producers to help them identify new trends, bring forward innovative products and grow their business.

Learn how you can serve our quality food and drink.

Northern Ireland. Altogether more.

For further information contact Jen Guiney, Invest NI E: Jen.Guiney@investni.com M: +44 79 8511 1024

Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, Co. Antrim

We work with NI producers to help identify new trends, bring forward innovative products and grow their business.

About Us A Family run business established in 1997, QPM LTD has developed a reputation for providing high performance systems, comprehensive support and specialist advice to the food and pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Ireland.

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sustainable packaging

The future for

sustainable packaging

Any business looking to future-proof would be wise to make sustainability a central tenet of their business strategy, and packaging is the perfect place to start.

T

he Irish Grocery Insights research 2020 has revealed that Irish grocery shoppers are becoming much more concerned about the impact of their food choices on the environment. And while concern about the environment is increasing, satisfaction with the sustainability credentials of the goods on offer has decreased.

It can be tricky to know where to start when it comes to sustainability but it’s hard to go wrong with the key areas that shoppers are interested in which, according to the research are: waste,

Fionnuala Malone, GS1 Ireland, examines changing consumer demands and the conflicting challenge of sustainable packaging. manufacturing processes, food miles and carbon footprint.

Sustainable packaging Packaging isn’t just about how to contain a product. When thinking about packaging, we need to consider the

whole lifecycle of that product, from how the materials are sourced, to how it is manufactured, distributed, sold in retail and finally, how it is disposed of. The origins of packaging, the impact of plastics and how packaging materials are sourced all need to be considered.

Sourcing materials and single-use plastics Consumers are paying more attention to where things come from and increasingly, businesses have to able to stand up to scrutiny when it comes to sourcing their packaging materials. This includes the energy used to source the materials, transport them and convert them into usable packaging. Also of concern are the materials themselves, whether they are recyclable, bio-derived or petrochemical. Businesses sourcing material for packaging or buying ‘off the shelf’ need to consider the entire supply chain and its impact on the environment.

Plastic, and particularly single-use plastic, has come into sharp focus in recent years.

44 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

sustainable packaging But what exactly is the problem with plastic?

Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, so most of the plastic that has ever been made still exists. Only 12% of the plastic ever made has been incinerated. Some solutions to the problem of plastics that have been proposed are using alternative materials, developing bio-based plastics, reducing the amount of plastic in packaging, as well as improving the recycling of plastic waste (Smithers, 2018).

Change is already in motion, with large retail chains making big strides when it comes to plastic packaging. British retailer Iceland has committed to eliminating plastics from its own-brand products by 2023; plastics will be replaced by paper and pulp trays and compostable alternatives. In the Netherlands, supermarket chain, Ekoplaza, has opened entirely plastic-free aisles, with products packaged in metal, glass or compostable plastic alternatives.

Compostable packaging One such business already ahead of the game is GS1 Ireland member, Chocolatey Clare. Clare has embraced compostable packaging as an alternative to plastics for her vegan chocolate range. Back in 2017, she spent weeks researching packaging providers in Ireland and the UK in the hopes that they could provide what she was looking for, which was fully compostable inner and outer packaging that was printed with vegetable-based inks. She settled on a compostable outer layer and a plastic-like inner layer called Nature-Flex, which is fully compostable and can be heatsealed for freshness.

Clare believes that environmental awareness is growing but “there is a learning curve for consumers as well as those that manage waste”.

The challenges for businesses wanting to adopt this type of packaging for their product are that “turnaround times can be longer than with traditional printing and costs can be prohibitive for short runs”, but for Clare and her customers, the benefits outweigh the costs. “There was no point in creating a vegan and ethically sourced food product and then wrapping it in something that was going to damage the environment,” she explains. The downsides are a lack of familiarity among consumers and waste management professionals with compostable packaging: “It looks like plastic and it behaves like plastic, which means that it is easily mistaken for plastic.”

market is Jennie Jacques de Cisneros, who set up Minimum Waste Grocery in 2017. She stocks everything from nuts and seeds to tea and coffee, and from toiletries and household cleaning products, and delivers packaging-free groceries to her customers around the country.

People can use their own containers or the bio or brown paper bags supplied by Jen. Back in 2017, when she set up Minimum Waste Grocery, people didn’t understand the concept but now in 2020, most customers instantly recognise the system. Jen has watched the demand for zero or minimum waste groceries grow hugely over the last three years and believes that “there is a huge opportunity for Irish businesses to start supplying in bulk.”

Carbon neutral packaging

Document the changes & inform your retail partners

Another GS1 Ireland member leading the pack when it comes to sustainable packaging is Lee Strand Milk, who recently announced that they are switching to Tetra Rex Plant-based packaging, which is the first packaging in Ireland to be labelled as carbon neutral. It is FSC-certified and made entirely of paperboard, from responsibly managed forests. The plastic is plant-based, made from Bonsucro-certified sugarcane.

Zero packaging While some food businesses are opting for compostable packaging, other producers and retailers are eschewing packaging altogether and developing zero packaging solutions for their customers.

One such person filling this gap in the

With consumers more concerned than ever before about the impact of their purchasing decisions on the environment and growing dissatisfaction among consumers with the green credentials of the goods on offer, any business looking to future-proof would be wise to make sustainability a central tenet of their business strategy.

With packaging at the top of the list of concerns for Irish grocery shoppers, there is no better place to start enacting change than with your product packaging solutions. Contact GS1 Ireland’s Data Advisory Service about updating your barcode (GTIN) and associated product data if you are making significant changes to your product packaging. For more information, visit gs1ie.org/advisory-services/.

Demand for zero or minimum waste groceries is growing all the time.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 45

process equipment/production solutions

The flexibility of Flexachem F lexachem provide their food, beverage and dairy clients with effective and efficient production solutions that cater for all scales. These include modular-based skids to enable production of sauces, mayonnaise, syrups, yogurts, milk etc. With short lead times and scalability, coupled with product testing at the pilot plant, their customised solution for your project needs will deliver value and save on operating costs.

Flexachem offer to provide bespoke designs for Clean in Place (CIP) systems, tank cleaning, product transfer & IBC emptying, along with heat transfer, product blending and homogenisation, site surveys and site services.

Product specialists Flexachem have product specialists in process equipment, valves, pumps and mechanical seals from global brands such as Inoxpa, Flowserve, NOV, Netzsch, Kelvion, Servinox, PRG and Cascho.

Their valve solutions include mix-proof and multi-port valves,

Flexachem offer bespoke production systems for food, beverage and dairy clients, including Clean in Place systems.

isolation & block + bleed and control valves. Their pump solutions include helicoidal, progressive cavity, centrifugal and rotary iobe.

Within their mechanical seal range are seals for agitators and pumps that will enable substantial uptime.

Flexachem work with all scales of manufacture, from start-up to pilot scale and onto full production, from their Cork base. For more information, see www.flexachem.com or contact Michael Bradley michael.bradley@flexachem.com / Mobile 086 0476178.

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recycling & packaging design

Packaging and design

for a circular economy Brian Walsh, Packaging Technologist, Repak, assesses what the EU Circular Economy Package will mean for Ireland, and provides advice on the impact of packaging design on the various steps involved in packaging recycling.

I

n 2015, the EU launched an ambitious plan to improve the way in which Member States across Europe think about waste. The EU’s Circular Economy Package led to the publication of major changes to waste legislation in June 2018 in the form of the Waste Framework Directive, Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive and a new Landfill Directive.

Due to major concerns in relation to marine plastic pollution, the EU also published a Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy in January 2018. The core of this strategy was to tackle the top 10 litter items polluting Europe’s beaches.

However, in recognising the current complexity around plastics and the challenges this creates, this strategy also aims to ensure that all plastic packaging placed on the EU market by

48 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

2030 is recyclable.

This strategy was brought to life by the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive in July 2019. From 2021, the legislation will see a number of measures introduced on a phased basis. This will include bans on items such as plastic cutlery, plates, straws and expanded polystyrene packaging, consumption reduction targets on plastic food containers, Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for SUP items and mandatory marking requirements.

PET bottles will need to incorporate 25% recycled content by 2025, rising to 30% by 2030. A measure designed to stimulate the market for recycled plastics. Member states will also need to collect 90% of these bottles by 2029.

The ambitious recycling targets

included in these new directives will see some material specific targets increase significantly. For example, under the new Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive, Member States will need to meet a recycling target for plastic packaging of 50% for 2025, rising to 55% by 2030, a target that was previously set at 22.5%.

How are Repak responding?

In 2018, Repak published the Plastic Packaging Recycling Strategy 2018-2030, setting out the urgent and long term actions required to help Ireland meet the EU Circular Economy targets for plastic. This strategy also includes Ireland’s Pledge on Plastic Packaging Waste, which has five key objectives aimed at reducing avoidable single use plastic, improving recyclability and recycling rates and increasing recycled

recycling & packaging design

content in plastic packaging. Over 120 Irish businesses have signed up to date. For more information, visit repak.ie/drivingchange/plastic-strategy-2030.

Repak’s packaging technology team are also there to support businesses through our packaging optimisation and design programme, ‘Prevent & Save’, which is free to our members. The programme includes on-site visits or virtual supports, with a detailed technical report guiding members through the packaging opportunities identified.

Repak’s packaging design guide To achieve the many Circular Economy targets, we will need our packaging industry and packaging users to understand the recycling challenges posed by current materials and to design packaging differently, all while maintaining product stability and shelf life. We will also need our recyclers to enhance recycling technologies and recycle more challenging items. Most importantly, we will need collaboration between all stakeholders to understand the many challenges and the steps needed to address them.

In reality, many businesses are unsure of what can be recycled in Ireland and many are, therefore, unaware of the impact of their packaging design decisions from a recycling point of view.

Repak have recently launched a Packaging Design Guide to try and provide more information to businesses about how the Irish recycling system works and the impact of packaging design on the various steps involved in packaging recycling.

How the packaging recycling system works in Ireland 1. Collection In Ireland, waste packaging is collected from Irish households using a co-mingled system. Household recycling bins contain a mixture of paper/ cardboard, metals and plastics. In 2018, paper made up 61% of the contents of Irish household recycling bins, with plastic at 20% and metals at 7%. To help reduce confusion and contamination, the items that can be placed in Irish recycling bins can be found on a national recycling list at repak.ie.

2. Sorting at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Once collected, paper / cardboard, metals and plastics are sorted into various material types and sent to reprocessors for recycling.

Various mechanical processes are used to sort these materials.

In the case of plastics, near Infrared detection systems are used to sort packaging by its various polymer types.

Bottles with full body sleeves will enter the wrong recycling stream and nondetectable black plastics have the potential to be missed for recycling as they appear invisible to the equipment. Switching to partial sleeves and detectable colours are just some of the changes that can make your product’s packaging easier to sort for recycling.

Glass is collected from more than 1,900 member funded bottle banks across Ireland and sent to dedicated MRFs. A significant issue in glass recycling results from the use of very strong adhesives for labels. The glass

remains attached to the label when broken, leading to the rejection of significant quantities of glass.

3. Reprocessing Repak’s Packaging Design Guide also discusses the reprocessing of waste packaging back into useful materials and provides guidance on how design can impact these processes.

For example, upcoming legislation will classify paper packs that contain more than 5% plastic as composite. Above this percentage, plastic in any single pack is also seen as a challenge for paper mills.

Therefore, if your cardboard box currently incorporates a plastic window as a means to display the product inside, it may be a good time to examine options such as making that window peelable or removing it completely, if this is not a critical issue.

It is also important to note that many materials are not compatible with each other during recycling. This is particularly true for plastics, as they are separated from each other by density. Therefore, different types of polymers with similar densities can contaminate each other during reprocessing. A PVC label on a PET soft drinks bottle may contaminate the PET during recycling, for example. Replacing this with a polyethylene or polypropylene label will increase its compatibility with the PET recycling process.

For many more tips on designing your packaging for recycling you can view Repak’s Packaging Design Guide by visiting repak.ie/members/packaging-optimisationdesign/ or get in touch directly on (01) 4670190.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 49

packaging

The most extraordinary

ordinary thing in the world…

The humble cardboard box is the most extraordinary ordinary thing in the world, according to Limerick Packaging, the company which has thrived and grown thanks to its unrivalled commitment to meeting the needs of its customers and by delivering ‘On Time, Everytime’.

W

ith what other packaging product can you take 230 grams of material, make a board and a box out of it that can hold, protect, inform, store and safely ship a product around the world and will resist a load of 500 kilogrammes? That can only be corrugated board and corrugated boxes. It is the classic case of the whole being much stronger than the sum of its parts.

In much the same way, Limerick Packaging punches well above its weight by outshining its competition from the viewpoint of package design, very competitive pricing, quality to the very highest standards and all delivered, “on time, everytime”.

“This has been the secret of our growth over the 18-year history of the company, by being totally customer focused and by being dedicated to exceeding our customers’ expectations”, said Sales Director Mike Boland.

“It is central to everything we do, that our customer comes first,” Mike continued, “and nothing is allowed to divert us from our goal of delivering ‘on time, everytime’.”

50 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Extensive product list Limerick Packaging can offer clients a comprehensive product portfolio, including: 1 Corrugated Boxes (RSC, Die-Cut, Sheets, Pads, Divs. etc); 2 Litho Printed Cartons and Litho-Laminated Outers; 3 Shelf-Ready/Retail-Ready Packs; 4 High Quality Post Printed and Pre-Printed Corrugated Boxes; 5 Solid Board Leak-Proof Bases and Lids; 6 Industrial Polyethylene Bags, Sleeves and Sheets; 7 Protective Foams (EPE,EPU, EPS, EPP); 8 Foam/Corrugated Composite Packs; 9 Bubble-Wrap, Rolls and Bubble Bags; 10 Pallet Edge-guards; 11 Packaging Assembly Machinery; 12 Pallet Wrap/Strapping/Strapping Accessories/Tapes;

…

packaging “Our company now boasts a large array of products, as can be seen from the list provided, but the one we are most proud of is our speciality in Shelf Ready/Retail Ready packaging, which we can provide in standard flexo print, high quality post-print flexo or litho printed and laminated,” the Sales Director stressed.

Shelf Ready/Retail Ready packaging Limerick Packaging has experienced considerable growth in Shelf Ready/Retail Ready packs and also in Litho-Laminated Corrugated packs, due to their ability to follow market trends, their ability to design effective solutions for their customers at very competitive prices and their ability to assist their customers to get products innovatively packed to market in a timely fashion.

Walking through their factory, you cannot help notice the purposeful approach each member of staff has in everything they do. You also notice a steely determination to get everything right so that the company can succeed, grow and prosper. But the one thing that stands out above all is the focus on the customers’ needs, made obvious by the ultra-large screens throughout the factory tracking each order’s progress and put there to ensure all orders are delivered when they are required.

Mike Boland also pointed to the fact that it is company policy to operate its own delivery fleet, as this provides the flexibility necessary to meet all customer needs on a daily basis.

Growing customer base Set up in June 2002, Limerick Packaging has grown to a considerable size and the staff are very proud to count among their many customers some of the biggest names in the food industry and the medical /pharmaceutical sectors. Once they get to fully understand their customers’ business, they stock product to Purchase Order and deliver daily or weekly as required. “With our famous ‘stock and serve’ model, the customer can call product off today before noon and we will deliver tomorrow, anywhere in Ireland,” boasted Mike Boland.

“We are certified to ISO9001:2015 and FSC and we operate to ISO14001 and BRC/IOP,” Mike revealed, but the Sales Director is keen to point out that they always endeavour to improve their already stellar customer service.

“We are never happy and we are always striving to improve our performance and to create the ultimate customer experience. We are close but we are not there yet,” he smiled. “And when we reach our goal, we will push on and once again set new standards for customer service.”

Dedicated to its customers Their commitment to meeting and exceeding customers’ needs

has been a crucial ingredient in Limerick Packaging’s success, with many of the customers who were there 18 years ago still utilising the company for their packaging needs.

“We have rewarded these customers with state-of-the-art design and problem solving skills, trouble-free trading, competitive pricing and quality products delivered ‘On Time, Everytime’,” explained Managing Director Connie Ryan. “We will continue to dedicate ourselves to our customers as we hope that many more fine customers will join in and be part of our success story.”

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 51

e stop terial s.

ucc

Looking for an online or blended training course?

The Food Industry Training Unit at UCC is running a series of accredited and nonaccredited courses for the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

T

he Food Industry Training Unit (FITU) in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork (UCC) services the part-time training, continuing education and professional development needs of people working within the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

Accredited (Short) Courses 2020 Diploma in Food Science and Technology

This Diploma course is designed for those who wish to develop a good understanding of the basic principles of food science, food technology and food business. Particular emphasis is placed on linking scientific principles with their practical application in industry.

Contact: Maura Conway m.conway@ucc.ie

Graduate Development Programme: Diploma in Leadership for the Agri-Food Sector

This programme is designed to meet the management and leadership development needs of young agri-food graduates in the first few years of their working life. Alongside the core technical business skills and best practice tools, the programme will equip participants with motivation and coaching skills that will enhance their professional identity and capability.

Contact: Deirdre Hilliard deirdre.hilliard@ucc.ie

52 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

FITU will be running a variety of blended (a mixture of face-toface and online learning) and online courses for 2020/2021. See below the list of accredited and non-accredited (short) courses.

For further information on any of the courses above, please visit the FITU website at www.ucc.ie/fitu.

Diploma in Speciality Food Production

This Diploma course is intended for individuals who are starting or further developing a speciality/artisan food business, from the farm, home or production facility. It will also be of interest to those individuals who are involved in this sector as producers, retailers, chefs, buyers and food writers. This course will be blended for 2020/2021.

Contact: Angela Sheehan a.sheehan@ucc.ie

Diploma in Food Manufacturing Management The Diploma aims to provide relevant management education to delegates across all areas of business, with specific emphasis on food and beverage manufacturing and operations management.

The programme will also develop interpersonal skills and enhance confidence in each member of the group.

Contact: Joe O’Callaghan joe.ocallaghan@ucc.ie

Non-Accredited Courses 2020 Postgraduate Certificate in Dairy Technology and Innovation

UCC and Teagasc have developed a Certificate in Dairy Technology and Innovation. This qualification runs from October to March and will enable and empower dairy industry personnel and those wishing to join the industry to implement best practice and embrace new technological developments in dairy processing. This will be an online course for 2020/2021, with practical lab-work held in Teagasc in February 2021.

Contact: Amy-Jane Troy amyjane.troy@ucc.ie

Cleaning in Place September 11 (Virtual Classroom) Mary McCarthy-Buckley m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie Manufacturing Area Cleaning (including Deep Cleaning) for the Food Industry October 8 (Blended) Mary McCarthy-Buckley m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie Thermal Processing September 11 (Virtual Classroom) Mary McCarthy-Buckley m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie Food Process Engineering Principles September 11 (Virtual Classroom) Angela Sheehan a.sheehan@ucc.ie Production Supervisory Training Programme September 11 (Virtual Classroom) Mary McCarthy-Buckley m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie

education

Part Time Courses Offered at UCC

T

he Food Industry Training Unit (FITU) at University College Cork offers part-time Certificates, Diplomas and over 20 short courses for those working in the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

Located in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences in University College Cork, the Unit was the first in Ireland to develop part-time Diplomas in Food Science and Technology, Speciality Food Production and the ICOS funded Diploma in Corporate Direction.

In addition, FITU in collaboration with Taste 4 Success Skillnet have been the first to develop innovative micro-credentials called digital badges for those completing short courses related to the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

Digital badges are badges which represent new learning and skills and are awarded

by Universities for

Have you considered part-time industry training, CPD and Digital Badges with the Food Industry Training Unit at University College Cork?

learnings outside a traditional accreditation.

FITU and Taste 4 Success Skillnet, in response to industry need for recognition of short courses, have developed the first digital badges at a University level that are specific for the food, agri-food and seafood sectors.

For further information on FITU courses and digital badges please go to the FITU website at https://www.ucc.ie/en/fitu/ or for general queries please contact Mary McCarthy-Buckley at m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie.

Food Industry Training Unit Continuing Professional Development and Training for the Food, Agri Food and Seafood Sectors Information on courses from: Mary McCarthy-Buckley, Food Industry Training Unit School of Food and Nutritional Sciences College of Science, Engineering and Food Science University College Cork Email m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie www.ucc.ie/en/fitu FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 53

pallets & packaging

MCP expands its expertise Mid Cork Pallets, one of Ireland’s leading pallet manufacturers, has expanded into the green energy market.

M

id Cork Pallets & Packaging (MCP) have been manufacturing and supplying pallets and packaging of the highest standard for more than 40 years. As one of the leading manufacturers of pallets in Ireland, they also provide a flexible stock and serve service for their growing list of customers’ corrugated packaging needs.

“In operation since 1978, we know a bit about pallets and packaging, as well as the importance of a dependable, reliable, and efficient service,” explained Aidan Harty. “In fact, we’ve become the largest automated pallet manufacturer in Ireland, producing over 2.5 million pallets annually.”

At present, the company employs 80 workers in Clondrohid, Co. Cork, where MCP manufactures pallets which are used by some of Ireland’s leading blue-chip companies, producing food, drink, dairy

products and pharmaceuticals for both the domestic and export market, as well as its distribution plant in County Meath. The company is also earning a reputation for supplying high quality corrugated packaging solutions to a host of companies countrywide.

Cork Green Energy Recently, MCP has also entered the world of green energy, following its successful commissioning of its Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant at Clondrohid, using state-of-the-art technology. The plant is fuelled using biomass, which comes from a combination of production by-product and bark.

The power plant has the capacity to produce 1.2 megawatts of green electricity per hour, which is being supplied directly to the national grid. “What we’re generating here is enough to provide for the

With over 40 years’ experience, Mid Cork Pallets and Packaging is the largest automated pallet manufacturer in Ireland.

Mid Cork Pallets operates from a 20,000 square metre facility near Macroom in Cork and a 7,000 square metre storage and distribution centre in Dunboyne, Co. Meath.

54 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

MCPP

The Complete Package Complete print & packaging solutions for your business and Ireland’s largest automatic pallet manufacturer.

Call Clondrohid 026 41311 Call Dunboyne 01 8252059 www.midcorkpallets.com

MCPP_A4.indd 1

13/03/2019 4:14 p.m.

pallets & packaging power needs of up to 1,000 homes,” Aidan noted.

The CHP plant is operating under the name Cork Green Energy, with 10 people employed at the new company, which operates the combined heat and power plant on the Clondrohid site.

The power is generated using biomass to generate heat, which in turn vaporises a special type of oil that powers the turbine and creates the electricity. This process creates a lot of heat, which MCP utilises to power its 10 onsite kilns. The kilns are used for heat treating and kiln drying pallets to ensure they comply with ISPM15, an international phytosanitary standard which ensures the integrity of all timber packaging exported around the world.

Pallets When it comes to pallets, their product range includes:  All types of timber pallets including Euro pallets, kiln dried and heat treated (both new and second hand);  Plastic and aluminium pallets, as well as timber pallets;  They also have a Specialised Pallet Design Service available.

Packaging MCP are BRC accredited and supply all types of corrugated boxes including 0201, Die Cuts, 4 and 6 point glued trays. They also offer an extensive range of Shelf Ready packaging solutions. They offer a range of print finishes, from standard to HD Flexo to Litho Laminated boxes. MCP offer a full design and sampling service.

Specialist packaging When it comes to specialist packaging, MCP’s product range includes:  Plywood crates;  Shipping crates;  Machine pallet wrap;  Hand pallet wrap;  Corner pieces.

“We offer a complete design and sampling service to help you with box design and to source your packaging,” explained Aidan Harty. “We manage the manufacturing process for you and provide a stock management service, so you always have a continuous supply of packaging.”

Fast, efficient delivery, nationwide Operating from a 20,000 square metre facility near Macroom in Cork and a 7,000 square metre storage and distribution centre in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, MCP is strategically located close to all major road networks, enabling it to provide a fast and efficient delivery of your pallets and packaging.

Their Clondrohid facility in Co. Cork spans over 25 acres and consists of over 250,000 square feet of purpose-built manufacturing and storage facilities.

In Co. Meath, they have over 100,000 square feet of 56 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

storage facilities in their seven-acre Dunboyne depot.

Putting customers first With over 40 years’ experience, MCP is the largest automated pallet manufacturer in Ireland. They boast one of the most modern facilities in Ireland and provide pallets and corrugated boxes to most of Ireland’s largest blue-chip companies.

“Our customers are looking for a supplier that will put their needs at the forefront of everything that we do,” explained Aidan Harty. “We achieve that here at MCP by engaging with our customers and their evolving needs and continuously aiming to improve the overall package that we deliver to our customers.”

Many of MCP’s customers operate 24/7, so MCP strive to ensure that they plan accordingly so their customers receive the service required to satisfy the demands of their business. “We get to know the customer inside out, so we have a great understanding of their needs and the demands of their business,” Aidan Harty noted. “We provide a quality, reliable product, at a competitive price, when our customer wants it.”

Mid Cork Pallets has entered the world of green energy, following its successful commissioning of its Combined Heat and Power plant at Clondrohid.

Certifications MCP is certified to the following quality systems: ISO9001:2008 ISPM 15 certified BRC certified Sedex certified Members of TIMCON Licenced EPAL manufacturers Registered member with Repak Contact Details: For more details, please visit www.midcorkpallets.com, email sales@midcorkpallets.com or phone (026) 41311.

KR SCARA ̼tailored to maximize production efficiency Strong, fast, highly efficient. From assembly of small parts to material handling or inspection – the new, ultra-compact KR SCARA robots provide maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness from the outset. They impress with extremely short cycle times, a payload capacity of 6 kg and reaches of 500 mm or 700 mm. With a wide range of integrated media supply systems, they can master virtually any task as standard.

Discover all the highlights at www.kuka.com

www.kuka.com

automation & robotics

Automation and robotics are also set to become the new ‘norm’, with increased focus upon reducing the concentrations of workers near to one another.

Increased role for robots in new ‘norm’ Automation and robotics will be crucial to maintaining cost competitiveness as manufacturing returns to the new ‘norm’ post-pandemic.

I

f ever a global crisis proved to remind us that an over reliance upon scarce manual resources and impractical overcrowded working conditions is unsustainable for the security of our supply chain and the survival of our manufacturing industries, the Covid-19 pandemic has just surpassed it.

When eventually our manufacturing sectors return to work, the landscape will have completely changed. We must maintain social distancing within the workplace for the foreseeable future or until a vaccine is rolled out across the globe. Even then, social distancing within the workplace may become the new ‘norm’ for manufacturing.

Critical finished goods manufacturing and supply chain has come under scrutiny during this pandemic and many of the flaws in low cost manufacturing in far flung continents have come to the fore, with serious shortages in finished goods and raw materials arising. As a result, reshoring of manufacturing is inevitable, with many countries’ governments already issuing policy statements encouraging companies to reshore their manufacturing and supply chain, and several countries are already offering substantial financial enticements for companies to do so. However, whilst this will undoubtedly be welcome news, cost competitiveness will be even more important: automation and robotics will be fundamental to maintaining cost competitiveness.

58 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Automation and robotics are also set to become the new ‘norm’, with increased focus upon reducing the concentrations of workers near to one another and, providing continuity of production, even in the event of another major interruption to manufacturing and the supply chain:  Sensitive and dexterous collaborative robots with small footprints will increasingly become our ‘co-workers’.  Research will be accelerated to develop new applications for robotics; faster deployment, flexible and, easy to use.  Autonomous mobile robotics will become commonplace, not only in warehousing and logistics, but also in testing, sampling and, media preparation.  Cleanliness and hygiene will take on a whole new importance in the workplace and, whilst automated robotic sanitising in hospital environments is in early development, it may become necessary to consider similar technologies in manufacturing facilities.

Challenges There are many challenges to be overcome in this new ‘norm’ which requires collaboration on initiatives across all invested parties, including the end user, regulatory authorities (e.g. ISO/FDA), government bodies,

automation & robotics

research institutions, universities, machine builders and automation/ robot suppliers. This includes, but is not limited to:  Funded research: essential to develop new technologies.  The skills gap: already a critical shortage exists of automation and robotics engineers across a range of skills levels, from apprentice to Master’s degree. This needs urgent addressing across our educational facilities, both for skilling and upskilling.  Workplace culture: operator acceptance of robot technology.  Brownfield plant design: not always suited to the deployment of automation. For example, the deployment of mobile robotics can easily be accommodated during the design phase for a greenfield facility but, may be more difficult in a brownfield facility, where multiple floor levels, lifts, airlocks and, shared pathways were not designed with automation in mind.  Government investment: support programmes, particularly for

smaller manufacturing companies and solution providers.  Agile Innovation funding.  Working capital loan schemes.

Rising to the challenge Robotics and automation companies such as KUKA have already risen to the challenge in the fight against Covid-19, providing robotics to manufacture Covid-19 test kits, automated sampling machines, PPE manufacture, automated temperature testing and mobile disinfection robots.

As countries struggle to rebuild their economies, and manufacturing companies work to adapt to the new ‘norm’ in manufacturing, robotics and automation companies will be there to help.

For more information, contact KUKA Robotics Ireland Ltd on (042) 9395034 or email sales@kuka.ie.

KUKA Robotics has already risen to the challenge in the fight against Covid-19.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 59

smart automation

Everything from a single source

Festo has been a reliable automation partner in the global production of high-quality food for over 50 years.

Food production is at the intersection of factory and process automation. Festo offers smart automation solutions for food applications, covering the complete production process, with the perfect ingredients for producing the best beverages and foodstuffs.

F

esto knows the challenges of the food industry: hygienic and efficient automation is a must for machine and system builders and producers. Having to search for different component suppliers who can meet these requirements and matching the individual parts from different manufacturers is no longer necessary.

Single sourcing saves time and money. As a full-range supplier, Festo offers everything from a single source.

Festo has been a reliable automation partner in the global production of high-quality food for over 50 years. Its mix of pneumatic and electrical technology helps to create efficient production operations.

Festo applies its wealth of experience in factory automation to process automation, too. It covers all the individual levels of the automation pyramid, from the operating level to the field level. Festo can therefore offer not only individual components but also ready-to-install systems for all kinds of tasks and applications in the food industry.

Reliable and efficient The pneumatic pinch valve VZQA provides hygienic, reliable and high-quality dispensing of food: the N/O variant with a silicone diaphragm comes with a declaration of conformity in accordance with EU Directive no. 1935/2004. This pinch valve variant is thus approved for applications involving direct contact with food products.

Decentralised control increases productivity Festo’s automation solutions allow users and designers to create decentralised installation concepts without a control cabinet in harsh and intensively-cleaned environments in the food and beverage 60 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

industry, close to the application for lower energy losses and high cycle rates. The can work either as a solution without a control cabinet, with the Clean Design valve terminal MPA-C, offering the ideal degree of protection IP69K, or with the valve terminal VTUG in a control cabinet with a multi-pin plug, for all standard fieldbus systems or IO-Link.

Flexible applications There is an ever-increasing demand for modular components which can be converted quickly and easily, depending on the requirements.

For example, the sturdy and powerful angle seat valve VZXA can be used for the fast and reliable control of media flows. Its carefully thought-out product architecture and patented interface enable valve bodies and actuators to be freely combined. This provides even greater flexibility for any application.

The quarter turn actuator DFPD (left), from Festo is another example of robust process automation. Based on the rack-andpinion principle, this actuator offers combinations which are modular, sturdy and versatile. This makes this actuator the right answer to many of the requirements in the food and beverage production.

A world first: digital pneumatics!

The Festo Motion Terminal VTEM is the world’s first pneumatic automation platform to be controlled by apps. For the first time ever, the functions of a pilot valve can be changed via software, using the same hardware. Thanks to the fast activation of new functions via apps, machine developers can create a basic machine type and then select the relevant apps to equip it with different functions and features in accordance with customer requirements. The apps replace over 50 individual components.

For more information, see festo.com.

Expert knowledge and solutions for the Food and Packaging Industry

Your partner in process automation It’s the way that matters.

There are endless ways to get your media from point A to point B. But there is only one best way. We at Festo want you to find this way. The best solution possible for your process automation. We offer your everything from a single source from field level to the control level.

With the new Festo configurator for process valves units, we make process automation even easier. Generate the perfect solution for your applications within minutes. Which factors are crucial in your industry? Corrosion resistance? Safety?

Hygiene? Speed? With Festo, it’s in your hands.

So get into the flow, just like your media does: Fast, smooth and in the best way possible.

Learn more: Get into the flow

KVZB Contact us:

Sales ROI : 01 295 49 55

Sales NI: +44(0) 1604 667000

sales_ie@festo.com

KVZA

www.festo.ie

industrial, environmental and drainage services

AQS: safe and effective environmental services AQS has built a reputation and a brand as one of the most capable and trusted specialist industrial, utility and environmental services companies in Ireland.

AQS Environmental Solutions is one of Ireland’s leading industrial, environmental and drainage services providers.

W

ith approximately 30 vehicles in its fleet, AQS Environmental Services is trusted to safely and effectively deliver a diverse range of services, including sewer cleaning and surveying, tank cleaning and industrial cleaning projects, and all in between.

For its food, dairy, meat processing and beverage manufacturing and processing customers, services include tank desludging/ emptying, sludge dewatering and disposal, grease trap cleaning, drainage and bund surveys / cleaning / repairs, integrity testing of drainage networks, and other similar services.

Operating on customer sites all over Ireland on a daily basis, AQS can undertake any project in a timely manner at competitive rates.

AQS utilises fleet tracking and customer management systems to streamline its business processes. A 24/7 - 365 manned, emergency call out number is also available - 1800 500 020 - and AQS can mobilise units to any emergency as and when required.

A strong reputation

company to provide its customers with a top-class service using the best machinery available.

The operators of the AQS equipment are all highly trained, and experienced personnel, and safe systems of work are always employed. Due to the nature of the works, which can include confined space entry, working form heights, manual handling risks, and operation of machinery / HGVs, there is a huge emphasis on safety within AQS and works are always carried out only when it is safe to do so.

Environmental credentials The protection of the environment and ensuring safe, legal disposal of waste is a core value of AQS. AQS operates in compliance with all national and European legislation associated with the movement and disposal of waste, hazardous and nonhazardous, and all waste collected is delivered to licensed and approved waste disposal facilities.

AQS only uses approved, certified disposal facilities for the recycling and disposal of all waste, including food and beverage manufacturing and processing waste, giving its customers peace of mind; an audit-ready paper trail can be provided to any inspector.

Over many years, AQS has built a reputation and a brand as one of the most capable and trusted specialist industrial, utility and environmental services companies in Ireland.

As an ISO 45001 accredited firm, its customers can be confident that they are working with a company that has the safety of its staff and customers as the main priority in everything it does.

Over the last number of years, AQS has invested in all of the equipment required The operators of the AQS equipment are all to undertake and industrial cleaning / highly trained and experienced personnel, environmental services and this enables the and safe systems of work are always employed.

62 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

The AQS customer base is very diverse and, along with food and drink based customers, AQS provides services to local authorities, pharmaceutical and other similar manufacturing companies nationwide.

If you would like to obtain a quotation for any works on any site, please contact AQS on (0504) 57800, email info@aqssolutions.ie or visit aqssolutions.ie.

AQS delivers a wide range of industrial cleaning and waste removal services to the dairy and food manufacturing industry in Ireland.

Our services include: CCTV surveys for pipe and tank food production systems On-site wastewater treatment plant desludging and sludge haulage Tank cleaning services Organic waste management Nutrient management planning

Land bank supply for dairy sludges Factory site drainage and sewer CCTV surveys Drain and sewer pipe repair and rehabilitation Food factory drain and sewer pipe lining Food efuent and chemical pipe lining

24 / 7 / 365 emergency response service

1800 500 020 For more information, contact: AQS Environmental Solutions Castletown Galmoy Co. Kilkenny E41 CH93

Tel: 0504 57800 Email: info@aqssolutions.ie Web: www.aqsenvironmentalsolutions.ie

Follow us on:

UK & Ireland’s Ingredients Specialist Heterochem Dist. Ltd is the speciality raw materials supplier of choice to the Food and Beverage industries both in Ireland and the UK. ◊ Acidulants ◊ Antioxidants ◊ Emulsifiers ◊ Flavourings and Colorants

◊ Preservatives ◊ Starches ◊ Sweeteners

Benefits to your business: ◊ High quality, competitively priced products - ISO 9001 & GDP accredited ◊ Excellent customer service - before and after the sale ◊ A reliable and efficient sourcing partner, assisting our customers to develop new and existing products ◊ A highly qualified sales team of chemists available to assist with any technical queries ◊ Prime location in Baldoyle, Dublin - situated in close proximity to all distribution channels ◊ On site storage of all raw materials in our controlled warehousing ◊ Variety of UN approved pack sizes available: 25kg, 50kg, 200kg barrels & 1000kg IBCs Unit 49 Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Dublin D13 H2N2, Ireland T. +353 1 839 3127 E. info@heterochem.com W. www.heterochem.com

Kevin Woods

Machinery Limited

Instrumentation

Finding your plant efficiencies

M

ost modern food, beverage and dairy facilities have new systems installed that are operating efficiently but without the data to highlight potential improvements, or as is often the case, they are intertwined with older legacy systems, giving a lopsided view of potential optimisations and efficiencies in running a modern factory.

Bonner and B&R can introduce the APROL platform, which can give a solid foundation to getting the data required to make decisions for your plant.

Optimising your process for OEE It is vital to have the correct data from your process to make well-founded decisions and have the key data to make savings and improvements quickly. This can be achieved by introducing condition monitoring as a solution to reduce maintenance costs and improve product quality and availability. Condition-based monitoring is the basis for intelligent maintenance, which involves large amounts of data being aggregated to predict the ideal time to schedule maintenance work.

Energy management should be completed in accordance with ISO50001,ai1593527782142_Bonner_PharmaChem2020_90x130_4OL.pdf which will reduce energy costs and provide insights 1 into the correlation between energy and production costs. This

will include load management to protect against peak loads and planning the best time for efficient energy usage. The data gathered is utilised to calculate the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) for each machine, which can be visualised for the teams using data from multiple sources.

Bonner are uniquely positioned to offer site-wide solutions across food, beverage and dairy facilities nationwide, due to their expertise in both instrumentation and automation. For more 30/06/2020 15:36 information, visit bonner.ie.

APROL Factory automation Scalable. Flexible. Modular.

C

M

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

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www.bonner.ie

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 65

packaging systems

Goliath:

hungry for more Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd continues to deliver complex automated packaging solutions on time and within budget.

G

oliath Packaging Systems Ltd, in business since 2007, supplies, installs and aftersales services a comprehensive range of automation equipment (incorporating end-ofline packaging, materials handling and industrial washing systems) to the Irish food sector. With experience gained through many years of successful project delivery, the expertise of its international partners and the skills of its trained staff, Goliath is perfectly positioned to continue to meet the demands of its growing customer base.

With continued strong sales performance in 2020, Goliath continues to deliver complex automated packaging solutions on time and within budget across all industry sectors.

“This continued level of business activity is very pleasing,” states Managing Director George O’Leary, “particularly as it comes not only from repeat orders from our existing customer base but also valued new business from the frozen food, meat, beverage, nutrition and bakery sectors in particular.”

The past 12 months have seen business secured with companies operating in all of the above sectors, with projects delivered for the following food sector customers (amongst others);  Dawn Meats  Golden Bake  Glanbia  Bioscience Nutrition  Gourmet Island  BLF Nutrition  Nestbox  Pasta Concepts

Product Range

Free Packaging Consultancy Service

The Goliath product range consists of the following distinct items;  Liquid Filling & Capping Systems;  Shrink Wrapping, Banding, Flow Wrapping & Over Wrapping;  Cartoning;  Case Erecting, Case Packing & Bag Lining / Sealing Systems;  Bagging Systems (VFFS and Open Mouth);  Manual & High Speed Labelling Systems;  Weighing Systems;  X-Ray / Metal Detection;  Case Sealing (Tape & Glue);  Conveying Systems;  Pallet Inverting & Exchange (Fixed, Mobile & Automatic In-line);  Pallet Stacking / De-stacking / Handling;  Scissors & Vacuum Lifting Systems;  Materials Handling Systems (Reel, Drum & Product Lifters / Manipulators);  Pallet Elevating Systems;  Palletising Systems (Gantry, Articulated Arm & Layer types);  Stretch Wrapping / Hooding;  Strapping Systems (Case & Pallet);  Automatic Corner Board Application;  Washing Systems (Bottle, Jar, Utensil, Apron, Crate, Bucket, Tray, Drum, Pallet, Keg & IBC etc);  AGV Transport.

Goliath also offers a project management / packaging consultancy service to assist in the early determination of a customer’s particular packaging equipment requirements and cost reduction potential.

This service, which is free of charge, has, according to O’Leary, “been instrumental in allowing our customers to determine payback periods before committing to a machine or integrated system purchase. When presented with real, identifiable cost reduction scenarios, customers are in a perfect position to argue the benefits of such investment with their finance providers, whether in-house or external” Goliath understands the specific packaging needs of its food sector customer base. From liquid filling, shrink wrapping / banding, casepacking, labelling, palletising and pallet inverting to high speed industrial washing, via partnerships with its international suppliers, Goliath has positioned itself as ‘THE BIG NAME’ in the supply of automated solutions to the Irish food industry.

Centrally located in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Goliath is less than two hours from all major markets, while trained engineers maintain spare parts and service all equipment installed with annual service contracts (reactive / preventative) available as preferred.

Goliath delivers complex automated packaging solutions on time and within budget across all industry sectors, including agri-food.

66 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

To discuss your particular packaging equipment needs, please contact George O’Leary, Managing Director, Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd, Well Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.

Tel: (067) 37893. Fax: (067) 34794. Mobile: (087) 1222816. E-mail: sales@goliath.ie.

Web: www.goliath.ie

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Food

IRELAND 2 0 2 0 / 21 Ye a r b o o k & D i re c to r y

Product & Service Index

ACCREDITATION Air Products Ireland Ltd Codico Distributors Ltd GS1 Ireland

ARCHITECTS / FOOD RELATED BUILDINGS BSS (Ireland) Ltd Carey Associates

BARCODING / LABELLING ADC Barcode AIS Ltd ALS Labelling Solutions Avery Weigh-Tronix Codico Distributors Ltd Com-Plas International DSG Packaging Ltd Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd GS1 Ireland Heavey Technology JMC Packaging Ltd Label One Ltd Obeeco Ltd SAI Global Tekpak Automation Ltd Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd Wrap It Packaging

BROKERING INTRODUCTIONS / SUPPLY OF INFORMATION Invest Northern Ireland

BULK SPIRITS Great Northern Distillery

CONSUMER TASTE TESTING & SENSORY RESEARCH Innovate Solutions

EDUCATION /TRAINING / CERTIFICATE /CONSULTANCY Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing GS1 Ireland Irish National Accreditation Board JMC Packaging Ltd

Kuka Robotics National Standards Authority Of Ireland (NSAI) safefood SAI Global UCC - School of Food and Nutritional Sciences UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

ENERGY / UTILITIES MANAGEMENT Bonner Calor Corcoran Products (Irl) Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing

FOOD SAFETY AUDITING GS1 Ireland SAI Global

Enviroclad Systems Ltd Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing safefood Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd Stone Food Machinery Value Stream Machinery TESTING/INSPECTION Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Bonner Cross Refrigeration DSG Packaging Ltd Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd Q-Lab Ltd QPM Ltd Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd Teagasc Food Research Programme Moorepark and Ashtown Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd

CONSULTANTS Air Products Ireland Ltd BONNER Cross Refrigeration GS1 Ireland Q-Lab Ltd SAI Global Value Stream Machinery

TRACKING SYSTEMS ADC Barcode Codico Distributors Ltd GS1 Ireland Heavey Technology Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd WrenTech Ltd

CONTAMINANT CONTROL QPM Ltd

Kevin Woods Machinery

CONTROL /INSTRUMENTATION Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Bonner Cross Refrigeration Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd Festo Ltd Kuka Robotics QPM Ltd Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL QPM Ltd HYGIENE Cross Refrigeration Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd

FOOD LUBRICANTS GENERAL SERVICES /SUPPLY TO THE TRADE Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd AIC Plastic Pallets Ltd All in All Ingredients Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix BIM/Irish Sea Fisheries Board Blenders Ltd Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board Codico Distributors Ltd Com-Plas International Flexachem Manufacturing Fisher Scientific Great Northern Distillery Healy Group Heavey Technology Irish National Accreditation Board FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 69

product & service index JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Limerick Packaging National Standards Authority Of Ireland (NSAI) NCC Food Ingredients Pegler & Louden Pharmafoods Ltd Puratos Crest Foods Ltd Q-Lab Ltd QPM Ltd Saica Packaging Ireland Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland T.S. O’Connor & Son Ltd Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd

HEALTH & SAFETY Enviroclad Systems Ltd SAI Global Value Stream Machinery WrenTech Ltd

INDUSTRIAL WASHING EQUIPMENT Flexachem Manufacturing Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Stone Food Machinery

INGREDIENTS AB Mauri UK & Ireland All in All Ingredients Ltd Andrew Ingredients Ltd Azelis Ireland Limited Brenntag Camida Ltd Corcoran Chemicals Ltd Glanbia Ireland Healy Group Heterochem (Dist.) Ltd Innovate Solutions Kiernan’s Food Ingredients Ltd NCC Food Ingredients Nutrition Supplies O’Brien Ingredients Ornua Puratos Crest Foods Ltd Trilby Trading Ltd D.D. Williamson (Ireland) Ltd

IT SERVICES & OUTSOURCING ALS Labelling Solutions DSG Packaging Ltd Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd

LEGAL SERVICES Matheson

MATERIALS HANDLING SERVICE CONTROL / INSTRUMENTATION Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd 70 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/23

Avery Weigh-Tronix Bonner BSS (Ireland) Ltd Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing Irish Lift Trucks Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Manotherm Ltd QPM Ltd Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd Tekpak Automation Ltd WrenTech Ltd MACHINERY / EQUIPMENT ABB Ltd Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd AIC Plastic Pallets Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix ENE Limited Festo Ltd Fischbein-Saxon Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd Irish Lift Trucks JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Limerick Packaging Obeeco Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Security Pak Ltd Stone Food Machinery Syspal Tekpak Automation Ltd Toyota Material Handling Ireland Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd PALLETS, CRATES & CONTAINERS AIC Plastic Pallets Ltd Dollard Packaging Ltd Donoghue Packaging Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd Industrial Packaging Ltd Irish Lift Trucks JMC Packaging Ltd Kuka Robotics Mid Cork Pallets & Packaging Quitmann O’Neill Packaging Saica Packaging Ireland Schoeller Allibert Ltd Schütz (Ireland) Ltd Syspal WrenTech Ltd PUMPS & VALVES BSS (Ireland) Ltd Festo Ltd Irish Lift Trucks Kevin Woods Machinery Pegler & Louden Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd WrenTech Ltd

REFRIGERATION / COLD STORAGE Air Products Ireland Ltd Cold Move Cross Refrigeration CRS Mobile Cold Storage Ltd DSG Packaging Ltd Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd Irish Lift Trucks Kuka Robotics Ornua Schoeller Allibert Ltd Scientific & Chemical Supplies Ltd Syspal SERVICE & CALIBRATION Bonner JMC Packaging Ltd QPM Ltd TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS Avery Weigh-Tronix DSG Packaging Ltd Irish Lift Trucks Johnston Logistics Ornua Quitmann O’Neill Packaging Storage Ltd Toyota Material Handling Ireland WrenTech Ltd WASTE MANAGEMENT/RECYCLING Avery Weigh-Tronix Irish Lift Trucks Kevin Woods Machinery Quitmann O’Neill Packaging Repak Ltd

PACKAGING AUDITS Limerick Packaging

PACKAGING /DESIGN /LABELLING ADC Barcode AiP Thermoform Packaging Air Products Ireland Ltd ALS Labelling Solutions Celtic Sales Company Ltd Com-Plas International Corcoran Products (Irl) Ltd Diamond Corrugated Dollard Packaging Ltd Donoghue Packaging DSG Packaging Ltd Elopak ENE Limited Festo Ltd GS1 Ireland Greiner Packaging Ltd Industrial Packaging Ltd JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kiernan’s Food Ingredients Ltd Label One Ltd Limerick Packaging Measom Freer & Co. Ltd NPP Group Ltd Obeeco Ltd

product & service index Ornua T.S. O’Connor & Son Ltd Packex Industries Ltd P.C. Packaging Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd Quitmann O’Neill Packaging Schoeller Allibert Ltd Schütz (Ireland) Ltd Sealed Air Ltd (Cryovac) Security Pak Ltd Smurfit Kappa Ireland Syspal Tekpak Automation Ltd The Packaging Centre Ltd Versatile Packaging Ltd Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd

PEST CONTROL /FLY SCREENS Mitie Rentokil Pest Control

PLANT MAINTENANCE Acorn Recycling Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd AQS Solutions Bonner Flexachem Manufacturing Kevin Woods Machinery NCC Food Ingredients Obeeco Ltd Value Stream Machinery

PROCESSING EQUIPMENT BAKERY Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix Cross Refrigeration DSG Packaging Ltd Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd ENE Limited Festo Ltd JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Obeeco Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd Puratos Crest Foods Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Syspal Value Stream Machinery Versatile Packaging Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd DAIRY Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix BSS (Ireland) Ltd Cross Refrigeration David Kellett & Partners Ltd DSG Packaging Ltd Elopak

Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd ENE Limited Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Obeeco Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Syspal Value Stream Machinery Versatile Packaging Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd

Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd ENE Limited Festo Ltd JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Obeeco Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Stone Food Machinery Syspal Value Stream Machinery Versatile Packaging Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd

DRINK Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix BSS (Ireland) Ltd Cross Refrigeration DSG Packaging Ltd Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd ENE Limited Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing JMC Packaging Ltd Kuka Robotics Obeeco Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Syspal Value Stream Machinery Versatile Packaging Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd

MACHINERY AUCTIONEERS Air Products Ireland Ltd Cross Refrigeration

FRESH FOOD Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix Cross Refrigeration DSG Packaging Ltd Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd ENE Limited Festo Ltd JMC Packaging Ltd Kevin Woods Machinery Kuka Robotics Obeeco Ltd Pharmafoods Ltd Puratos Crest Foods Ltd QPM Ltd Schoeller Allibert Ltd Syspal Value Stream Machinery Versatile Packaging Ltd Wrap It Packaging WrenTech Ltd

RECRUITMENT

MEAT, FISH & POULTRY Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd Air Products Ireland Ltd Avery Weigh-Tronix Cross Refrigeration DSG Packaging Ltd

PUMPS & VALVES Flexachem Manufacturing WASTE WATER EQUIPMENT BSS (Ireland) Ltd Endress + Hauser Ireland Ltd Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing Kevin Woods Machinery Stone Food Machinery

PRODUCTION OPTIMISATION Festo Ltd Flexachem Manufacturing Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd JMC Packaging Ltd Kuka Robotics Value Stream Machinery ICDS Recruitment Consultants

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT BIM/Irish Sea Fisheries Board Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board Festo Ltd Innovate Solutions JMC Packaging Ltd Ornua Safefood Teagasc Food Research UCC - School of Food and Nutritional Sciences Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd WrenTech Ltd

STAINLESS STEEL FABRICATION Cross Refrigeration ENE Limited Kevin Woods Machinery Syspal Teknomek Industries Ltd WrenTech Ltd

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS GS1 Ireland

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 71

company listings a ABB Ltd

Address: Auriga House,

Precedent Drive, Rooksley,

Milton Keynes, MK13 8PQ. Tel: (0044) 1908 350 300 (0044) 1908 350 301 Fax: Email: robotics@gb.abb.com Web: www.abb.com www.abb.com/robotics Main Products & Services:

ABB is a leading supplier of

industrial robots,

modular manufacturing

systems and service. A

strong solutions focus

helps manufacturers

improve productivity,

product quality and

worker safety. ABB has

installed more than

200,000 robots world wide

AB Mauri UK & Ireland

Address: Barn Way, Lodge Farm,

Northampton, NN5 7UW. Tel: (0044) 1604 755 522 Fax: (0044) 1604 752 470 Email: Damien.McDonald@abmauri.com Web: www.abmauriukandireland.com Main Products & Services:

Dough conditioners,

yeast, soya flours, sour

doughs, cake & donut

mixes, icings & fillings.

Contact: Director of Sales (Ireland):

Damien McDonald

Acorn Recycling

Address: Galmoy via Thurles, Castletown,

Johnstown, Co. Kilkenny.

Tel: 086 2241734 Email: stan@aqssolutions,ie Web: www.aqssolutions.ie Main Products & Services:

Industrial Cleaning Services.

Contact: Commercial Director:

Stan O’Reilly

Advanced Packaging Machinery Ltd

Address: 718 Northwest

Business Park,

Ballycoolin, Dublin 15.

Tel: (01) 861 2141 Fax: (01) 861 2142 Email: s.dallas@test.ie 72 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Web: www.packagingmachinery.ie Main Products & Services:

Metal detectors, x-ray

inspection systems,

check weighers & label applicators.

Contact: Technical Director:

Stephen Dallas

Contact:

and Oxygen in liquid or gaseous form. Backed by over 40 years’ knowhow in food processing.

To find out more please visit our website.

Air Products on 1800 99 50 29

AIS Ltd - Automatic Identification Systems

Address: Unit 48, Canal Walk,

Park West Industrial Park,

Nangor Road, Dublin 12.

Tel: (01) 620 5742 Fax: (01) 620 5735 Email: info@aisltd.ie Web: www.aisltd.ie AIC Plastic Pallets Ltd Main Products & Services: Address: The Woodlands,

RFID equipment,automatic Carrigmore, labelling, print & apply systems, Ballineen,

industrial barcode scanning, Co. Cork.

2D barcode equipment, Tel: (023) 884 7333

hand held readers, mobile Email: info@aicplastics.com

computers, fixed mount Web: www.aicpp.com

scanning, label printers, mobile Main Products & Services: printers, desktop printers,

Plastic, timber and aluminium

industrial printers, barcode

pallets, pallet boxes, totes, printers, labels & ribbons.

Supply, install & maintenance

storage boxes, stacking

of auto ID products. Custom

containers, slipsheets, linbins,

solution development

bespoke pallets and boxes

for product traceability

(aluminium and plastic).

suitable for you.

Contact: Joe O’Flynn

Andrew Ingredients Ltd

AiP Thermoform Packaging

Address: Unit 1 A Ballymaley

Business Park, Barefield,

Ennis, Co. Clare.

Tel: (065) 686 4486 Fax: (065) 689 3479 Email: john@aip.ie Web: www.aip.ie Main Products & Services:

Design and manufacture

services of Thermoform

Packaging for the Irish market.

Air Products Ireland Ltd

Address: Unit 950, Western

Industrial Estate,

Killeen Road,

Dublin 12.

Tel: 1800 99 50 29 Email: ieinfo@airproducts.com Web: www.airproducts.ie Main Products & Services:

Air Products brings you

the latest, most innovative

solutions in cryogenic freezing,

chilling, cooling and Modified

Atmosphere Packaging. Freshline

Gases® include CO2, Nitrogen

Address: 27 Ferguson Drive,

Knockmore Hill Industrial Park,

Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT28 2EX. Tel: (048) 9267 2525 Email: sales@andrewingredients.com Web: www.andrewingredients.ie Main Products & Services: • Food and Bakery ingredients, flour, bread, cake and confectionery mixes, gluten free and vegan products, icings, dried fruit, savoury and sweet sauces, colours and flavours, baking powders, raising agents, sugar etc.

• Dedicated technical team.

• Test Bakery and Kitchen available to existing and potential customers to support NPD, innovation and problem solving.

Avery Weigh-Tronix

Address: Dublin:

Airton Park, Airton Road,

Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Tel: (01) 400 0720 Fax: (01) 400 0750 Address: Antrim:

1 Sentry Lane,Newtownabbey,

Co. Antrim, BT36 4XX.

whERE ALL ThE ELEmENTS

COmE TOgEThER company listings Tel: (028) 9083 9092 Fax: (028) 9083 5393 Email: irelandinfo@awtxglobal.com Web: www.averyweigh-tronix.com /ireland LIFE SCIENCE

Email: sales@blenders.ie Web: www.blenders.ie Main Products & Services:

Mayonnaises, dressings, INDUSTRIAL bouillons, cooking sauces,

table sauces, carvery sauces,

relishes in bulk catering, sachets

and retail jar formats.Branded and private label.

+353(0) 1 4013500/ Tel:

+353 (0) 86 2958750 Email: dublin.sales@brenntag.ie/ james.dixon@brenntag.ie Web: www.brenntag.ie INgREDIENTS Main Products & Services:

Food ingredients, cake mixes,

blends, NPD Contact: Key Account Manager:

James Dixon

BSS (Ireland) Ltd.

Azelis Ireland Limited

Address: Unit 23, Sandyford Office Park,

Blackthorn Avenue, Bonner

Sandyford Industrial Estate, Instrumentation, Calibration and

Foxrock, Dublin 18.

Control Solutions Tel: (01) 295 6977 Address: 35 Western Parkway (01) 295 8338 Fax:

Business Centre, Email: graeme.locke@azelis.ie Instantising Powders with Lecithin has its challenges.

Ballymount Drive,

Main Products & Milk Services: Food Ingredients,

Whether it is controlling the rate of Ballymount, hydration of a high

Dublin 12.

Flavours andor Colours. protein powder the rapid wetting of a high fat powder, the (01) 450 5050 Tel: Contact: Managing Director: choice of Lecithin to improve the instantising properties of a Email: contact@bonner.ie

Graeme Locke Web: www.bonner.ie powder is essential. As not one Lecithin resembles another, Main Products & Services: the importance of making the right decision cannot be Services inc. Analysis, overstated.

Calibration, Maintenance &

Temperature Mapping,

Instrumentation products for Camida wants to understand the application and customer

measurement and control, needs to choose the Lecithin that suits you and your product.

& Control solutions.

Automation Contact: Managing Director: GM Wetting and flow-properties, flavour, colour, viscosity,

M Bonner status and many other properties must bePatrick adapted to the

Service Manager: BIM/Ireland’s Seafood product. We analyse needs of the finished your needs.

We

Roddy Jefferson Development Agency & Control:

Automation plant tailor each approach to the individual processing and Address: Crofton Rd, Dun Laoghaire,

Vernon Smit with over 40 years combined experience of Dairy across

Co. Dublin.

Tel: (01) 4100 Europe, we214 manage the process and most importantly add Fax: (01) 284 1123 value to your end product.

Email: info@bim.ie Web: www.bim.ie Main service Products &is Services:

This provided by a dedicated and experienced team

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) market knowledge and who with in-depth technical and

helps to develop the Irish Seafood deliver aIndustry customer focused toBia your Bord - business. So

by providing technicalapproach

expertise, business

Thesolutions Irish Food Board challenge Camida to support, find tailor-made for you and

funding, training and promoting Address: Clanwilliam Court, your production.

Lower Mount Street, responsible environmental practice.

Dublin 2.

PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ENQUIRIES TO Tel: (01) 668jOE 5155 gUINEY Email: info@bordbia.ie Web: www.bordbia.ie Main Products & Services:

Marketing, promotion

and development of Irish

food, drink & horticulture.

3

Camida know LeCithin...

y o u r

Address: White Heather Industrial Estate, 301 South Circular Road,

Dublin DO8 C78P

Tel: 00 353 (1) 416 5100 00 353 (1) 416 5165 Fax: Email: 1930-sales@bssgroup.com Web: www.bssireland.ie Main Products & Services:

Pipeline and heating solutions Contact: Business Director:

Jason Warnock

Search B

i s

AD-Joe.indd

Calory

o u r

Search

Address: Long Mile Road, Dublin 12.

Tel: 1850 812 450 Email: info@calorgas.ie Web: www.calorgas.ie i s o v e r Main Products & Services: Supply of LPG in bulk tanks

or cylinders.

Contact: Sales Director: Oliver Kenny.

Camida Ltd Camida Ltd., Tower House,

o v e r

Blenders

Address: Whitestown Road,Tallaght,

Dublin 24, D24 VY75.

Tel: (01) 453 6960 Fax: (01) 453 7607

C

Brenntag

Address: Unit 405, Greenogue Business

Park, Rathcoole, Dublin 24

Address: New Quay, Clonmel,

Co. Tipperary, E91 YV66 New Quay, Clonmel, Tel: (052) 612 5455 Co Tipperary, Ireland.

Mobile: (087) 622 6810 Email: michael.odonovan@camida.com Web: www.camida.com LIFE SCIENCE INDUSTRIAL INgREDIENTS t: +353 52 6125455 Main Products & Services: (Food, Beverage, e: Ingredients joe.guiney@camida.com Feed). Natural Emulsifiers (Soya m:&+353 86 2413223 Sunflower Lecithin), Synthetic (Esters) Sweeteners w:Emulsifiers www.camida.com (Sucralose, Sodium Saccharin and Sodium Cylamate, Vitamin blends, Flavour systems, Antioxidants and Natural Vitamin E Feed Sector – Vitamins (Dry and liquid form), Glycinates (Copper, Iron, Manganese & Zinc), 02/06/2015 Organic acids (buffered propionic acid & buffered formic acid).

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Contact: Sales Manager: Michael

O’Donovan FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 73

12:48

company listings

Carabay Packaging Products

Address: Unit 3, 4, 5, Liosban

Industrial Estate,

Tuam Road,

Co. Galway.

Tel: (091) 773 370 Fax: (091) 773 371 Email: sales@carabay.ie Web: carabay.ie Contact: Sales Director:

Kenneth Casburn

Com-Plas International

Address: Unit F5 & F6, Southern Link

Business Park, Naas,

Co. Kildare, Ireland, W91 RT9P. +353 (0)45 874 088 Tel: Email: sales@complas.ie Web: www.complas.ie Main Products & Services: Packaging products for food,

pharma and chemical industries.

Carey Associates

Architects for the Food Industry Address: Office 1, Second Floor,

Building 3b,

Killegland Street,

Ashbourne Town Centre, Ashbourne,

Co. Meath

A84 NX77 Tel: (01) 835 1572 Email: info@careyassociates.ie Web: www.careyassociates.ie Main Products & Services:

Architects and Project Managers Contact: Fergus Carey MRIAI

Celtic Sales Co (Cork) Ltd

Address: Unit 3b,

Waterfront Business Park,

Little Island, Cork.

Tel: (021) 429 7984 Fax: (021) 429 7990 Email: mary@celticsales.com Main Products & Services:

Packaging materials for fresh food.

74 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Corcoran Chemicals Ltd

Address: 17 Parkgate Street, Dublin 8.

Tel: (01) 633 0400 (01) 679 3521 Fax: Email: info@corcoran-group.com Web: www.corcoran-group.com Main Products & Services:

Distributors of raw materials

for the food, pharmaceutical,

polymer & chemical industry.

Contact: Sales

Corcoran Products (Irl) Ltd

Address: Unit 12 Northern Cross Business

Park, Finglas, D11 DC67, Ireland.

Tel: (01) 864 4422 Email: info@corcoran-group.com Web: www.corcoran-group.com Main Products & Services:

Suppliers of packaging to

the food, pharmaceutical and

chemical industry.

Contact: Derek Lennon

CRS Mobile Cold Storage Ltd Address: Carnisle, Kildalkey,

Co. Meath.

Tel: (046) 943 5000 Fax: (046) 943 5068 Email: enquiry@crs.ie Web: www.crs.ie Main Products & Services: Increase your on-site cold storage capacity: CRS offer a wide range of temperature controlled storage solutions both new and professionally refurbished for rent and purchase. Our products include 1-58 pallet portable cold stores and 10-106kw portable blast freezers.

D Diamond Corrugated

Address: 12-13 Pennyburn

Industrial Estate, Londonderry,

Northern Ireland,

BT48 OLU. Tel: (048) 7126 2957 Email: mail@diamondcorr.com Web: www.diamondcorr.com

Dollard Packaging Ltd

Address: Units 6-11, Eklad Park,

Malahide Road Industrial

Park, Malahide Road, Dublin 17.

Tel: (01) 847 0044 Email: sales@dollard-packaging.ie Web: www.dollard-packaging.ie Main Products & Services:

Print and Packaging.

company listings

Donoghue Packaging

Address: Donpack Business Park,

Bandon, Co. Cork (023) 884 2111 Tel: Fax: (023) 884 1211 Email: donpack@donpack.ie Web: www.donpack.com Main Products & Services:

Manufacturers of Waxed Solid

Board & Corrugated Packaging Products.

Contact: Managing Director:

Ray Donoghue

DSG Packaging Ltd

Address: L2 Toughers Industrial

Park, Newhall, Naas,

Co. Kildare.

Tel: (045) 454 900 Email: rdoyle@dsgpack.ie Web: www.dsgpack.ie Main Products & Services:

Specialists in Contract

Packaging, Outsourcing

and “End of Line” Filling

and Packaging Services.

E Elopak

Address: 67 Broomhill Road,

Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Tel: (01) 452 1111 Web: www.elopak.com Main Products & Services:

Liquid Packaging, Milk, Soup and Juice Cartons, Packaging Machines.

Endress+Hauser Ireland Ltd

Address: Exchequer House, Embassy

Office Park, Kill, Co. Kildare.

Tel: (045) 989 200 Email: info.ie.sc@endress.com Web: www.ie.endress.com Main Products & Services:

Endress+Hauser

are a global leader in

instrumentation solutions

and services for the food

and beverage industry.

Ene Limited

Address: Unit 24,

Scarva Road Industrial Estate, Banbridge,

Co. Down. BT32 3QD Tel: +44 28 4062 2215 Email: info@eneconveyors.com Web: www.eneconveyors.com Main Products & Services:

Conveyor systems and

replacement belts.

Contact: Belting Manager:

Darren Horner

Enviroclad Systems Ltd

Address: Unit 57B,

Hebron Industrial Estate,

Hebron Road, Co. Kilkenny.

Tel: (056) 775 2866 (056) 777 0955 Fax: Email: info@enviroclad.com Web: www.enviroclad.com Main Products & Services:

Supply and Fitting of

Enviroclad Hygienic Wall

and Ceiling Cladding in

P.V.C. for the Food Industry.

F

Festo Ltd

Address: Head Office: Unit 5,

Sandyford Park, Sandyford

Industrial Estate,

Dublin 18.

Tel: (01) 295 4955 Fax: (01) 295 5680 Email: sales_ie@festo.com Web: www.festo.com/ie Main Products & Services: Automation Technology · Industrial Automation · Electrical Automation · Process Automation Training & Consulting Food, Beverage & Packaging Expertise.

Flexachem Manufacturing

Address: Donnybrook Commericial Centre,

Douglas, Cork T12 X68Y 086 0476178 Tel: Email: michael.bradley@flexachem.com Web: www.flexachem.com Main Products & Services:

Mechanical & Process

equipment Pumps, Valves,

Mechanical Seals + Process

equipment solutions Contact: Sales:Michael Bradley

Fischbein-Saxon

Address: 274 Alma Road, Enfield,

Middlesex, EN3 7BB, England.

Tel: (0044) 208 344 6600 Fax: (0044) 208 344 6625 Email: sales@fischbein-saxon.co.uk Web: www.fischbein.com/eastern Main Products & Services: If your business consists of ‘bagged products’, in any industry, Fischbein has a solution to fulfil your needs.

From low-cost Manual sealers, semi-automated Industrial bag sealers and sewing systems and sewing consumables, to high speed fully automated bagging and palletizing solutions. With finance available at cost effective rates, companies can invest in technology now, enabling them to produce their products faster, neater and with lower labour costs, within minimal initial financial outlay.

Contact: Sales & Services Director:

Barry Cox

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 75

company listings Great Northern Distillery

Fisher Scientific Address: Suite 6, Plaza 212,

Blanchardstown, Corporate Park,

Ballycoolin, Dublin 15, DI5VY66.

Tel: (01) 885 5854 Fax: (01) 899 1855 Email: fsie.sales@thermofisher.com Web: www.ie.fishersci.com Business: Laboratory supplies, Chemicals,

Consumables, Reagents,

Equipment & Instruments.

Contact: Portfolio Manager:

Gerry Fitzmaurice

G

Address: Carrick Road, Dundalk,

Co. Louth, Ireland.

042-9429005 Tel: Email: office@gndireland.com Web: www.gndireland.com Main Products & Services: Suppliers of bulk Irish Whiskey

& Gin Contact: John Lynch

Greiner Packaging Ltd

Address: Killyman Road Industrial

Estate, Dungannon,

County Tyrone,

BT 71 6LN.

Northern Ireland.

(0044) 28 8772 3131 Tel: Fax: (0044) 28 8772 7318 Email: Sales.Dungannon@greiner-gpi.com Web: www.greiner-gpi.com Contact: Sales Director: Oliver Murphy

Sales Manager: Philip Hogan

H Healy Group

Address: HCL House,Second Avenue,

Cookstown Industrial Estate,

Tallaght, Dublin 24. D24 XDR5 +353 (0)1404 9200 Tel: Fax: +353 (0)1404 9201 Email: info@healy-group.com Web: www.healy-group.com Main Products & Services: Healy Group are a solutions-driven agent and distributor, supplying high-quality food ingredients, chemicals, nutraceuticals and raw materials. We are committed to providing an excellent range of products and unrivalled technical support to all of our customers.

From beverages to bakery, pharmaceuticals to cosmetics, our customers can depend on the collective experience and expertise of our dedicated team.

Glanbia Ireland

Address: Glanbia House, Ring Road, Kilkenny Tel: (056) 883 6346 Email: giicustomerservice@glanbia.ie Web: www.glanbiairelandingredients.com Main Products & Services:

B2C Dairy, Ingredient Solutions

& Agribusiness Contact: Head of Marketing Ingredients:

Ann Meaney

Goliath Packaging Systems Ltd

Address: Well Road, Nenagh,

Co. Tipperary, E45YR60 Tel: (067) 37893 Email: info@goliath.ie Sales@goliath.ie Web: www.goliath.ie Main Products & Services:

Supply & installation of End of Line Automation Systems, Materials Handling Equipment

& Industrial Washing Machinery.

76 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

GS1 Ireland

Address: Second Floor, The Merrion

Centre, Nutley Lane, Donnybrook,

Dublin 4,

D04 KF62 Tel: (01) 208 0660 Fax: (01) 208 0670 Email: info@gs1ie.org www.gs1ie.org/food Web: Main Products & Services:

Global Supply Chain Standards

Body. Barcode Numbers, Barcode Manager Tool, Barcode

Symbols, fTRACE, ProductDNA,

Verified by GS1,

EDI Message Standards,

EPC/RFID, Traceability Standards,

Barcode and EDI Message

Verification, Advisory and

Training Services.

Contact: Chair:

Thomas Shortall (Kerry Group)

Vice-Chair: Pat Tracey (DCC Vital)

Vice-Chair: Gerry Boylan (Diageo)

Chief Executive Officer:

Mike Byrne

Heterochem (Dist.) Ltd

Address: Unit 49, Baldoyle Industrial

Estate, Dublin D13 H2N2 Tel: (01) 839 3127 Email: info@heterochem.com Web: www.heterochem.com Main Products & Services: Antifoams, Antioxidants,

Colours, Distilling & Brewing

Additives, Emulsifiers,

Flavours, Gums, Preservatives & Sweeteners Contact: info@heterochem.com Accreditation:

ISO, FEMAS & Organic Trust Certified

HH SOLUTIONS

Address: 12 Ritaville, Old Cork Road, Limerick.

Tel: (061) 603 742 Email: info@hhsolutions.ie Web: www.hhsolutions.ie Main Products & Services:

Food Probes & Data Services:

Loggers & Wireless

Monitoring Systems.

Irish agents for Eltex of

Sweden & Comark Ltd.

company listings

I

Innovate Solutions

Address: 2nd Floor, 6 South William Street,

Dublin 2.

(01) 707 9856 Tel: Email: sales@innovatesolutions.ie Web: www.innovatesolutions.ie Main Products & Services:

Consumer Research – NPD taste

testing, product benchmarking, expert sensory panels, focus

group research

Irish Lift Trucks

Address: Clonlara Avenue,

Baldonnell Business Park,

Baldonnell, Dublin 22.

Tel: (01) 403 4100 (01) 403 4183 Fax: Email: info@irishlifttrucks.ie Web: www.irishlifttrucks.ie Main Products & Services:

Materials Handling

Equipment/Forklifts.

Contact: Conal McCourt / Wayne Uzell

Irish National Accreditation Board Address: Wilton Park House,

Wilton Place, Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 607 3003 Email: inab@inab.ie Web: www.inab.ie

Dairy Engineering, Filtration Systems/Membranes, RO, UO, UF & MF. Osmosis®, Ultra Filtration and Micro Filtration,

Effluent Treatment, Spiral Wound and Plate & Frame, Cheese

Maturing Vacuum Pouches.

Contact: Managing Director:

David Kellett

Kevin Woods Machinery Limited

Address: The Inch, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

086 859 5532 / 086 170 8791 Tel: Web: www.kevinwoodsmachinery.ie Main Products & Services:

Suppliers of machinery and

service to the processing and

packaging sector.

J Invest Northern Ireland

Address: Bedford Square, Bedford Street,

Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Tel: 0044 7895 111024 Email: jen.guiney@investni.com Web: www.investni.com Main Products & Services:

Brokering introductions to

Northern Ireland’s food and

drink sector. Invest NI’s Food

and Drink Business Development

team offers comprehensive

support to retailers, foodservice

and wholesale operators seeking innovative ideas from

experienced food and drink

producers to help build mutually

beneficial and profitable

business relationships.

Contact: Business Development

Executive: Jen Guiney

Irish Exporters Association

Address: 28 Merrion Square,

Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 661 2182 Email: iea@irishexporters.ie Web: www.irishexporters.ie Main Products & Services:

Food and Drink Export Ireland, a

division of the IEA, provides

assistance to Irish food and drink

companies in the home

market and to increase their sales abroad.

JMC Packaging Ltd

Address: 37 Seagoe Industrial

Estate, Craigavon,

Co. Armagh, BT63 5QE. Tel: 028 3839 1723 Mobile: +353 86 0234177 Email: info@jmcpackaging.co.uk Web: www.jmcpackaging.co.uk Main Products & Services:

Specialists in packaging

materials and equipment.

Shrink wrap equipment,

tray sealing equipment,

automatic label applications,

automatic stretch wrappers,

checkweighing & metal

detections, polyolefin

shrink film, smoothwall

foil trays, soft fruit

punnets, food grade

stretch film & lidding

film and meat & poultry trays.

Kiernan’s Food Ingredients Ltd

Address: Unit 8 Steadfast Industrial Estate,

Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.

Tel: (042) 966 2096 Fax: (042) 966 3954 Email: info@kiernans.ie Web: www.kiernans.ie Main Products & Services:

Food ingredients - seasonings,

cures, sauces, marinades etc.

Food packaging - aluminium

trays, vac pack, shrink bags, etc.

Contact: Martin Kiernan

Mobile 087 2567694

James Kiernan

Mobile 087 6866993

Marty Boyle Mobile 0044 7585808976

KUKA Robotics

Address: Unit 16 Brewery Business Park

Ardee Rd, Cambrickville, Dundalk,

Co. Louth, Ireland Tel: +353 (0) 42 9395034 David Kellett & Partners Ltd Email: sales@kuka.ie Address: Maple Court, Wormbridge House, Web: www.kuka.com

Wormbridge, Main Products & Services:

Hereford, HR2 9DH.

Robotics & Automation Tel: (0044) 1981 570 611 Contact: Brian Cooney, General Sales Email: davidkellett@davidkellett.co.uk Manager – KUKA Ireland Main Products & Services:

K

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 77

company listings L

Company Listings

One Ltd LLabel Address: 3 Advantage Way,

Label One LtdBallygomartin Industrial Estate, Ballygomartin

Address: 3 Advantage Way, Ballygomartin Road, Belfast BT13 3LZ.

Industrial Estate, Telephone: (048) 9077 7444

Ballygomartin Road, Fax: (048) 9077 4067

Belfast BT13 3LZ. Email: info@labelone.ie Tel: (048) 9077 7444 Web: www.labelone.ie (048) 9077 4067 Fax: Main Products/ Self-adhesive labels, Email: info@labelone.ie Services: extended content leaflet Web: www.labelone.ie labels.

Main Products & Services: Contact: Sales Manager, ROI:

Self-adhesive labels, extended

Chris Moore

content leaflet labels

Food Ireland 2012

Contact: Sales Director:

Mark Freer system standards including ISO

Technical Director: 22000, ISO 9001, OHSAS and BRC Address: 37/41 Chartwell Drive, Wigston, Andrew Freer Global Food Standard.

Leicester, LE18 2FL, England.

Measom Freer & Co. Ltd Tel:

(0044) 116 288 1588

LogoPak International (0044) 116 281Ltd 3000 Fax:

Address: Enterprise House, Email: sales@measomfreer.co.uk Web: www.measomfreer.co.uk George Cayley Drive, & Services: Main Products Clifton Moor, Measom

York, Freer manufacture and stockYO30 4XE. quality plastic bottles,

custom moulded bottles, Telephone: (0044) 1904 692 333

dropper caps, scoops, measures, Fax: (0044) 1904 690 728

boxes, jars, tubes, fasteners etc, Email: salesonweb@logopak.net

for food use. Services include 3D Web: www.logopakprintandapply.co.uk design, in-house tool making and

Main Print & Apply Products/ screen printing.

Services: Labelling Systems, software solutions, labels & ribbons.

Contact: General Manager:

Wilson Clark

N

Food Ingredients

NCC Food Ingredients

National Chemical Company Address: NCC House, 42 Lower Leeson Street,

Address: NCC House,

Dublin 2.

42 Lower Leeson Tel: (01) 613 1400 Street, Dublin 2.

Fax: (01) 661 6261 Telephone: (01) 613 1400 Email: foodsales@ncc.ie Fax: Web: www.nccingredients.com (01) 634 0132 087 252 3335 Email: sales@ncc.ie Main Products & Services: Web: www.ncc.ie

Food Ingredients: Main Products/ Food Ingredients: Natural Flavours, Acidulants, Services: Acetic Acid, Adipic Preservatives, Biocides, Enzymes, Acid, Agar, Alginates, Texturants, Hydrocolloids, Amino Acids, Ascorbic M Stabilizers, Antioxidants, Carriers, Acid, Benzoates, Mid Cork Pallets & Packaging Ltd Binders, Gelling agents, Fibres, Calcium Propionates, Manotherm Ltd Address: Clondrohid, Macroom, Co. Cork.

Sweeteners (natural & high Carrageenan, Casein Limerick LimerickPackaging Packaging Address: 4 Walkinstown Road,

Oranstown, Dunboyne, Co. Meath. intensity), Amino Acids, Colours, & Caseinates, Cheese Address: Park, Dublin 12.

Address: Eastlink Business Eastlink Business Park, Tel: (026) 41311 (01) 825 2059 Fats & Oils, Starches, Texturizers, Powders, Citrates,

Ballysimon Road, Limerick.

Telephone: (01) 452 2355 Ballysimon Road, Email: sales@midcorkpallets.com Citric Acid - Powder Clean Label ingredients, among Tel: (061) 400Co. Limerick.

035 Fax:Web: www.midcorkpallets.com (01) 451 6919

and Liquid, Colours other ingredients.

Email: info@lmkpkg.ie Email: Telephone: (061) 400 035 - Synthetic and Main Productsinfo@manotherm.ie & Services:

Ingredients Sourcing: Web: www.limerickpackaging.ie Website: www.manotherm.ie Fax: (061) 400 036 Natural, Dairy Blends, Established in 1978, Mid Cork

With a dedicated team of qualiMain Products & Services:

Main Distributors of Email: info@lmkpkg.ie Dehydrates, Dextrose, Products/ Pallets & Packaging is one of fied food professionals, we have Web: Corrugated Boxes, Polythene Egg Powders, Enyzmes, Services: www.limerickpackaging.ie

the controls & leading manufacturers of a deep and informed understand Main Products/ Bags, Edgeguards, Palletwrap, Fibre – Cellulose, instrumentation.

Corrugated Boxes,

pallets in Ireland. ing of the many challenges facing Services: Polythene Bags, Strapping, Tapes, Litho printed Flavours, Fructose, Contact: Managing Director:

We also provide a flexible stock the food industry today. Working

Cartons,Edgeguards, Palletwrap, Litho Laminated outers, Gelatin, Gluconates,

and R.V. Gilbert serve service for our growing inGlycerine, Guar close partnership with highly

High Quality Post-Printed Outers, Director & Project Strapping, Tapes.

list of customers corrugated innovative producers across the Contact: Mike Boland Shelf-Ready Packs.

Gum, Gum Arabic,

Sales Engineer: packaging needs. globe we provide our customers Inulin, Lactates, Lactic Contact: Mike Boland

Robert C. Gilbert Operating from a 20,000 with a wide range of functional, Acid, Lecithin, Liquid

square meter facility near clean label products and technolSweeteners, Locus LINPAC Allibert Measom Freer & Co.inLtd

Macroom Cork and a 7,000 ogies.

Our customer base ranges Bean Gum, MSG, Malic Address: 17 Ridgeway, Address: 37/41 Chartwell Drive,

square meter storage and from international producers of Acid, Milk Powders,

Quinton Business Park,

Wigston, Leicester, distribution centre in Nitrates, Nitrites, foods and beverages to small Bimingham, B32 1AF,

LE18 2FL, Dunboyne, Co. Meath, MCP Pectins, Phosphates niche artisan creators of fine is strategically

United Kingdom.

England. located to service & Phosphoric Acid, foods.

We support our customers

the Irish market, close to all Manotherm Ltd Telephone: (0044) 1606 56 1929 Telephone: (0044) 116 288 1588 Potassium Sorbate, from the very early stages of

major road networks.

Address: 4 Walkinstown Road, Fax: (0044) 1606 56 1998 Fax: (0044) 116 281 3000 Silica’s, Sodium product development through to Contact: sales@midcorkpallets.com Email: sales@measomfreer.co.uk Email: brendan.mcgarry@linpac.com Dublin D12 RP83 Diacetate, Starches- end production.

Web: www.linpacallibert.com Web: www.measomfreer.co.uk Modified, Native & Tel:

(01) 452 2355 Contact: Product Manager: Clean Label, Sweeteners Main Products/ Plastic Materials Handling Main Products/ Measom Freer Fax: (01) 451 6919

Fintan McConnell - Natural and Artifical, Services: Products - Boxes, Bins, Services: manufacture and stock Email: info@manotherm.ie (fmcconnell@ncc.ie) Tartaric Acid, Vitamins, Trays, Pallets etc. quality plastic bottles, Web: www.manotherm.ie Whey Powders, Whey Contact: Sales Manager, Ireland: custom moulded bottles, Main Products & Services: Distributor of Protein Concentrates, National Standards Authority dropper caps, scoops,

processBrendan McGarry instrumentation NPP Group Ltd Xanthan Gum. of Ireland (NSAI) 087 676 7161 measures, boxes, jars,

and controls.

Address: Unit 509, Mitchelstown Road, Packaging: Address: 1 Swift Square, Northwood, tubes, fasteners etc, for

Northwest Business Park,

HDPE & Stainless Steel

Santry, Dublin 9. food use. Services include

Ballycoolin, Dublin 15.

IBCs (intermediate Tel: (01)3D design, in-house 807 3800 Matheson Tel: (00353) (0) 1 880 9299 bulk containers), IBC Fax: (061) 332 982 tool making and screen Address: 70 Sir John Rogersons Quay, accessories (caps, valves, Fax: (00353) (0) 1 880 9298 Email: info@nsai.ie printing.

Dublin 2, Ireland. adapters, couplers Email: sales@npp.ie

M

N

Tel: 00 353 1 232 2000 Email: louise.tolerton@matheson.com Web: www.matheson.com Main Products & Services: 37_48 company_listing.indd

Legal8 Services

78 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Web: www.nsai.ie 4 4 f o o d i r el and Main Products & Services:

Certification and inspection services to national & interna- tional product & management

Web: www.npp.ie Main Products & Services: Flexible plastic packaging distributors.

11/01/2012 17:09

company listings

Ornua

Nutrition Supplies

Address: Innishannon,

Co. Cork, T12 F248.

(021) 477 5522 Tel: Fax: (021) 477 5449 Email: ursula.lecane@nutritionsupplies.ie Web: www.nutritionsupplies.ie Main Products & Services:

Vitamin & Nutrient

Precision Premixes.

O Obeeco Ltd

Address: Annaville Avenue, Blackrock,

Co. Dublin.

Tel: (01) 278 2323 Fax: (01) 278 2374 Email: sales@obeeco.ie Web: www.obeeco.ie Main Products & Services: Packaging Processing and Automation Machinery.

Coding and Printing Solutions and Materials.

Contact: Sales Director: Richard Burke

Managing Director:

Olive Walker

O’Brien Ingredients

Address: 11 Magna Drive,

Magna Business Park, Citywest,

Dublin D24 T97Y Tel: 00353 [0]1 469 1400 Fax: 00353 [0]1 469 1360 Email: ingred@obrien-ingredients.ie Web: www.obrien-ingredients.ie Main Products & Services:

Supplier of ambient,

frozen and chilled

ingredients to Bakery,

Beverage, Confectionery,

Dairy, Ice Cream, Feed,

Pharmaceutical, Infant

Formula and Savoury

sectors in Ireland.

Contact: Sales Account Manager:

Christopher Doyle

Address: Grattan House,

Mount Street Lower,

Dublin 2. +353 1 661 9599 Tel: Fax: +353 1 661 2778 Email: communications@ornua.com Web: www.ornua.com Main Products & Services:

Ireland’s largest exporter of

Irish dairy products (butter,

cheese and milk powders) and proud owner of the Kerrygold

brand.

Web: www.pharmafoods.net Main Products & Services:

Bilwinco Multihead

Weighers, Mondini Tray

Sealers Vacuum and Gas,

Limitech Liquid Processing

Equipment, Rovema

Vertical Form Fill Sealers,

Cartoning, Bag In Box,

Abtech Premade Pouch

Production for Tuna in Foil.

Puratos Crest Foods Ltd

P Packex Industries Ltd

Address: Unit 1, Village Mills Business

Park, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow.

Tel: (0404) 69 851 Fax: (0404) 69 861 Email: sales@packex.ie Main Products & Services:

High quality flexible packaging.

Contact: Ivan Cruise

P.C. Packaging Ltd

Address: Derrynane House, Eadestown, Naas,

Co. Kildare.

Tel: (045) 883 510 Fax: (045) 880 934 Email: philip@pcpackaging.ie Web: www.pcpackaging.ie Main Products & Services:

Packaging machinery/

shrink films, flexible

packaging, Belca range of

shrink wrappers, Ilapak

flow wrapping, Sovereign

labelling systems, Sick sensors.

Pharmafoods Ltd

Address: Lower Waterford Road, Carrickbeg, Carrick-on-Suir,

Co. Tipperary.

Tel: (051) 645 066/645 084 Fax: (051) 645 033 Email: info@pharmafoods.net

Address: 70 - 71 Dunboyne Business Park, Dunboyne, Co. Meath.

(01) 825 5505 Tel: Fax: (01) 825 5506 Email: info_ireland@puratos.com Web: www.puratos.com Main Products & Services:

Bakery, patisserie and

chocolate ingredients.

Belcolade Belgian

chocolate, Puratos bakery

& patisserie products,

PatisFrance premium

patisserie ingredients.

Contact: General Manager:

Sean McDaid www.linkedin.com/in/seanmcdaidgm Puratos’ Virtual Innovation Center www.poppr.be/virtualtour/puratos_innovationcenter/

Q Q-Lab Ltd

Address: PO Box 27,

Kerlogue Industrial Estate,

Drinagh, Co. Wexford.

Tel: (053) 914 5600 Fax: (053) 918 4575 Email: info@qlab.ie Web: www.qlab.ie Main Products & Services:

Microbiological & chemical

analysis of food, water &

environmental samples.

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 79

company listings

QPM Ltd

Address: Unit 12, Robinhood Business

Park, Robinhood Road, Dublin 22.

Tel: (01) 450 2421 Email: anevin@qpm.ie Web: www.qpm.ie Main Products & Services: X-ray inspection, Metal Detection,

Checkweighing, Scales,

Temperature Probes, Data

Loggers, pH Meters, Gas Analysis,

Magnetic Separators, Automatic Labelling Machines and Automatic

Sleeving Machines, Service & Calibration.

Contact: Andy Nevin

Quitmann O’Neill Packaging Ltd

Address: St Brendan’s Road, Portumna,

Co. Galway, H53 HX51 Tel: (090) 97 41148 Fax: (090) 97 41459 Email: sales@quitmannoneill.com Web: www.qonpack.com Main Products & Services:

Stockist and Distributors

of Packaging Contact: General Manager:

David O’Neill

R Rentokil Pest Control

Nationwide Coverage Tel: 1890 869 869 Fax: (045) 852 890 Email: pestcontrolinfo@rentokil.ie Web: www.rentokil.ie Main Products & Services:

Suppliers of Pest Control

to ISO 9001:2008 specification.

Contact: Pest Control:

Michael O’Mahoney

Repak Ltd

Address: Red Cow Interchange Estate,

1 Ballymount Road,

Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

(01) 467 0190 Tel: (01) 403 0929 Fax: Email: info@repak.ie Web: www.repak.ie Main Products & Services:

Repak is an environmental not-

for-profit organisation with a

social mission.

Repak is Ireland’s only government-

approved packaging compliance

scheme, licensed by the

Department of Communications,

Climate Action and Environment.

Repak was set up in 1997 in accordance with EU Packaging

Regulations. Repak has over

3,400 members (importers,

brand-holders, retailers) whose

fees fund household recycling bins, bottle banks, civic

amenities and commercial back-

door waste nationwide. Over

the past 23 years, Repak

members have invested over

€475 million to help grow

packaging recycling and

recovery from under 15% in

1997 to an estimated 93% in 2018.

There are many benefits to

becoming a Repak Member,

including access to its Prevent

& Save programme which can

cut packaging waste at source

and save your business money.

SAI Global

Address: Block 3, Quayside Business Park,

Mill St, Dundalk,

Co. Louth.

Tel: 042 932 0912 Email: information@saiglobal.com Web: www.saiglobal.com Main Products & Services: Food Safety certification, BRC Certification, GFSI Scheme Certification, Environmental Management, Quality Management Systems, Supply Chain Management, Aquaculture Services, Fishery Services, Compliance Solutions, Risk Management.

Saica Pack Ireland

Address: Ashbourne Industrial Estate, Ashbourne,

Co. Meath.

Tel: (01) 801 0400 Fax: (01) 835 1249 Email: michael.shaw@saica.com Web: www.saica.com

S Schütz (Ireland) Ltd

safe food

Address: 7 Eastgate Avenue, Eastgate,

Little Island,

Co. Cork

T45 RX01 Tel: 021 230 4100 Fax: 021 230 4111 Email: info@safefood.eu 80 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

Web: www.safefood.eu Main Products & Services: safefood is the all island public agency promoting food safety and healthy eating to consumers through education and awareness campaigns.

It also acts as an independent source of scientific advice, commissions and funds relevant research, co-ordinates scientific co-operation and facilitates knowledge exchange among those working in the food sector and other key stakeholders.

Address: Townmore, Killala,

Co. Mayo Tel: (096) 33044 Fax: (096) 33045 Email: info1ireland@schuetz.net Web: www.schuetz.net Main Products & Services: Manufacturer of IBCs and PE Drums.

The Packaging Centre Ltd For all your packaging needs

TPC

Fox & Geese House, Naas Road, Dublin 22.

Tel: 01 450 8759 ~ Fax: 01 450 7567 www.thepackagingcentre.ie

Panto 2935

company listings Sealed Air Ltd

Address: Clifton House,

1 Marston Road,

St. Neots, Cambridgeshire

PE19 2HN. Tel: (0044) 148 022 4000 Fax: (0044) 148 022 4063 Email: cryovac.ukmkt@sealedair.com Web: www.sealedair.com Main Products & Services: Cryovac® Packaging Solutions, including films, barrier bags, rigid trays, punnets and pots.

Diversey Hygiene Solutions including detergents, disinfectants, dosing equipment and energy and water management solutions.

Contact: Timothy O’Connell

Mobile: 086 225 3172

Smurfit Kappa Ireland

Address: Ballymount Road, Walkinstown,

Dublin 12.

Tel: (01) 409 0000 (01) 456 4509 Fax: Email: info@smurfitkappa.ie Web: www.smurfitkappa.ie www.skpackaging.ie www.smurfitkappadirect.ie Main Products & Services:

Ireland’s leading

manufacturer of

packaging and point of

purchase displays, with a

wide product range to suit

the needs of the food

industry. Standard

packaging & promotional

products can now be

bought on-line via our

webshop at www.smurfitkappadirect.ie

Syspal

Address: Cockshutt Lane, Broseley,

Shropshire, TF12 5JA, England.

Tel: (0044) 1952 883188 (0044) 1952 884 093 Fax: Email: sales@syspal.com Web: www.syspal.com Main Products & Services:

Manufacturers of stainless steel and aluminium products,

specifically designed for

regulations within the food industry.

Contact: Nicky Davies

Address: Wilton Park House,

Wilton Place,

Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 808 2100 Fax: (01) 808 2002 Email: info@sei.ie Web: www.sei.ie

For all your packaging needs

TPC

Fox & Geese House, Naas Road, Dublin 22.

Tel: 01 450 8759 ~ Fax: 01 450 7567 www.thepackagingcentre.ie

The Packaging Centre

Address: Fox & Geese House,

Naas Road,

Dublin 22.

(01) 450 8759 Tel: (01) 450 7567 Fax: Email: sales@thepackagingcentre.ie Web: www.thepackagingcentre.ie Contact: Managing Director, Ivan Powell

Teagasc Food Research Programme

Moorepark and Ashtown Address: Moorepark, Fermoy,

Co. Cork, P61 C966.

Ashtown, Dublin 15, D15 KN3K. Tel: (025) 42 222 / (01) 805 9500 Email: mark.fenelon@teagasc.ie / declan.troy@teagasc.ie Web: www.teagasc.ie Main Products & Services:

Research, development

and innovation, food

bioscience, food safety,

food chemistry and

technology, food industry

development, Food Quality &

Sensory Science pilot plant

facilities, analytical services,

training, consultancy.

Address: Whitemill Industrial

Estate, Wexford, Ireland.

Tel: (053) 916 3033 Email: jkehoe@tekpak.ie Web: www.tekpak.ie Main Products & Services:

Vision guided pick

and place robots, product Contact: John Kehoe

Toyota Material Handling Ireland

CMY

Cyan: 10 Magenta

T

Tekpak Automation Ltd Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

The Packaging Centre Ltd

Address: Killeen Road,

Dublin 12.

Tel: (01) 419 0200 Fax: (01) 419 0325 Email: materialhandling@toyota.ie Web: www.toyota-forklifts.ie Main Products & Services:

Toyota forklifts and BT

warehouse equipment.

Diesel/LPG and electric

forklifts, powerpallet

trucks, stackers etc.

Trilby Trading Ltd

Address: Boyne House,

Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda,

Co. Louth.

Tel: (041) 983 2137 Fax: (041) 983 5463 Email: sales@trilbytrading.ie Main Products & Services:

Food Grade Vegetable Oils.

Contact: sales@trilbytrading.ie

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 81

company listings

UCC - Food Institute

Address: 3rd Floor,

Food Science Building

University College Cork, Cork.

Tel: (021) 490 3810 Email: infofoodinstitute@ucc.ie Main Products & Services: Education, research, continuing

education & training.

UCC - School of Food and Nutritional Sciences

Address: Room 242,

Food Science Building,

University College Cork, Cork.

Tel: (021) 490 3393 Email: foodandnutrition@ucc.ie Web: www.ucc.ie/en/fns/ Main Products & Services:

Education, research, continuing

education & training.

UCC - Department of Food Business and Development

Address: O’Rahilly Building,

University College Cork, Cork.

Tel: (021) 490 2570 Email: foodbusiness@ucc.ie Web: www.ucc.ie/en/foodbus/ Main Products & Services:

Education, research, continuing

education & training.

UCC - Food Industry Training Unit

Address: Room 246,

Food Science Building,

University College Cork, Cork.

Tel: (021) 490 3363 Email: m.mccarthybuckley@ucc.ie Web: www.ucc.ie/en/fitu Main Products & Services:

Education, research, continuing

education & training.

82 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

UCD - School Of Agriculture and Food Science Address: UCD Agriculture and

Food Science Centre,

UCD, Belfield,

Dublin 4.

Undergraduate Programmes:

UCD Agricultural

Science and Veterinary

Medicine programme

Office UCD Agriculture

and Food Science Centre.

Tel: (01) 716 7194 Email: agandfoodprogrammes@ucd.ie Web: www.ucd.ie/agfood

Postgraduate Programmes:

UCD School of Agriculture,

Food Science

and Veterinary Medicine

UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre.

Tel: (01) 716 6100 Email: agfoodvet@ucd.ie Web: www.ucd.ie/agfoodvet

V Versatile Packaging Ltd

Address: Silverstream Business Park,

Silverstream, Co. Monaghan.

Tel: (047) 85 177 Fax: (047) 85 199 Email: info@versatilepackaging.ie Web: www.versatilepackaging.ie Main Products & Services:

Food Packaging Materials and

Equipment - Tray Sealers, CPET,

Barrier, Antifog Films, Aluminium

Trays, Stand Up Pouches,

Vacuum Pouches, Pouch

Filling & Sealing Equipment.

W

Weber Packaging Solutions Ltd

Address: Kilcannon Industrial Estate,

Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy,

Co. Wexford.

Tel: (053) 923 3778 Fax: (053) 923 3284 Email: sales@weberireland.com Web: www.webermarking.ie Main Products & Services:

Print & Apply Labelling Systems,

Desktop Printers, Laser Coders.

Manufacturers of Blank& Pre

Printed Labels.

D.D. Williamson (Ireland) Ltd

Address: Little Island Industrial

Estate, Little Island,

Co. Cork.

(021) 435 3821 Tel: (021) 435 4328 Fax: Email: info@ddwmson.com Web: www.ddwilliamson.com Main Products & Services:

Caramel colours, natural colours,

burnt sugars, natural colour

blends, liquids & powders.

WrenTech Ltd

Address: Eversley, Church Bay Road, Crosshaven,

Co. Cork.

(021) 483 2644 Tel: (021) 483 1363 Fax: Email: smurray@wrentech.ie/ mwren@wrentech.ie Web: www.wrentech.ie Main Products & Services:

Ytron & Matcon Mixing &

Blending, Powder Dispersion / Incorporation, Dust free transfer batch sytems, Powder bins / Silo discharging, Auger filling, Dosing,Formulation,Batching, Flexibatch.

www.foodirelanddirectory.com

U

relevant organisations

relevant

Organisations AN BORD PLEANÁLA

64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-858 8100 Lo-call: 1890 275 175 Email: bord@pleanala.ie Web: www.pleanala.ie

BORD BIA

Clanwilliam Court, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-668 5155 Email: info@bordbia.ie Web: www.bordbia.ie

BORD GÁIS ENERGY

PO Box 10943, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-6110133 Emergency: 1850 205 050 Email: info@bordgais.ie Web: www.bordgaisenergy.ie

BORD IASCAIGH MHARA

(Irish Sea Fisheries Board) BIM Dun Laoghaire, Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01-214 4100 Email: info@bim.ie Web: www.bim.ie

COMPETITION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSION Bloom House, Railway St, Dublin 1.

Tel: 1890 432 432 Web: www.ccpc.ie

CONSUMERS’ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND 120/121 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-659 9430 Email: cai@thecai.ie Web: www.thecai.ie

DRINKS INDUSTRY GROUP OF IRELAND (DIGI) 50 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-637 1777 Web: www.drinksindustry.ie

ENTERPRISE IRELAND

EXPERIAN IRELAND LTD Newenham House, Northern Cross, Ground Floor, Malahide Road, Dublin 17.

Tel: 01-846 9200 Email: info@experian.ie Web: www.experian.ie

The Plaza, Eastpoint Business Park, Dublin 3.

Tel: 01-727 2000 Email: client.service@enterpriseireland.com Web: www.enterprise-ireland.com

FOOD DRINK IRELAND (FDI)

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSOC. OF IRELAND

The Innovation Lab

Heraghty House, 4 Carlton Terrace, Novara Avenue, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Tel: 01-276 1211 Email: info@ehoa.ie Web: www.ehai.ie

EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN IRELAND

Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-634 1111 Email: eu-ie-info-request@ec.europa.eu Web: ec.europa.eu/ireland

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT European House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-605 7900 Email: epdublin@ep.europa.eu Web: www.europarl.ie

EXCELLENCE IRELAND 26 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 4.

Tel: 01-660 4100 Email: info@eiqa.com Web: https://eiqa.ie

Confederation House, 84-86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-605 1500 Email: info@fooddrinkireland.ie Web: www.fooddrinkireland.ie

TU Dublin - City Campus, Sackville Place, Dublin 1 DO1 WD85 Tel: Dr Lubna Ahmed 01 402 4442 Email: foodinnovation.research@tudublin.ie Web:https://www.dit.ie/fil/

FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY OF IRELAND The Exchange, George’s Dock, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-817 1300 Email: info@fsai.ie Web: www.fsai.ie

GUARANTEED IRISH LTD 1 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-661 2607 Email: info@guaranteedirish.ie Web: www.guaranteedirish.ie

HEALTH & SAFETY AUTHORITY The Metropolitan Building, James Joyce Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: +353 1 614 7000 Lo-call: 1890 289 389 Email: wcu@hsa.ie Web: www.hsa.ie

FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21 | 83

relevant organisations INVESTMENT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (IDA) Three Park Place, Hatch Street Upper,, Dublin 2, Ireland Tel: 01-603 4000 Email: idaireland@ida.ie Web: www.idaireland.com

IRISH BUSINESS & EMPLOYERS CONFEDERIATION (IBEC) Head Office, Confederation House, 84-86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-605 1500 Email: info@ibec.ie Web: www.ibec.ie

IRISH SECURITY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION Chase House, City Junction Business Park, Northern Cross, Malahide Road, Dublin 17.

Tel: 01-484 7206 Email: info@isia.ie Web: www.isia.ie

IRISH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ASSOCIATION (ISME) 17 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-662 2755 Email: info@isme.ie Web: www.isme.ie

MANDATE

O’Lehane House, 9 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-874 6321 Email: news@mandate.ie Web: www.mandate.ie

NATIONAL DAIRY COUNCIL The Studio, 55C, Maple Avenue, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01-290 2451 Email: info@ndc.ie Web: hello@ndc.ie

THE PRIVATE SECURITY AUTHORITY Davis Street, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary.

Tel: 062-32600 Email: info@psa.gov.ie Web: www.psa.gov.ie

84 | FOOD IRELAND YEARBOOK 2020/21

REVENUE COMMISSIONERS Head Office, Dublin Castle, Dame Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-647 5000 Web: www.revenue.ie

RGDATA

Mentec House, Pottery Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01-288 7584 Email: rgdata@rgdata.ie Web: www.rgdata.ie

SMALL FIRMS ASSOCIATION (IBEC) 84-86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-605 1500 Email: info@sfa.ie Web: www.sfa.ie

TEAGASC FOOD RESEARCH CENTRE Ashtown, Dublin 15.

Tel: 01-805 9500 Email: info@teagasc.ie Web: www.teagasc.ie

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, C/O NSAI 1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9.

Tel: 01-807 3800 Email: info@nsai.ie Web: www.nsai.ie

WORKPLACE RELATIONS COMMISSION

O’Brien Road, Carlow, R93 W7W2 Tel: (059) 917 8990 Web: www.workplacerelations.ie

Government Departments: AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE

Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 607 2000 or 0761 064400 Lo-call: 1890 200 510 Email: firstname.surname@agriculture.gov.ie Web: www.agriculture.gov.ie

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-631 2121 Lo-Call: 1890 220 222 Email: info@dbei.gov.ie Web: https://dbei.gov.ie/en/

COLLECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE VAT/PAYE/PRSI Sarsfield House, Francis Street, Limerick.

Tel: 01 738 3663 Email: through MyEnquiries Web: www.revenue.ie

COMPANIES REGISTRATION OFFICE

Bloom House, Gloucester Place Lower, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-804 5200 Lo-call: 1890 220 226 Email: info@cro.ie Web: www.cro.ie

CUSTOMS PROCEDURES BRANCH

St. Conlons Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.

Tel: 067 63370 Email: tarclass@revenue.ie Web: www.revenue.ie

EMPLOYMENT AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL PROTECTION Aras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-704 3000 Email: info@welfare.ie Web: www.welfare.ie

FINANCE

Government Buildings, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-676 7571 Email: webmaster@finance.gov.ie Web: www.gov.ie/finance

HOUSING, PLANNING, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT Custom House, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-888 2000 Lo-call: 1890 202 021 Email: qcsofficer@housing.gov.ie Web: www.housing.gov.ie

JUSTICE AND EQUALITY

51 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-602 8202 Lo-call: 1890 221 227 Email: foi@justice.ie Web: www.justice.ie

VALUATION OFFICE

Block 2, Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: 01-817 1000 Email: info@valoff.ie Web: www.valoff.ie

2019

2020

2021

= PUBLIC HOLIDAY

= PUBLIC HOLIDAY

= PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Our food industry is leading us to a better future As populations grow, so too does the need for food. Through Origin Green, the Irish food and drink industry is responding to this need by producing food in a way that is kinder to our environment and its people.

Created by Bord Bia, Origin Green is Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme. It brings together the entire food industry with a common goal: sustainable food production. That means producing safe, nutritious food within a viable industry that protects and enhances the natural environment and the local community.

Find out more by visiting OriginGreen.ie