FoodChain Issue 113 May 2016

FoodChain Issue 113

l

May 2016

The business of food and drink

Inspired

by nature Oerlemans Foods Group is bringing excitement into the fresh frozen category

Industry News l

The state of nutrition The problems we are still facing when addressing health, education and nutrition

Grown-up, healthy popcorn launched l

l

Updated packaging for sausage brand

Exciting summer range unveiled

A storm in a teacup The growing popularity of speciality teas in local markets and beyond

FoodChain ISSUE 113 L MAY 2016

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

Editor’s Welcome

Inspired

by nature Oerlemans Foods Group is bringing excitement into the fresh frozen category

Industry News The state of nutrition The problems we are still facing when addressing health, education and nutrition

L Grown-up,

healthy popcorn launched

packaging for sausage brand

A storm in a teacup

L Updated L Exciting

summer range unveiled

The growing popularity of speciality teas in local markets and beyond

Chairman Andrew Schofield

Mix it up

Editor Libbie Hammond Art Editor Advertising Design Fleur Daniels Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Ben Clark Profiles Manager Emma Crane Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove Sales Mark Cawston Tim Eakins Andy Ellis Darren Jolliffe Jonas Junca Dave King Theresa McDonald Elliott Scales Rob Wagner Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researcher Alasdair Gamble Mark Kafourous Manuel Lopez Office Manager Advertising Administrator Tracy Chynoweth Studio Assistant Barnaby Schofield Follow us at:

W

ell, we certainly cover a gamut of topics in this issue of FoodChain.

From cloud computing applications to animal welfare, it’s an interesting mix and I hope you find something in there that catches

your attention.

I found the nutrition feature particularly relevant as recently I ended up on a message board online, where people were discussing ‘low carb’. It wasn’t a science or nutrition board so I wouldn’t expect expert knowledge, but several of the contributors were unclear on what foods were even classed as carbohydrates. I appreciate this is anecdotal but I think it does highlight even in a small way, that the general public needs more education on the entire area of healthy food and nutrition. I believe the place to start this is at school – do you agree?

@FoodChain_mag

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. T: +44 (0)1603 274130F: +44 (0)1603 274131 www.foodchainmagazine.com

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

© 2016 Schofield Publishing Ltd Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Contents 16 4

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Features Cloud Computing A growing appetite for cloud

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Consumers are showing more of an interest in nutrition but there is still a long way to go

Barcodes Scanning the future

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News

Up-to-date products and announcements from the food and beverage sector

Taste Test

The FoodChain team sample a selection of new and innovative foods and drinks

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How scanning solutions can enable seamless tracking of goods – vital for efficient food logistics

Tea is a diverse and hot contested market, with speciality teas growing in popularity

Nutrition The state of nutrition

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As a society, do we need to rethink our future food strategy and concentrate on higher welfare meat dairy and eggs?

Businesses in the food sector are realising that cloud-based solutions afford them agility and flexibility

Speciality Tea A storm in a teacup

Animal Welfare Compassion and sustainability

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28 Innovations & developments within some of the world’s finest companies

Profiles Heritage Portfolio

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Zip Technologies

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Following an ethos to be open, honest, and proud, Heritage Portfolio

A forward thinking provider of finely crafted brewing equipment,

has built itself a truly prestigious platform from which it has been able

Zip Technologies’ main focus is towards brewmasters and

to serve top quality food to a host of high-end guests

brewing enthusiasts

McDonald’s Nederland

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KK Fine Foods

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A constant focus on the customer is what keeps

As a family-owned business, KK Fine Foods brings passion

McDonald’s Nederland innovating and reinventing its menu

and energy to its business

Fond Doux Plantation and Resort

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Oerlemans Foods Group

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Already a Green Globe certified plantation resort; Fond Doux’s

Oerlemans Foods Group’s strategy is to become the leading

strategy is to continue to focus on providing fantastic holiday

fresh frozen provider through Europe - and this is supported

and culinary experiences

by a real commitment to improvement

Lambertz

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Lainston Country House Hotel

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After growing from a small supplier of baked good within a

A dedication to innovation and fresh ingredients means

niche market, Lambertz has transformed into a global market

Lainston Country House Hotel can provide guests with an

leader for seasonal and speciality Christmas baked goods

extremely high quality food offering

Thurne-Middleby

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Thurne-Middleby, a leader in bacon, deli and cheese slicing technology, is keen to expand its presence within the UK and Europe

European Vending Association The EVA serves both its membership and the wider needs of the vending industry within Europe

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A growing appetite for cloud

W Mike Edgett looks at the role of cloud computing in helping the food industry to boost performance 4

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ith analyst firm Gartner predicting that the worldwide market for cloud systems will hit $204 billion this year, a 16.5 per cent increase on 2015’s $175 billion, cloud adoption is showing no signs of slowing.

Unbelievably, cloud solutions have been around since the 1990s. However while their core value proposition is still the same (easy provisioning, flexible scaling, always-on latest release and lower TCO), the cloud solutions of today are very different to their predecessors, something

which is reflected in the breadth of organisations investing in them.

Typical early cloud adopters were high-growth, innovation-focused, lean organisations. What we’re now seeing is the adoption of cloud expanding to include a wide range of organisations across all industries. The food industry, while not an early adopter of cloud, is catching up fast and could be categorised as part of what Forrester is calling the ‘second wave of cloud computing’, which is much more application focused than the first wave,

Cloud Computing which was primarily concerned with IT networks and infrastructure.

The cost conundrum So what’s driving cloud adoption in the food industry? In the face of intense price competition and ever-changing consumer tastes, food and beverage companies are under increasing pressure to slash costs while introducing new, ‘improved’ products to market much faster than ever before. For an industry known for its low margins, the cloud is an ideal solution as the costs associated with traditional software solutions (systems upgrades, virus patches, database management, for example) are eliminated with cloud computing, but many food businesses were put off by the perceived risk of investing in the cloud, or cultural barriers associated with changing the model on which systems operate.

However, the last few years have shown that organisations using cloud solutions have quickly achieved cost savings that increase over time, with a recent IDC study showing that on average, cloud solutions have a seven month payback period and a five year ROI of 626 per cent, figures that the food industry cannot afford to ignore.

As well as cost, security was perceived to be the biggest cloud threat but this too has proved to not be the case, with the majority of cloud adopters saying they have seen an increase in security benefits since moving to the cloud. In fact, security now takes centre stage of many cloud providers’ offerings, eclipsing any in-house security measures their customers might already have in place.

The hybrid model Another barrier that seemed to deter many food businesses from going to the cloud was the supposed need to go ‘full cloud’. For businesses that had already invested heavily in their on-premise IT infrastructure, starting all over again in the cloud was a particularly difficult notion to contemplate. However, the once ‘runner-up’ hybrid model (the combination or hybrid of cloud and onpremise systems) is now openly accepted as the right model for some businesses and so solutions and services to support

this model are on the rise. Add to this the fact that many of the major cloud suppliers are also now not as adamant that customers must go ‘full cloud’ and the potential is there for organisations to take a perhaps more easily digestible incremental cloud approach.

Like most other industries, the food industry is seeing an increasing trend for organisations to pursue a digital business strategy, part of which involves replacing legacy applications and systems. Shifting these legacy systems to cloud-based services ensures a more robust, reliable technology platform, the only way to underpin a successful digital business strategy, as well as reducing the need to rely on a physical infrastructure, patching upgrades or server maintenance.

A clear way forward In line with this, many previous challenges and roadblocks that prevented certain applications from being deployed in the cloud are disappearing. For industries such as the food and pharma sectors, where legislation and regulations often determine which solutions businesses can implement, this application-driven focus means that businesses no longer have to delay cloud adoption as cloud-based solutions designed to meet the specific regulatory needs of their particular industry are very much the order of the day.

Another key dynamic that’s driving the food industry’s adoption of cloud computing is the need to gain greater insight into the performance of the business. Alongside sector-specific cloudbased business intelligence applications, in-built analytics monitor performance, identifying potentially costly bottlenecks and faults, enabling the business to take proactive steps to increase efficiency while keeping costs under control.

Accelerating performance In an industry where speed to market is often the difference between success and failure, the overarching benefit of turning to the cloud for the food industry has to be the loss of friction points that slow businesses down. Operating with cloud-based systems facilitates

access to accurate information, makes communications easier and ensures applications scale and evolve alongside the business. For food businesses operating in an increasingly tumultuous business environment, agility is key.

Market conditions change rapidly, customer demand can be unpredictable and competition is ever growing. If organisations are to survive and thrive in the food sector, they need to be able to take decisive action, quickly and confidently.

What more and more businesses in the food sector are realising is that cloud-based solutions afford them the necessary agility to keep pace with the market, with cloud solutions providing the flexibility that’s needed to do business today. Cloud solutions can be expanded without worrying about new hardware or modifications, growing and evolving with the business, regardless of the challenge, be it a new partner, a new product or a new service. And, with more cloudservices operating seamlessly across multiple locations by providing local capabilities like multi-currency financial tools and multi-language interfaces, the sky really is the limit when it comes to cloud computing. D

Mike Edgett is industry and solution strategy director, process manufacturing, Infor. Infor builds business applications with last mile functionality and scientific insights for select industries delivered as a cloud service. With 13,000 employees and customers in more than 200 countries and territories, Infor builds software that automates critical processes for industries including healthcare, manufacturing, fashion, wholesale distribution, hospitality, retail, and public sector. www.infor.com

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A storm in a teacup S Tea is one of the UK’s most beloved hot drinks and the beverage appears to be gaining steam across the world.

Andrew Dann talks to James Wenden, Sales Director of the Welsh Brew Tea company, about the growing popularity of specialty teas in local markets and beyond 6

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econd only to water as the world’s most popular beverage, tea is a familiar sight within homes throughout the UK and around the globe. Elsewhere tea is becoming increasingly present on the high street as well as in other specialty retail segments. Starbucks for example, continues to trial its Teavana teashop concept in the US, while tea sold in its Starbucks locations has reportedly accounted for a one per cent increase in same-store consumption at 14,000 of its units for two consecutive years. Nor is the growing popularity of tea limited to the traditional ‘hot cuppa.’ In addition to increasing presence of iced and chilled teas internationally, Absolut vodka released its Absolut Wild Tea vodka brand in 2010 and the drink continues to be a success today.

The UK tea market has proven to be consistently resilient, which is a trend that has been noted by market players around the world. In its 2011 market indicator report titled Consumer Trends – Hot Drinks in the United Kingdom, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada International Markets Bureau noted that the sales of hot drinks

grew in the UK during 2009, despite the global economic downturn causing particularly tough trading conditions domestically. By 2015 data collected by Statista suggested that the combined UK hot drinks market had reached a value of around £2.3 billion. Within the tea market specifically, information gathered by the consumer analyst Mintel during August 2015 indicated that the market value of tea was £654 million.

Within this diverse and hotly contested market, Welsh Brew Tea has roots that date back as far as 1989 as part of a farm diversification venture in MidWales. By 1993 Welsh Brew Tea was fully established as a family owned company located on the beautiful Gower peninsula in Mumbles, South Wales.

Today Welsh Brew Tea is recognised as an iconic Welsh brand that has created a unique blend of African and Indian teas that are specifically blended to perfectly complement Welsh water. “The concept behind the formation of the company was to blend a tea that would complement Wales’ soft water as well as provide the Welsh consumer with a product that best suited their taste for a good traditional full

Speciality Tea flavoured yet smooth cuppa,” explains Sales Director, James Wenden. “The Welsh Brew tea brand was founded by its current Managing Director Alan Wenden, who also had his eye on the Celtic market for export and set off on the road of building what has become a truly iconic brand here in Wales. No small feat considering in those early day we would blend enough tea to fill the Volvo and hand deliver to stores across Mid-Wales.

The past 25 years has seen Welsh Brew tea develop into a high quality brand that is now available in every supermarket in Wales and is also showing significant growth in the border cities of Bath, Bristol, Chester and the surrounding areas - it’s been an impressive journey since those early Volvo days!”

With the near universal popularity of a well-brewed cup of tea, it is unsurprising that UK consumers are increasingly particular about which brand they drink.

According to the Mintel report, by 2011 tea consumption reached 165 million cups per day, or 60.5 billion cups per annum. Added to this are 900 million cups of fruit and herbal teas and 279 million cups of green tea consumed per annum. Interestingly however despite the position of tea as the UK’s most popular hot drink, the nation’s sales of tea have dropped by six per cent over the past five years. The report states that UK tea retail sales dropped from a peak of £699 million in 2010 to an estimated £654 million for 2015 and that it is the ‘standard’ cup of tea that has experienced a decline in popularity, while the demand for speciality teas has grown significantly. Sales of ordinary teabags that had previously dominated the market, fell by 13 per cent between 2012 and 2015, while the sale of fruit and herbal teas grew by 31 per cent from £58 million to £76 million between 2012 and 2014. During the same period the sale of specialty teas also increased, growing by 15 per cent to £63 million and sales of green teabags skyrocketed by 50 per cent to some £36 million.

The growth of brands like Welsh Brew Tea is a clear indicator that there is a strong market demand for high-quality, specialty teas that hold appeal for both local and international consumers. The success of Welsh Brew Tea shows that

this potential has existed for many years and that for the companies that possessed the foresight to develop this business, their investment have paid rich dividends. “There was a huge opportunity to do something great in Wales as well as for Wales. Like the majority of the UK we here in Wales are passionate about our tea and with our wonderfully soft water we were able to blend a tea using Indian and African teas that meant we kept all the strength, colour and flavour that we enjoy so much whilst being able to maintain a consistent and smooth finish.

Working closely with our tea blenders in Powys, Newtown Welsh Brew Tea was born. Alan’s history was in FMCG and blue chip companies, which gave him great insight into the market. This combined with knowledge of Wales and its people meant that Alan could see the real possibilities of a Welsh company doing great things,” James says.

“The tea consumer is a savvy one who sees the benefits of speciality brands.

We are up against global giants like Tata Tea (Tetley/Teapigs), Unilever (PG) and Apeejay (Typhoo/Glengetti) to name but a few. Each of these has huge muscle in the market place, yet quality local brands are able to fight their corner with huge success. A walk down any supermarket tea aisle in Wales will prove my point with Welsh Brew holding substantial ground.

With limited resources but real passion and commitment we are testament to what can be done. There is no corporate front to get beyond, just a family business doing its best for itself and its customers,” he adds. “There has never been a better time for us in the speciality beverage market. The consumer knows

what they want and we can react quickly to this. With a real volume growth of 16 per cent last year in a black tea market that saw decline of eight per cent it shows what can be done if the passion and desire is there.”

Although research published by the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) during February 2015 suggests that speciality teas are not generally stocked in supermarkets throughout the EU, companies like Welsh Brew Tea are increasingly bucking this trend and redefining the market. Presently Welsh Brew Tea is sold in retailers including Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Waitrose, Ocado, The CoOp, Cost Cutter and Spar as well as countless independents across Wales.

Furthermore its internet presence has generated sales across the world, while Welsh Brew Tea enjoys a strong export relationship in Ireland and growing confidence in the US market.

The market for tea and other hot beverages is an increasingly exciting, as well as a competitive one. Further to its brand of speciality teas Welsh Brew Tea has introduced a comprehensive selection of beverages to suit all tastes that include fruit and herbal teas, coffees, malt drinks and hot chocolate.

Throughout 2016 and beyond the company will continue to target further market penetration, suggesting that the future of the hot drinks market for Welsh Brew Tea and the wider industry is bright for speciality beverage providers.

“We currently have about four per cent of the Welsh tea market and through innovations and diversifications we see this heading toward eight per cent.

Our focus at present is on Wales, the market we know best. We are investing in marketing campaigns that see the traditional above the line spend with radio being this year’s focus,” James concludes. “Current trends see growth in the tea pod area but this we feel does not fit in with our model for quality and sustainability. New packaging however and huge potential in the vast flavoured tea sector has us constantly brain storming and looking for new opportunities.” D www.welshbrewtea.co.uk

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IndustryNews

Fit food venture

A smooth installation

British entrepreneur and founder of Chase Distillery, Will Chase, is set to re-enter the food market with the launch of a brand new range of air popped popcorn made on his farm.

The range of popcorn is the start of a new Willy Chase’s Fit Food venture, and the Fit Corn will initially be available in six flavours. All are naturally gluten free, and they feature Will’s favourite ingredients and nature’s super foods as seasonings to create popcorn flavours that appeal to grown up tastes. These are Goats Cheese, Red Onion & Thyme; Salted Honey; Smoky Bloody Mary; Cacao & Coconut; Nearly Naked; and Cider Vinegar with The Mother.

Launching in independent stores and delis in April, Willy Chase’s Fit Food is the latest enterprise from the serial entrepreneur since founding Tyrrells Crisps and the award winning, single estate Chase Distillery in 2002 and 2008 respectively. www. willychases. co.uk

As part of the refurbishment of three food processing areas at Young’s Seafood Ltd in Grimsby, a new floor had to meet stringent food industry standards, as well as being easy to clean and able to withstand heavy food processing equipment. Appointed to complete the application within the limited timeframe, specialist contractor Imperial Resin Coatings installed the fast curing Sikafloor PurCem polyurethane resin system – a market proven high strength screed.

Alan Burns, Imperial Resin Coatings commented: “The existing tiled floor was no longer fit for purpose having been installed in the 1970’s. There was decaying concrete beneath the tiles which had to be ground out and a large standing water issue which meant we had to create falls in one area.”

Following the removal of the existing tiles, Imperial Resin Coatings carried out a dust free grind out of the floors to provide an effective key for the application of 85m2 of Sikafloor Purcem 20 which was laid to a depth of 6-9mm.

Highly resistant to chemicals, fatty acids and temperature, Sikafloor 20N Purcem is a polyurethane modified cement screed offering excellent strength. As the waterbased system normally requires no primer, its installation is considerably less complex

than many other systems, producing a joint-free surface that is slip and abrasion resistant.

With the flooring system in place and the production areas returned to operation after the bank holiday weekend, Young’s Seafood Ltd has a floor that will last for decades, minimising maintenance cost whilst providing a safe environment in which to work. www.sika.co.uk

Delivering success XPO Logistics has secured a five-year warehousing and distribution contract with leading frozen food retailer Iceland. To help Iceland meet its growth targets, including the opening of up to 40 new stores year-onyear, XPO Logistics has developed a supply chain solution that combines Iceland’s dedicated network with the capacity of XPO Logistics’ shared-user facilities to accommodate increasing volumes, seasonal peaks and promotional activity.

XPO Logistics will manage Iceland’s distribution centres in Warrington, Enfield, Livingston and Swindon. The scope of responsibilities includes warehousing activities ranging from product receipt to

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nationwide store distribution, as well as a number of primary collections. All 1900 workers at the four sites will transfer to XPO Logistics as part of a phased Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE) process.

In addition, XPO Logistics will manage Iceland’s temperaturecontrolled fleet of 320 tractor units and 450 trailers, and expects to create further operational efficiencies for Iceland by

implementing an integrated inbound supply chain platform that leverages the retailer’s supplier relationships. www.uk.xpo.com

IndustryNews

Brand re-launch

Great British bangers In line with its new TV campaign, The Black Farmer gluten free brand has up-dated its packaging using its iconic silhouette image and flagging up its 100 per cent British credentials.

The Black Farmer TV commercial aired on 8th April in the ad break of Channel 4’s highest rating ‘Gogglebox’, and at the same time the shelves of every major multiple retailer were adorned with packs of The Black Farmer Premium Pork gluten free sausages in new livery supported by special price offers. Again breaking the mould, for the first time ever a brand will be stickered with ‘as advertised on Channel 4’.

“The new livery is striking and completely in line with the key message in my first-ever above the line campaign – that I am flying the flag for British produce; I am proud to be British and

am an ardent supporter of British farming,” says Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones aka The Black Farmer. www.theblackfarmer.com

Create summer your way Helping its customers to stay ahead of the curve and step into summer with innovative menus, Bidvest Foodservice has unveiled its seasonal summer range. The range has a wide selection of new items from both the Bidvest Foodservice Own Brand portfolio and popular branded items.

Using market research and insights as a base, the Bidvest Foodservice Create Summer range has everything hospitality and foodservice operators will need to develop their seasonal offering, bringing everything together under one banner. From light breakfast options, fresh meats for BBQs and refreshing summer drinks, to snack items, delicious desserts, outdoor cooking equipment, crockery and glassware; it is an easy-to-shop solution - that is available

both online and in printed brochures - for those looking for convenience and variety.

Gail Bridgeman, Bidvest Foodservice Campaign and Activation Manager, comments on the Create Summer campaign: “Summertime is all about social meal occasions, whether that’s outdoor eating, afternoon tea, buffets, or sharing a dessert whilst enjoying summer events such as bank holidays, sporting events, or the Queen’s birthday, there are a number of different options for operators to consider. The Create Summer range has been developed to help those in charge of purchasing to select the right items to suit their business’ needs.”

She added: “To end the meal on a high, we’ve also ensured that the sweet selection is as vast as the savoury. This includes handmade French patisserie style desserts, such as our new coffee and chocolate delice or raspberry and almond tart.

“We are also pleased to introduce two new desserts to the Premium Selection range with an Individual Trifle Torte and a Tiramisu Teardrop. These are both modern takes on traditional, nostalgic desserts and come in individual thaw and serve formats for consistency and ease of portion and cost control for the customer.” www.bidvest.co.uk/ createsummer

The Berry Company, one of Europe’s fastest growing drinks brands, is set for a big year ahead with ambitious plans for a 2016 brand overhaul and an exciting suite of new wellbeing products in food and drink. The company will begin by re-launching its existing juice and tea range with 40 per cent reduced sugar and calories, in line with a refreshing new pack design.

If drinks weren’t enough, The Berry Company is also moving into food and snacking categories, launching a range of healthy ‘on-thego’ snacks for consumers - Organic Granola Protein Bites and Organic Freeze Dried Powder.

Khaled Yafi, CEO and Founder of The Berry Company, commented: “Not only are we filling a gap in our portfolio for low calorie drinks we are also in the process of extending our portfolio into the breakfast and ‘on-the-go’ snacking categories.

“We are also looking to tackle the growing demand for exciting flavours within the ambient drinks category by offering everyday, active consumers a choice of products that suit their lifestyle. Our love for exotic superberries remains at the heart of our brand but we will continue to experiment into new and exciting brand extensions. Watch this space.” www.theberrycompany.co.uk

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The state of

nutrition Rachel Clarke gives us an insight into the current nutrition market and the problems we are still facing when addressing the overall education, health and nutrition of the UK market 10 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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n the current market, consumers have been showing more of an interest in nutrition and the food industry has seen an increase in the production of specialised food. This includes ranges that cater for particular dietary requirements such as vegetarians and consumers who choose not to eat wheat, dairy or gluten products. We have also seen an explosion of social media accounts, which now focus on nutrition, gaining more popularity every day.

Nutrition is a consistent topic across a variety of channels and is at the forefront of many minds in the UK especially for the health conscious or diet-focused individuals. However, there is still a long way to go to improve the overall health and knowledge of the entire nation.

The move towards healthy

Rachel Clarke

On a positive note, we have seen an active effort to improve nutrition in recent years. To begin with there has been a raft of government initiatives and policies to help nurture a healthier society. Also, in our digital age, technology has been used to create supportive communities and tools to help people stay healthy.

Of course, there is an app to help with your nutrition. Well actually, there are hundreds to choose from but one of the most popular has been My Fitness Pal. It allows you to track your food intake, check nutritional values and measure your calories consumed more efficiently straight from your pocket. Development of apps such as this has gone a long

Nutrition way towards helping consumers understanding what they are actually eating on a daily basis.

There has been an increase of awareness of healthy eating with magazines and a variety of social media accounts focusing on the overall healthy lifestyle. Celebrities such as Millie Mackintosh have made careers out of this trend. These accounts and outlets have millions of followers and subscribers, clearly displaying the keen market interest.

Supermarket shelves are now accommodating this change of attitude and are stocking more products to cater for those opting for wheat, gluten or dairy free options that are typically seen as being healthier, even if you do not suffer from any of these allergies or intolerances.

This ideology of cutting out certain foods has also seen a rise in ‘flexitarians’, the people who have become part time vegetarians due to wanting to decrease their overall meat consumption. Red meat in particular, is high in saturated fat content, making it unhealthy for your body in large volumes and this can cause other health problems later in life. So, cutting down on the amount of meat we consume can be a positive lifestyle change and is one that many are looking to make.

There has also been a growth of revenue in the sports supplement industry. In 2014, it had a recorded worth of £301 million in the UK alone. Sports supplement products tend to be bought alongside a healthy exercise routine.

This displays a move towards a more nutrition focused attitude and an army of consumers who are choosing to work on their health and nutrition.

Not as healthy as we could be However, despite these positive advances, we are not a nation that is completely under the spell of the healthy living attitude. According to a recent WHO report, by 2030 74 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women in the UK will be overweight. It also suggests that 36 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women to be obese in 2030, which is a significant figure. Of course, being obese is defined by a BMI of 30 or

above and this is extremely unhealthy.

These obesity levels are already being seen as problematic, with many children now categorised as obese.

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, claims it to be a ‘national emergency’ and a problem that urgently needs to be addressed. Poor nutrition has been estimated to cost the NHS £5.8 billion annually and this is an expense that could be completely avoided.

This trend of unhealthy eating can be down to a lack of nutritional education.

Many have criticised food stores for this due to focus being put on advertising unhealthy food. These snacks, which are linked to obesity, are given more preference at point of sale. When you walk into a supermarket or reach the payment point, there are usually sugary foods or foods which are high in fat on offer, making it more tempting to buy something easy and cheap rather than something which is actually good for you.

It is not only the prominence of these products on display that is the problem but also the overall prices throughout stores. According to studies, healthy food costs now three times as much as junk food when prices were measured per 1000 calories. The cost of fruit and vegetables has also risen in the last few years, making it ever more expensive for consumers who want to have a healthy lifestyle but struggle to do so on a budget.

Nurturing the right attitude Also, attitude towards nutrition is a problem. Many of us are now aware that consuming healthier food is linked to better health outcomes, however

many people in the UK don’t meet the daily healthy eating recommendations.

Only nine per cent of people in a recent WHO report considered food healthiness to be the most important factor when purchasing food products.

However, 39 per cent of people rated price at the most important factor when making their buying decisions. Although budgets will affect this decision for some households, we also need more education around nutrition to inform consumers how to make better choices, as there currently seems to be a severe lack of understanding.

Although we have seen improvements in nutrition and more media focus on overall wellbeing, there is still a long way to go to improve the overall nation’s nutrition levels. Obesity statistics are becoming alarmingly high and this is extremely unhealthy for us and is costing the NHS billions. The rise in the supplement industry is a promising indicator that people are becoming more aware of their health and nutrition, but it is clearly not the majority who are choosing to buy these products. It would be great to see a better education in nutrition from a younger age so that we can build a nation of healthy eaters. D Rachel Clarke is CEO of JBC Nutrition. JBC provides nutrition consultancy and product development services to a number of clients from elite, world-class professional athletes to private clients including Olympians, British and world record holders in power lifting and strongman as well as a range of sports clubs including, premiership football club Swansea City AFC, Wales Rugby League, Oxford United FC, Newport County FC and Royal Navy Rugby. www.jbc-nutrition.co.uk

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Compassion and sustainability Andrew Dann talks to Director of Food Business for Compassion in World Farming, Dr. Tracey Jones about the rise in awareness of animal welfare and its impact on the food industry

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Animal Welfare

A

nimal welfare is increasingly becoming a high profile concern and although the subject often has to contend with issues surrounding the day-today cost of food for consumers and manufacturers as well as increasing demand, it is undoubtedly an issue that is accelerating as a priority on the corporate agenda. However ‘animal welfare’ is not as straightforward as might at first be expected, for example the varied opinions and requirements of consumers, farmers, producers and retailers all present challenges that need to be addressed in reaching a co-operative solution in humane and sustainable farming.

The desire to reach the goal of compassionate animal farming and the understanding of the need for dialogue

Dr. Tracey Jones

between the general public, food producers and government organisations led to the establishment of Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) by British dairy farmer Peter Roberts in 1967.

Mr Roberts had become increasingly concerned about the development of modern intensive farming and since the founding of CIWF, the organisation has grown to provide a unique programme of engagement with the world’s leading food businesses and the community.

“The goal of Compassion in World Farming is to end factory farming, advance the wellbeing of farmed animals and drive a more humane and sustainable food system,” explains Dr. Tracey Jones, Director of Food Business for CIWF. “Factory farming includes the prioritisation of production

at the expense of the welfare of animals, people and the planet. It treats animals as commodities rather than individual sentient beings and is largely characterised by confined and barren systems including cages, crates, high stocking density and feedlots that are usually at scale. Farm animal welfare is rising rapidly up the corporate agenda.

Where welfare may once have been considered ‘nice to have’ at best, and irrelevant at worst, today food companies from all sectors are paying more attention to this issue, viewing it both as a strategic necessity born out of risk and opportunity and an ethical imperative.”

The trend towards humane and sustainable farming within the food industry is undoubtedly growing and is increasingly driven by education and

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public perceptions of animal welfare and quality. For example, regardless of whether it is ordered in a restaurant or prepared and eaten at home, the quality and safety of the food we eat is a vital concern for both consumers within the UK and beyond. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report entitled ‘Update on Animal Welfare’ released by COO, Jason Feeney during June 2015 included information showing that consumers are acutely aware of the issues surrounding food production and where they feel responsibility in safeguarding food quality and animal welfare lies. The report observed that a quantitative online omnibus survey of 2060 adults showed that food fraud and lack of authenticity (61 per cent), food technology (55 per cent), food safety and hygiene (53 per cent) and ethics and animal welfare (50 per cent) are considered to be the top four issues falling within the responsibility of the Government. The report further indicated that while it appears that animal welfare is often a secondary concern for consumers when compared to eating safe and healthy foods within their budget, there is a growing awareness of the potential impact of their choices in terms of animal welfare.

Qualitative data collected from a citizens’ forum for the 2015 report, consisting of three waves of deliberative research with a total of about 100

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‘

people, concluded that animal welfare was a secondary concern for consumers.

Although consumers thought it was important that food production was ethical and sustainable, making ethical choices was considered unaffordable for many. Within the forum’s second wave of research however, there was some shift in attitudes due to consumers’ own research that caused them to form a link between welfare standards and the health of animals. This was linked to a concern that diseases present within the animals could travel up the food chain to consumers.

The end of the cage

Consumers say they care about animal welfare and are prepared to support higher welfare purchasing choices if products are labelled or promoted accordingly; according to the latest Eurobarometer (2015) survey, 59 per cent of all Europeans are prepared to pay more for products sourced from animal welfare-friendly production systems and 52 per cent look for animal welfarefriendly identifying labels when buying products. Even acknowledging a likely gap between what people say they want, and what they actually choose to buy, there’s no denying that animal welfare is increasingly on the consumer’s radar – and they expect companies to make responsible decisions on their behalf.

Although significant progress has been made across several markets across Europe in the field of sustainable farming and animal welfare, there is still much work to be done “Consumers understand the behavioural restriction associated with cages for laying hens for example, where there is clear labelling of products such as whole shell eggs. When the price differential is around 2-3 pence per egg, consumers tend to support higher welfare alternatives. The demand for cage-free and predominantly free range whole eggs has rapidly increased market share in the UK by around 56 per cent, and as a consequence some UK retailers do not stock whole eggs from caged hens at all including Waitrose, The Cooperative Food, M&S, and Sainsbury’s. This ensures that higher welfare is the baseline offer for these stores and other large outlets also have a similar sourcing policy including McDonalds UK,” Tracey says. “Cagefree production is increasingly viewed as a more future-proof investment, as legislation and public opinion increasingly renders cages obsolete. The recent flurry of US company commitments to go cagefree for laying hens is a case in point and demonstrates the power of corporations and the market place. Since September 2015 when McDonalds announced they will go cage-free in the US and Canada by 2025, a further 30 companies have also made similar commitments. Indeed, the Canadian Retail Consortium recently announced that all of its members will be voluntarily cage-free on the eggs they buy by 2025. The lead time is long, but the direction of travel is significant - it signals the end of the cage in modern farming systems.”

On the manufacturing side, companies are increasingly keen to develop solutions to the dilemma of killing male chicks in the egg laying industry in addition to the treatment of hens once they reach egg laying age. In February 2016 the maker of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Unilever, announced the addition of a plantbased mayo alternative to its product line in the US. The company’s ‘Carefully

Animal Welfare Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread’ hit shop shelves throughout the US on February 15, 2016 and avoids the ethical complications of mayo, which traditionally contains eggs. Each year within the US and beyond, millions of male chicks that are considered as a ‘waste product’ as they cannot lay eggs, are killed soon after hatching.

For organisations like CIWF the issues surrounding animal welfare cover several aspects of food manufacture including eggs, meat & dairy products. Likewise major market retailers are becoming increasingly aware of animal welfare and the importance of consumer perception of the issue. During February 2016 for example, the Waitrose supermarket chain announced its commitment to guarantee that all of the dairy cows that produce the supermarket’s milk have at least 100 days of outdoor grazing every year, making it the first and currently only supermarket to do so. The dairy farming of cows is becoming more intensive in order to increase the amount of milk produced by each animal. Within the UK some dairy cows still have access to grazing on pasture for part of the day during summer, but an increasing number of animals are being kept indoors for longer periods while others are kept inside all year round.

CIWF has welcomed the decision by Waitrose as intensive dairy farming can result in a number of welfare issues for cows, including lameness and mastitis and a lack of opportunities for expression of natural behaviours.

Significant progress To continue to promote the issue of animal welfare and humane farming practices, CIWF works in close collaboration with a broad base of government agencies, NGOs and food manufacturers to spread both awareness and understanding of the issue of animal welfare and to create partnerships that lead to effective solutions and humane food production.

CIWF has partnered with several NGOs in the implementation of specific projects including the RSPCA, World Animal Protection, the Soil Association and Sustain, while businesses such as Unilever and its Knorr brand, Greggs, Waitrose and Noble Foods have all

shown a willingness and dedication to championing humane and sustainable farming methods. “Through our UK HQ and our offices on the continent, we also lobby the EU institutions and the EU Member States urging them to strengthen animal welfare legislation and policies. In doing this we present the relevant scientific evidence and provide examples of alternative high welfare approaches that are already being successfully used by better farmers,” Tracey explains. “We also put forward the economic case as higher welfare can often produce benefits in terms of improved health and productivity. We are respected for the accuracy and depth of our work and our constructive engagement with food businesses is welcomed by government agencies. We also lobby the OIE (World Organisation of Animal Health), which is producing international standards on the welfare of animals on-farm and during transport and slaughter.”

Further to its lobbying activities, CIWF also acknowledges companies that have demonstrated a dedicated commitment to animal welfare across several criteria through its Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards. The organisation’s flagship Good Egg Award was established during 2007 and continues to recognise companies that source cage-free eggs and the scheme has since been expanded to include the Good Chicken, Good Dairy, Good Pig and the Good Rabbit awards. During the 2015 Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards ceremony held in Milan, the offshore catering business Garrets won the Good Egg Award in recognition for its commitment to source only cage-free whole eggs across its European operation. Garrets

are currently the only maritime company in the world to have received this award, which follows on the heels of their winning Good Egg and Chicken Awards for 2010 for their efforts in the UK market. “These awards are a vital tool that allows us to engage and converse with food companies under the banner of recognition and celebration which is very successful in helping us forge strong relationships,” Tracey says. “We congratulate all our Good Egg winners for the huge difference they are making to the lives of thousands of hens. We need more businesses to follow their excellent example and keep the momentum going across the industry.”

Although significant progress has been made across several markets across Europe in the field of sustainable farming and animal welfare, there is still much work to be done throughout the entire food industry. Using the production of pig meat as an example, Tracey elaborates: “A lack of clear labelling to differentiate systems for sows is becoming a major barrier to progress. Those producers who operate higher welfare systems with the provision of bedding and free farrowing (with nesting material), are not able to differentiate themselves from those producers keeping sows in barren environments and operating with farrowing crates. As a result, those higher welfare producers are being penalised as their products are sold under the same non-labelled banner, and for the same price, as pork meat where the sows are reared in standard intensive systems. It’s not fair and it’s not sustainable.

“Our focus for the next five years is ending the use of all cages for farm animals in food production systems, implementation of clear labelling by method of production, and firmly embedding farm animal welfare as a key pillar of humane sustainable global food production,” she concludes. “As a society we need to rethink our future food strategy if we are to feed the world with healthy, nutritious food, humanely and sustainably. In developed countries, we can start by eating less but better (i.e. higher welfare) meat, dairy and eggs; by being prepared to pay for the true cost of producing food; and by wasting less.” D www.compassionfoodbusiness.com

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Scanning the future

Barcode advancements the next aid to reduce waste.

By Justine Clark

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he food chain is continually under pressure to adapt to the way customers shop. The huge increase in next-day and same-day deliveries, combined with a growing demand for sustainability, responsible and fresh groceries affect an increasingly complex supply chain.

Currently, more than seven million tons of perishables are wasted every year in the UK alone, because of a breakdown in the cold chain in particular. With the spotlight on responsibility and quality, the ability to easily track and trace goods during the entirety of the food chain, through the collection of valuable data has become vital. This process allows for all key players, from the supplier to the distributor, involved in the chain to be better prepared for every delivery. To thrive in this evolving world, supermarkets and retailers need to act quickly and work smarter.

Visibility is crucial Historically retailers have used the barcode to solve simple issues, as the amount of data the barcode can hold is limited. For example, scanning the barcode, when paired with a warehouse management system, may set off an alert on an expiry date or flag when promotions needs to be implemented; enabling access to a high quality product at a lower price and allowing retailers or supermarkets to move product quantity that is nearing the end of its shelf life.

However, more companies are looking to the barcodes as the solution to increasingly complex traceability requirements. Additionally, the amended 2014 General Food Law introduced a new regulation that forced companies to indicate where items are located in the chain within a specific period of time.

Grocers and supermarkets now require a detailed visible tracking

Barcodes throughout a product’s journey, from the moment it’s packaged and distributed, to sitting on a store shelf or delivered to a customer’s home. Consumers want this transparency, too. Throughout the life of the product, the ability to trace (in real-time) when a particular product needs re-stocking or when it should not be sold due to its expiry date is crucial to providing a basic level of customer service, ensuring they have a positive experience no matter where they are.

Traceability requirements, hand in hand with greater complexity are increasing. Companies need to deploy scanning solutions to enable seamless tracking of goods that is vital for efficient food logistics resulting in minimal waste.

Taking action One company making a difference is DB Schenker, which operates land transport, air and ocean freight, contract logistics and supply chain management.

With the amended General Food Law in place, the company needed to amend some processes to align with the regulation but in the meantime also recognised that full access to accurate and real-time data is an absolute necessity.

Most recently, the company has overhauled its largest warehouse in Willebroek, which acts as a distribution point for customers located in the

Benelux region. Due to the need for accountable traceability within the complex food logistics industry, accurate and efficient track and trace of goods is of uttermost importance.

DB Schenker has made direct changes to its own approach to traceability, ensuring that all items include a serial shipper container code (SSCC) labels, which provide the product details that are used for transport purposes, in accordance with customers’ guidelines and regulation.

This is especially important in the case of standard supermarket products. The company has to pick the pallet with the correct product, the precise product date and the accurate ‘best before date’. The system then determines whether they can use the products that are still good for 90 or 120 days. This level of scrutiny would not possible without the incorporation of barcodes and scanning technology.

To achieve a high-level of visibility, DB Schenker implemented rugged hand-held terminals, ring scanners and vehicle-mounted computers on their order picker trucks and the SAP warehouse management system.

With these devices and applications, working with a warehouse management system, DB Schenker is able to achieve the visibility needed for better management.

These implementations have also helped to achieve a streamlined quality service for its customers with the aim that in the end there would be a reduction in waste, from both the customer and supplier.

What is next?

When it comes to the food chain, freshness is significant. Ultimately, the task is to provide the best quality goods to the customer in the fastest route available, within an environment that is both realistic and suitable to keep the goods at their best with minimal-to-no wastage.

By collecting and analyzing all the relevant data points now available that have been implemented through scanning technologies, companies will have better access to real-time information that is traceable to everyone involved in the food journey. This leads to faster and more accurate deliveries and goes a long way in helping suppliers meet customer needs from their grocery shopping.

The supply chain industry continues to see interesting moves and developments from disrupters. For example, most recently, Amazon announced that it is expanding into the food chain market with its partnership with Morrisons.

With ‘traditional’ online retailers taking a widening their offerings the industry needs to quickly adapt to not only to remain competitive in an everevolving market, ensuring they retain market share but also have the ability to attract potential customers. D Justine Clark is Industry Marketing Manager for Transport and Logistics in Europe at Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more information on Honeywell, visit: www.honeywellnow.com www.sensing.honeywell.com

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TasteTest

A natural alternative

Light up my life

For those looking for a refreshing drink with less sugar, Newton’s appl fizzics could be the answer. This new product is a curiously refreshing blend of apple juice and sparkling water with approximately 40 per cent less sugar than apple juice on its own.

Available in both 330ml and 750ml bottles, Newton’s appl fizzics is perfect for adults and children alike – a healthy alternative to both sugary soft drinks and alcohol. Best served chilled, Newton’s appl fizzics makes a wonderfully thirst quenching drink that can be enjoyed straight from the bottle, or in a glass with plenty of ice. www.newtonsapplfizzics.com

Belvoir Fruit Farms has added two new ‘Light’ varieties to its range with 30 per cent less sugar than the original versions; zingy Raspberry Lemonade Light and fragrant Elderflower & Rose Pressé Light.

Like all Belvoir’s drinks, the Light Range is hand made at Belvoir using real pressed fruit juices and freshly picked flowers so that despite the reduction in sugar there is no reduction in flavour.

The ‘Light’ range is designed to allow a different audience to enjoy Belvoir’s gently sparkling Pressés too.

All three varieties in the Belvoir Light range are available from Tesco and Ocado for around £2.39 per 75cl bottle. www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk

“I did taste this very cold from the fridge and it was wonderfully thirst quenching – I could picture me reaching for this on a hot day when I didn’t want something sickly sweet. It had a good amount of fizz and the apple flavour was natural and in my opinion quite sophisticated – definitely not like any old-school apple-ade!”

The team always looks forward to tasting a new Belvoir product and these Light versions split them into two distinct camps. One half loved the Lightness – they appreciated there was less sugar and enjoyed the delicate flavours of both the Raspberry Lemonade and the Elderflower Rose. The editor

had one bottle of the Raspberry Lemonade all to herself!

But the others found them slightly weak, without the really strong fruity or floral flavours they expected.

Overall, everyone loved the packaging ‘the bottle is very appealing and makes you feel like you are buying a natural product,’ was one comment. ‘I often find this sort of drink much too strong,” said another commenter. ‘I loved this Light Raspberry Lemonade, and it’s actually a treat for me to find something like this, with a delicate flavour that appeals to my palate.”

It’s nice iced As they launch a new marketing campaign entitled ‘putting the tea back into iced tea’, YumCha are hoping to capitalise on the growing consumer demand for innovative cold drinks and to show UK customers what ‘real iced tea’ tastes like.

The British brand was launched in 2012, but to date have largely concentrated on the mainland European market, where consumption of iced tea is considerably higher and accounts for a large proportion of the $40 billion worldwide market.

With a strong sales base now established in Holland, Switzerland and France the director of the YumCha brand, Guy Woodall (the original founder of Thorncroft Cordials), feels this summer is the right time to show the UK what iced tea ‘should’ taste like.

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Guy has invented an innovative new method of manufacturing iced tea, with a patent pending, which allows for the production of a commercial iced tea using a much more traditional method. Guy’s technique uses only natural ingredients and means the actual tea used in the drink becomes a much more prominent feature, also utilising appreciably less sugar (often used to cover up the harshness of acids). Delicious over ice, as a summer cocktail base, a family alternative to

cordial or fizzy drinks or even a winter warmer when made with hot water, YumCha look set to revolutionise the iced tea market in the UK. Guy has also spent time travelling the world looking for exciting and popular iced tea blends and amongst the YumCha range you’ll find Sour Plum, Moroccan Mint, Earl Grey and Jasmine. www.yumchadrinks.co.uk

As one of the taste test team is an iced tea enthusiast it seemed fair that she should be in charge of the YumCha – and she wasn’t disappointed. “I tried the Earl Grey first and I totally loved it! It’s easy to prepare, given that the bottle is like a cordial that you water down (I did have to restrain myself from drinking the syrup though!) I loved the packaging and the taste and would definitely give it a five out of five!”

TasteTest

My KIND of snack

Let’s go crackers Thin, crisp and extremely versatile, Leksands crispbreads are a brilliant alternative to the traditional loaf of bread and make the perfect vessel for a huge variety of toppings. Now available throughout the UK from Ocado.com and ScandiKitchen, Leksands bake genuine crispbread every day in Sweden, closely following traditional family recipes which were first formulated in the 1920’s. Only rye (which carries the Swedish Seal of Quality, the ‘Svensk Sigrill’) is used alongside pure water from Leksands very own spring, yeast and a pinch of salt and of course expert workmanship.

The crispbreads come in a number of must-try varieties ranging from Original, Brown Baked and Multi Grain to special Mountain crispbread and even up-tothe-minute Sourdough. www.leksands.se/en www.scandikitchen.co.uk

The team sampled the traditional smaller triangle Leksands crispbreads, but also the large round variety, which was new to

us all! “These can be used as an alternative to a white pizza bread base and what a good idea that is!” said the Ed. “I can’t wait to try it – but in the mean time I’ve also sampled these with butter and cheese and they are delicious.”

“I love how crispy these are, it makes them very satisfying,” added another. “They would also make a great alternative to the usual boring crackers we serve with cheese and biscuits at home. They are kind of similar to other rye crackers I’ve tried but also different – I would look out for them in the shops!”

Not your average beer Founded in 1999 by Alastair Hook and some friends, The Meantime Brewing Company set out to build the largest and most expensive start up brewery seen in the UK for over 80 years. Fast forward to 2016 and the company now brews ten different beers from its state-of-the-art brewery in Greenwich. These include London Lager, London Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, London Porter, Yakima Red, Wheat Beer, Chocolate Porter, Raspberry Wheat Beer, Pilsner and London Stout.

When Meantime was just a seed of an idea back in the early 2000’s it was always its vision to not only make great beer but to educate people about it too, and that is why the brewery is open to the public, so they can come and be a part of the Meantime story! The brewery also offers beer appreciation courses, in order to further educate those who are interested in the art of creating beer. www.meantimebrewing.com

There is never a shortage of volunteers to try beer samples! The London Lager was hailed as very good, straightforward and clean tasting, and quite hoppy.

The wheat beer was more intense – described as a ‘craft beer with the volume turned way up!’ “I loved the bottle as well – if I was looking to give beer as a gift then this would definitely be included, as it looks as good as it tastes,” said the tester.

One of the US’ most beloved snack bar ranges, KIND is set to become the snacking go-to for Brits, as its tasty and nutritious bars can now be found in Whole Foods Markets (£1.49) and Tesco stores (£1.29) nationwide.

A delicious, wholesome snack, KIND bars are made, quite simply, from whole nuts and fruits, bound together in honey. Not only do their unique flavour combinations taste great, they’re also gluten-free, high in fibre, and contain no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

The UK’s first bite of KIND comes in two popular ranges: KIND Nuts & Spices (Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt and Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt) and KIND Fruit & Nut (Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate, Almond & Coconut, Cranberry Almond & Macadamia Nuts and Dark Chocolate & Cherry Cashew). www.kindsnacks.com

“Just looking at these bars you can see they are packed with ingredients, which is always a good start – they really appeal visually, the clear packaging is a really great way of showing you what you’re getting and they look very tempting,” said one tester. “Gosh, these are tasty,” echoed another.

“They’re packed with fruit and nuts and are lovely and chewy in consistency. The little touch of sea salt also made them stand out from the crowd, and made them a bit different. When you’re faced with a huge selection of nut bars it is hard to know which to choose, but these are really pushing all the right buttons.”

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Heritage Portfolio Ltd

Proud traditions

By carving out its own unique niche in the culinary market Heritage Portfolio has grown to become one of Great Britain’s most prestigious catering services

A

passion for food defines Mark Miller, Founder and Director of Heritage Portfolio Ltd (HPL) – one of Great Britain’s leading high-end caterers. An entrepreneur in the truest sense, Mark founded Portfolio Catering in his mother’s kitchen back in 1993 and over the years that followed has served clients that included World Cup Cricket venues and the Sultan of Brunei. In 2003, the business merged with Heritage Hospitality to form what is today renowned for its innovative and creative menus as Heritage Portfolio. Based in Edinburgh, the company at this point was looking after a number of prolific Edinburgh venues including the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the National Museums of Scotland.

In 2013, the business took its place amongst the UK’s elite by becoming one of only three caterers (and the only in Scotland) to be granted the Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II for services to catering, distinguishing its unfaltering attention to quality and service. In 2014 it was approached by American hospitality group Centreplate to acquire the business, giving HPL the freedom to continue its own niche with the investment backing to expand even further. Today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of over 200 permanent staff, the company is implementing a new growth strategy to cross outside of Scotland into England. Yet, whilst its geographical spread might be changing its attention to detail and fine quality food remains very much the same.

“The business can be split into two key disciplines,” outlines Mark. “The first is destination cafes, so restaurantcafé style operations within visitor attractions. Our skill here is to create

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an offer that complements the client’s overall strategy, whilst at the same time ensuring that it shares the common values that permeate throughout the business. Central to these is that all our food is made from scratch. From bread to pesto, we try to cook everything in the venue’s kitchens from raw ingredients. The other avenue is in catering for special events at heritage properties, which we define as being castles, palaces, stately homes and other buildings of distinction, where our hallmark for quality and detail is perfectly suited.”

Crossing the border Food undoubtedly takes centre stage within HPL and key to upholding this for more than a decade is award-winning Executive Development Chef, Brian Canale who has trained with some of Europe’s most revered chefs and worked in some of the UK’s most prestigious

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and exclusive restaurants. Keen to challenge himself, Brian, a former Scottish Chef of the Year, joined the company with the mission to change the perception that event catering couldn’t meet restaurant quality levels. During his time at the company he has injected his passion for authentic flavours, which let natural ingredients speak for themselves, and created a range of innovative menus that now define Heritage Portfolio’s offering.

With the backing of Centerplate and its leading reputation in Scotland, 2016 marks a significant milestone for HPL as it crosses the border into the English market. “Because we are very focused on quality, service and the strong relationships that we have formed, we have always kept to quite a tight geographical area,” Mark says.

“However, as we have grown and become more robust and sophisticated we have always seen an opportunity

Heritage Portfolio Ltd for expansion and with the investment potential of Centerplate we now have the chance to develop this strategy.

Whilst we do this, however, it is vital that we retain our high-end niche so it is important to find those areas of the country where there are clusters of heritage properties and a suitable demographic profile that is looking for our style of offer.”

Prestigious platform In March 2016, HPL announced two successful wins in England: the worldrecord breaking British Airways i360 in Brighton and the historic Arley Hall and Gardens in Northwhich, Cheshire.

In Brighton, Brian will be working with Centerplate’s Director of Culinary Operations, Terry Price and Steven Edwards – winner of MasterChef: The Professionals – to develop signature dishes for the venue. Opening this summer, the contract will include the catering management of a 400 seat brassiere and 50-500 capacity event room at the base of the 162 metre moving observation tower plus a reconstructed 18th century toll booth tea room on the beach’s promenade.

In Cheshire, HPL has installed an in-house team to manage all event bookings and event design for weddings, private dinners and receptions. It has created The Gardener’s Kitchen, which is a new café to serve exquisite ‘made from scratch’ menus to garden visitors. “At both venues we will be building local teams with the flexibility that such unique and special locations will need, whilst maintaining the quality and traditions

that we at Heritage Portfolio are proud of,” highlights Mark.

Following it’s ethos to be open, honest and proud, Heritage Portfolio has built itself a truly prestigious platform from which it has been able to serve top quality food to a whole host of highend guests. As far as the future is concerned, Mark has his focus trained keenly on developing the English market and is open to new opportunities to grow as and when they present themselves.

“We will continue to look at what people like and what they want, to see where and in what direction we can head,” he says. “However, the service and quality we provide will remain the same. We have become known for setting trends in the industry so as long as we ensure the resources are in place to continue this and keep people excited then I am confident that we will have a business to be proud of long into the future.” D www.heritageportfolio.co.uk

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McDonald’s Netherlands

A unique trend McDonald’s Netherlands is Europe’s oldest branch of one of the world’s best-known franchises outside of the US and continues to innovate in the dining experience that the company provides

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he iconic golden arches of the now globally recognised McDonald’s brand first appeared in the Netherlands during September 1971, when Europe’s first McDonald’s restaurant was opened in Zaandam, near Amsterdam. By 1987 the franchise opened its first ‘McDrive’ Drive-Thru restaurant to huge success and over the subsequent years the McDonald’s brand has grown to represent 246 restaurants throughout the Netherlands. The franchise has grown into region’s market leader in the quick service restaurant (QSR) market.

In 2016 the McDonald’s franchise will celebrate 45 years of serving the Dutch community since its pioneering Zaandam restaurant first opened its doors. Over the years the business has seen several product launches in the Netherlands, with the instantly recognisable McDonald’s Happy Meal arriving in 1986 and the introduction of the vegetable burger in 1993. Further to being at the forefront of the introduction

of new dining experiences to customers in the country, McDonald’s Netherlands was one of the first companies with its own system of separate collection and recycling of waste.

All of the waste from McDonald’s Netherlands is recycled or recovered with energy recovery, with paper and paperboard collected and processed into napkins and placemats for example.

Furthermore, 100 per cent of the cooking oil that is used in the company’s restaurants is collected and ultimately recycled into biofuels. “Being the first country in Europe where McDonald’s chose to export its formula from the United States is something that makes us very proud,” explains General Director of McDonald’s Netherlands, Manu Steijaert.

“We are truly a part of the Dutch society and are deeply involved with corporate responsibility initiatives like the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and local sponsoring. Sustainability is highly developed in the Netherlands and following almost three decades of

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McDonald’s Netherlands hard work, McDonald’s Netherlands can consider itself a profound company in recycling, reusing and reducing litter.”

Throughout its history, McDonald’s Netherlands has placed great importance of being at the centre of the local neighbourhood and today has over 17,500 employees across its 246 restaurants that serve as many a three million visitors per week. The company operates in accordance with its mission to ‘Think Global, Act Local’ and treats responsibility towards the environment and the wider community as key values. The 76 franchisees involved in McDonald’s Netherlands are highly supportive of local communities and are members of local business and merchant associations. Throughout the business franchisees help to organise clean-up operations to keep the environment clean, take part in employment projects and sponsor local sports clubs. Additionally, many franchisees are also involved as board members at a Ronald McDonald House or participate in the national board of the RMHC, like Franchisee Pieter Honing, who just has been knighted for his social achievements for the RMHC in general.

McDonald’s Netherlands also works to ensure that it actively engages with its customers to further a sense of fun and community spirit. This has led to the development of its ‘Fun to the Max’ concept, which is implemented through the McDonald’s app and other activities. These can include seasonal events that help to make the brand a continued part of day-to-day life within the wider community. “To continue to provide an exciting and fun experience,

McDonald’s developed a ‘Present Calendar’ campaign, which is similar to an advent calendar, during December 2015,” Manu exclaims. “Everyday in December we offered a surprise/present for our McDonald’s App users, such as the chance of winning a car, Playstation 4 or scooter. Other activities such as singing a song for example, allowed customers to earn free fries. We currently have over 1.1 million App users and the Present Calendar generated more than 840k activated in App presents.”

During 2015 McDonald’s Netherlands and its Franchisees completed an intensive investment programme across many of its stores, which included extensive redevelopment and expansion activities, as well as the opening of new restaurants. “This investment represents a significant step in the further innovation and modernisation of the McDonald’s brand within the Netherlands,” Manu elaborates. “Four new restaurants have been opened during 2015 and nearly half of the current 246 restaurants have already adopted the platform of integration including a new kitchen and counter lay out, which empowers us to personalise burgers and menus and offer other services.”

The investment into the development of its restaurants coincides with the introduction of the ‘My Burger’ concept that was launched across McDonald’s Netherlands in October 2015. This option is designed to give visitors to McDonald’s restaurants greater freedom in building the burger of their choosing and following successful implementation within the Netherlands, the initiative could travel to McDonald’s stores throughout Europe. “The ‘My Burger’ concept enables customers to personalise their favourite burgers, including the Quarter Pounder, McChicken and Fileto-Fish sandwiches (Royal Fish) and to add further items such as an extra piece of beef, chicken, fish, or bacon, cheese, jalapenos or nacho chips and add extra sauce,” Manu says. “Forty per cent of the customers ordering at the new easy order kiosk personalised their burger, with The Quarter Pounder representing the favourite choice. Most of the time a piece of beef, bacon and cheese were chosen as the extra ingredients.”

During October McDonald’s Netherlands also introduced its new Maestro Burger, which aims to offer a ‘high-end’ burger experience. The Maestro Burger features two 100 per cent angus beef burgers with bacon, naturally aged cheddar cheese, red onion rings, Batavia lettuce, ketchup and wild mustard sauce on a special sesame and poppy seed bun. The new burger has been a huge success for the company and is set to remain as fixed feature in McDonald’s Netherlands restaurants.

“McDonald’s introduced the Maestro Burger in October while responding to the burger bar trend of luxury burgers,” Manu explains. “Owing to its success this burger is here to stay, with some 25,000 burgers sold a day since October. In all we have sold 3.8 million Maestro Burgers as of March 2016.”

Core to the success of McDonald’s Netherlands and that of the wider group, is its continued focus on delivering the finest quality foods and ingredients.

The company employs a three-pronged approach to ensuring the highest levels of quality and service, which focuses on strong relationships between McDonald’s Netherlands and its franchisees, employees and farmers and suppliers.

These relationships will also enable the company to invest in further dining experiences and innovations as the McDonald’s brand continues to grow.

“The ‘three-legged stool’ approach is the main driver success of McDonald’s.

Besides McDonald’s Nederland on the one hand and its franchisees, suppliers are also key to its success. Relationships that we have built last over ten to twenty years have helped to optimise quality and stimulate innovation,” Manu concludes.

“Our strategic goals are aimed on three things, the consumer, the consumer and the consumer. We are consumer obsessed. In order to keep up with the ever-changing world, the only fact that will be the same is that there will be change. Our guests are at the core of the choices we make and we would like to create special moments for our guests, by serving quality products while doing good for the community in the way we operate.” D www.mcdonalds.nl

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Green gold Nestled in the heart of St. Lucia and just a 45-minute drive from the island’s international airport, Fond Doux Plantation & Resort is a romantic getaway that features intimate and private luxury cottages

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perating today as a plantation and an intimate holiday destination featuring an assortment of 15 uniquely crafted cottages, the colonial Fond Doux Plantation & Resort was originally owned

by King Louis XIV and subsequently granted to the Devaux brothers. The Fond Doux Estate was purchased by its current owners, the Lamontagne family, in 1980 and operated as a banana plantation throughout the 1990s, in a period when the banana was nicknamed ‘green gold.’

By 1999 the Lamontagne family took the decision to diversify into heritage tourism and in 2006 had erected the resort’s first cottage, the ‘Angelina Villa’ in the gardens of the estate.

During the subsequent years, Fond Doux has since grown to become a Green Globe certified plantation resort with a total of 15 cottages, a triple-tier swimming pool, an organic spa, a gift shop, two onsite restaurants, a wedding gazebo and many hiking trails. The Green Globe Company Standard is designed for organisations within the travel and tourism industry and provides a framework to assess an organisation’s environmental sustainability. Its commitment to operating as an authentic plantation with sustainable business practices that extend to its hotel and catering

services, has earned Fond Doux an enviable reputation and global acclaim.

“Fond Doux is today the only authentic organic plantation in St. Lucia with most of its produce being harvested on the plantation. It is also the only resort on the island that engages in true eco building practices and natural preservation of historic buildings,” reveals Owner and Executive Director, Mrs. Eroline Lamontagne. “The British newspaper, The Guardian voted Fond Doux as one of the five best plantation retreats in the world and additionally, in 2008, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall visited the resort for an official tour.”

The Fond Doux Plantation has been in operation for around 250 years and is conveniently located just minutes away from some of St. Lucia’s main attractions, including the Pitons volcanic plugs; the island’s sulphur springs – known as the ‘Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano’; and the region’s best diving sites. All of which are set within a prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site. The resort offers an authentic Saint Lucian experience that is appreciated by a new trend of responsible travellers around the globe. Fond Doux is situated amongst lush cocoa groves so that guests can not only smell chocolate wafting by on the warm breeze, but can

Fond Doux Plantation & Resort also actively engage in the processing of chocolate with cocoa harvesting, drying and even cocoa dancing.

This local flavour extends to the report’s two restaurants that provide both authentic Saint Lucian Creole and fusion style cuisine. The Cocoa Pod restaurant for example, offers tempting Saint Lucian dishes including Creole chicken and freshly caught fish, combined with locallygrown seasonings, vegetables and salads, which are traditional Saint Lucian staples that make for healthy and delicious culinary experiences. The Jardin Cacao Restaurant offers á la carte options for both lunch and dinner with a fusion of Caribbean and St. Lucian cuisine.

The lunch menu has been thoughtfully designed to have lighter, healthier dishes to include organic soups, salads sandwiches, wraps, roti’s and pasta dishes. The dinner menus are created with the freshest produce found in the resort’s gardens, including local farmed fresh water shrimps. Visitors can enjoy a selection of signature dishes combined with a modern interpretation of authentic Saint Lucian cuisine to include vegetable soups, chicken/fish souse kaye, organic house salads, pan seared Mahi-Mahi, Creole shrimps, Jerk pan fried chicken breast and grilled beef sirloin.

“The inspirational concept behind the resort’s restaurants is to offer a ‘Plantation to Plate’ experience to its diners. Every day one of the resort’s gardeners visits a rare certified organic farm to harvest fresh organic fruits (grapefruit, guavas, star fruits, passion fruits, oranges and bananas) vegetables, (Chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers), ground provisions (yam, dasheen, sweet potatoes, turnips and breadfruit) and local spices,” Mrs. Lamontagne explains. “The organic fruits are used to make fresh local juice, which guests can sample during breakfast, lunch and dinner. The chef then uses the vegetables, ground provisions and local spices to create authentic Saint Lucian and Caribbean dishes.”

Fond Doux ensures that it makes regular adjustments to the resort’s menus to coincide with the change in seasons and typically employs two chefs that use their culinary expertise to consistently produce excellent authentic Saint Lucian

and Caribbean infused masterpieces while making use of the organic tropical fruits, vegetables and spices grown in their gardens.

During the coming years, the Fond Doux Plantation & Resort will continue to focus on delivering fantastic holiday and culinary experiences. This will include the addition of five additional cottages; the construction of a gym that will enhance guests’ visits by allowing them to add fitness to their daily activities; chocolate making on the resorts premises; and

continuous staff training. The resort’s owners continue to meet the essential training needs of the staff through on property coaching activities as well as the training programmes that become available over time. Furthermore, as a Green Globe member, the resort is dedicated to championing the protection of the environment. “We are extremely satisfied with the recently signed Paris Agreement and believe that it has lived up to the demand of many environmental activists who were most pleased that the deal includs a long-term emissions reduction goal, the five-year review cycle and strong measures to ensure transparency,” Mrs. Lamontagne concludes. “The Lamontagne family is on a mission to continue raising awareness on the importance of protecting the environment. The resort is committed to self-sufficiency and is focusing all efforts on maximum participation in the community and the wider world.” D www.fonddouxestate.com

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Lambertz

A tradition of

Hermann Buehlbecker

invention With a rich history dating back to 1688, Lambertz has grown from a regional business to an international company specialising in premium quality biscuits

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hile Lambertz today operates as Germany’s oldest confectionary brand, the roots of the business date back to 15 September 1688, when master baker, Henry Lambertz established the ‘Haus zur Sonne’ baking house in Aachen. The company quickly earned a reputation for delivering truly excellent baked good, including its

traditional Aachener Printe gingerbread.

Throughout its history, Lambertz has continued to develop new and exciting products. During 1820 for example, Henry Lambertz IV sweetened the Printe

when Dr. Hermann Bühlbecker, a direct descendent of Henry Lambertz took control of the company. Today Lambertz generates a turnover of around €620 million and employs more than 4000 people at its

dough for the first time with sugar syrup and icing sugar, while in 1831 Johann Werner introduced new developments in herbal Printe dough.

In 1978 the business entered into its ninth generation

production sites in Germany and an additional site in Poland. After growing from a small supplier of baked good within a niche market, the company has transformed into a global market leader for seasonal and speciality Christmas baked goods within circa 40 countries worldwide and the business shows no sighs of slowing down. “In five years, we would like to be an even more international company than we are today,” reveals the current owner of Lambertz, Dr. Bühlbecker. “We still see considerable growth potential in the United States and Eastern Europe.

We also want to continue to extend our range of products. As a global market leader in autumn and Christmas baked goods, it will be a success in itself if we can defend our current position.”

Core to the ongoing development of Lambertz, is the on-going development of new and exciting baked products that both offer tantalising innovation and reflect the changing tastes of consumer demand.

In addition to its impressive organic growth, the company has made several strategic acquisitions over the years that have increased the range of confectionary products that Lambertz is able to offer.

During May 2015 for example, Lambertz took over all business operations belonging to the Ifri Schuhmann Group in Nuremberg, including its gingerbread and Dauerbackwaren factory Ifri Schuhmann GmbH & Co. KG. The purchase also

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Lambertz included the Burg Lebkuchen GmbH Nürnberg and Josef Wendler nougat GmbH & Co. KG brands.

“One of the reasons that Lambertz remains so strong in the market is its continuing innovation with new products,” elaborates Head of Marketing, Wolfgang Siegel. “We have several product launches each year that really enable us to push into the market and this has been supported by the acquisition of several other brands during the company’s history. Dr. Bühlbecker started by taking over control of Lambertz and later added brands such as Kinkartz and Haeberlein-Matzger to the business.

This is partly why Lambertz has been able to achieve continued growth and today there is no other company within Germany that can boast over 365 years of baking tradition.”

Bursts of flavour In recent months Lambertz has introduced several new product lines that appeal to a diverse spectrum of consumer tastes. Its new range of bio-cookies for example, enable diners to enjoy the sweet temptation of Lambertz in a healthy way. Its new line of bio-cookies is available in three delicious flavours, comprised of Matcha, apple-chia and meadow herbs. “The combination of cookie with delicately sweet matcha tea reveals not only the tea’s aroma as well as its colour as the cookie melts in the mouth. The delicious new meadow herbs cookie is another real treat and in every way the equal of the matcha cookie,” Hermann says. “A harmonious mix of organic spearmint, organic lemon balm and organic

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marigold turns this cookie into a special taste experience. The trio is completed by the delightful apple-chia cookie, the full fruitiness of sun-ripened apples in harmony with chia seeds, which are attributed a health-giving effect thanks to a particularly high nutrient content that is the secret of this cookie.”

The new organic bio-cookies are equally impressive in terms of taste and look. Baked in the shape of a small leaf, they are an attractive and healthy occasional snack. The new delicacies are presented in a new packaging design, to be introduced as a new bio range under the Lambertz brand. In addition to the introduction of its bio-cookies, the company’s bio range has been further enhanced by the introduction of its bio-oat cookies. “Lambertz is devoted to delighting the palate and constantly developing innovative, new delicacies.

The new bio-oat cookie is a real highlight in that respect,” Hermann says. “The combination of oats, quinoa, amaranth and chia makes the new bio-oat cookie a delicious treat that melts in the mouth.

As a non-chocolate coated version, the new 150g bio-oat cookies with special ingredients are an outstanding addition to the existing bio-oat cookies with milk or dark chocolate, and are also suitable for the warmer months of the year. The new bio-cookie appears in the attractive new packaging design among the new bio range of the Lambertz brand.”

Further to its healthy range of biocookies, Lambertz has also introduced its luxury Weltgenuss brand of biscuits as well as its Heavy 1 cookie. Weltgenuss represents a culinary journey around the world that combines precious chocolate

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with South American red pepper, Asian peanuts and oriental pistachio and liquorice, while Heavy 1 represents a ‘wake up’ innovation in baked goods.

“The Heavy 1 cookie is a crispy, crunchy guarana cookie with natural caffeine, filled with a tenderly melting cream filling with the taste of the popular, new energy drink ‘Heavy 1’, Hermann explains. “Not only does it have a great taste, but is also a real eye-catcher that is coated with a fine white chocolate cover and adored with lovely sweet number ones in a red colour, as well as popping candies. This is literally a burst of flavours, because the small popping candies provoke a nice tingle in the mouth. It is a unique cookie, which is not just tasty, but also gives you energy because of the content of natural caffeine.”

With these innovative product developments and a proven track record as a leading supplier of market-leading and exquisite baked goods, Lambertz is set to continue to offer tasty and inviting treats that will tempt even the most discerning diner. With the introduction of its bio range of cookies and its Heavy 1 and Weltgenuss lines, Lambertz has once again proven that it has something for everyone. D www.lambertz.de

Thurne-Middleby

A cut

above Thurne-Middleby creates precisionengineered slicing systems for bacon, cooked meats and cheese applications

W

ith over 45 years of industry experience, Thurne-Middleby Ltd has a proven international reputation in delivering high quality, precision-engineered slicing systems for bacon, cooked meats and cheese applications.

Since its formation as Thurne Engineering in 1967, the Thurne brand has developed a reputation as a leading name in the provision of high speed slicing equipment, through a succession of ‘industry first’ slicing machines that pioneer vision, scanning and computer technologies that benefit small family firms and large multi-site corporations alike. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, Thurne Engineering joined forces with AEW Engineering and Delford to form AEW Delford Systems.

AEW had previously excelled in the manufacture of high-speed bandsaws as well as automatic portion control slicers and saws, while Delford had earned a worldwide reputation for its pioneering labelling and dynamic weighing technology. During 2006 the business became part of the Marel group as part of the company’s expansion in food processing equipment.

During the close of the first quarter of 2015, the Middleby Corporation acquired the assets of the Marel highspeed slicing business unit. The roots of the Middleby Corporation date back to when the company was founded as a bakery supplier in 1888. In 2014 Fortune Magazine named the Middleby Corporation as its fastest growing

company, while today the business continues as a leading provider of commercial cooking equipment, industrial processing equipment and residential appliances.

As part of the purchase, Middleby took the decision to rebrand the unit under its original trademark of Thurne while continuing in the manufacture of the company’s broad line of high-speed slicers and integrated slicing systems.

The slicing technology developed

by Thurne includes market leading, automated bacon, deli-meat and cheese slicing equipment that delivers clients unique solutions that reduce labour, increase production throughput and reduced food costs while assuring quality and precise portion control.

“Both Thurne and AEW began as Norwich-based engineering companies involved in producing process equipment for the food industry, with Thurne operating as a leader in technology for high-speed slicing,” elaborates President at ThurneMiddleby Ltd, Peter Jongen. “Thurne was the first company to develop the ‘vision system’ with an aim to improve the accuracy of individual slices for deli products. Thurne is currently solely focused on concentrating on slicing technology, with its biggest market currently in the field of bacon slicers in the United States. The company also continues to have a strong presence in the UK and has always remained an innovator in food slicing solutions.”

Thurne is presently highly active within the US, where its products are

currently employed by nearly all of the country’s large bacon processers. As part of the company’s on-going growth strategy for 2016 and beyond, Thurne is keen to expand its presence within the UK and Europe and will be attending the IFFA in Frankfurt exhibition for the meat industry during May 2016. The show will give the company the opportunity to both meet with current and potential future clients, as well as to demonstrate the technologies available to clients. “IFFA is one of the world’s largest exhibitions in the meat industry, where food processing companies and manufacturers are all present,” Peter says. “We will be in attendance and plan on displaying our IBS4600 precooked bacon slicer, which is a four-blade slicing machine. The machine itself was developed around eight years ago and we have an install base of 25 units at present, so it is not a new machine in that respect. Within Europe however, the IBS4600 is a relatively new development and a unique slicing technology, meaning that there is no competing machine on the market.”

The IBS4600 is essentially four slicers in one, featuring four independent feeds, four independent blades and four independent cameras, which are combined with Thurne vision technology.

As the world’s first slicer to have four independent feeds, the IBS4600 represents a bacon processing revolution that is becoming increasingly known the world over. Each of the unit’s independent feeds is equipped with its own vision system that gives weight control of individual slices, regardless of belly size.

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Thurne-Middleby Knecht Maschinenbau GmbH A 950 Grinding Machine for Slicer Knives from KNECHT The A 950 sharpens sickle knives of all brands up to 900mm (35 inches) and circular knives up to 700mm (27 inches). The machine works with driven grinding tools. As a result, the slicer knives are ground with precisely defined edges. The grinding pressure is applied pneumatically. The material removal on the cutting tool can be exactly regulated. The grinding angle is adjusted electrically with utmost precision. The reproduction accuracy is 0.1 degree.

The heart of the A 950 is the cam. It is individually customised for any slicer knife. The cam ensures that the knife retains its exact original shape over its entire service life.

The A 950 is easy to use. An individual grinding program, consisting of the number of grinding cycles and the selected grinding angle, can be saved for each slicer knife. When the program is called up, the machine automatically

solutions, which allow clients to order with full peace of mind and form a core pillar of the company’s continued growth strategy. “We offer service level agreements in various grades, including taking full ownership of the machines.

We carry out inspections regularly and deliver spare parts from Norwich to Europe and also have a service office based in Chicago to service North America. Thurne also has field engineers living in the US and the UK to ensure that we are always close to our customers,” Peter concludes.

“I think that presently we are doing very

well and we are keen to continue to grow within the UK, because although the US is a highly successful market for us, we want to expand the success in the UK and Europe. Our membership of Middleby is a great strength for us in this respect, as it is a strong company in food processing with various other companies within the group. This allows us to make use of its vertically integrated systems to strengthen our market leading position.” D www.thurne.com

adjusts to these settings.

High yields with low giveaway are the norm thanks to the precision and control that delivers constant weight portions with remarkable consistency, while end user and consumer appeal is enhanced because the end product has a uniform appearance, texture and quality and can be sorted into fixed weight and count packs.

Through the invigorated marketing of its new and existing machines, Thurne is already expanding is presence within the UK market. During February 2016 for example, the company launched its IBS1000 Bacon Slicer with great success. “We launched the IBS1000 early in 2016, specifically for the UK food industry. We have sold more than half a dozen of the machines already and expect more sales to follow as there is great interest in the machine,” Peter reveals. “The IBS is very efficient and therefore increased volume and yield. It is capable of high blade speeds and throughput to match production needs, while ensuring consistent slice thickness and integrity. The machine also has a small, space saving footprint and can produce a variety of retail and food service pack formats.”

While the largest market for Thurne is presently within the bacon-slicing sector, the company continues to manufacture slicing solutions for the deli and cheese markets, where it began in slicers several decades ago.

These include machines for slicing beef loins, cheeses and so on. Across all of its targeted market sectors, Thurne offers comprehensive aftercare

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Out of the box thinking

Serving the interests of coffee service and vending industry throughout Europe, the European Vending Association protects its members through lobbying actions, education and raising industry awareness

S

ince its foundation in 1994, the European Vending Association (EVA) has operated as a non-profit organisation committed to serving the interests of the European coffee service and vending industry in relation to EU institutions and other relevant authorities and bodies. The EVA operates as an internationally recognised association governed by Belgian law and its membership comprises 15 European National Associations representing 16 countries, as well as 78 corporate members. EVA members also include the National Automatic Merchandising

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European Vending Association

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Association (NAMA) and European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA) as associate members, with overlapping synergies and interests throughout the international vending industry.

“The EVA was founded in Brussels so that it could be close to other industry associations. Brussels is the capital of power within Europe, so it was important for the vending industry to be represented there with its own office to manage legislation and to be close to key decision makers,” elaborates Director General, Erwin Wetzel. “The vending industry covers a lot of generalised areas such as packaging and nutritional information that can be covered by other associations, but also covers more specialised areas that require a targeted representative.”

In accordance to EVA statutes, the association’s members are divided into five distinct categories, ranging from full members to associate organisations and supporting companies. Its members cover a broad spectrum of industry sectors within the coffee service and

vending market. While its national associations and corporate members have different sizes and resources, they share a common objective of serving and promoting the vending industry with national authorities and to the EU. The various aspects of the coffee and vending industry covered by EVA members include machines, such as table tops, freestanding, combimachines, coffee, cans & bottles, snacks, ice cream and hot meals; cups in paper or plastics; ingredients (milk, coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks, snacks, etc); water filters; coin mechanisms; banknote validators; cashless systems utilising cards, tokens, keys and contactless payments; and security systems.

‘

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During November 2016 the association will host its second EVEX event in France, where members and supporting partners will be able to discuss important developments

Market trends Vending represents an important and growing market within Europe and includes a significant manufacturing sector with plants principally located within Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. There are currently approximately 3.74 million vending machines in Europe, 2.2 million of which dispense hot drinks with the vast majority of these comprising tabletop coffee machines. These machines are commonly located in offices and businesses, corresponding to an average of 140 European workers for every hot drinks machine. Across Europe, the industry employs more than 85,000 individuals directly within some 10,000 companies. Throughout Europe the annual turnover of the business amounts to around €11.8 billion. The largest markets within Europe in the coffee service and vending industry are currently Italy, France, the UK, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, which in total make up around 77 per cent of the total European market.

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Increase quality and extend the service life of your vending machines.

Every day, countless cups of hot beverages are purchased from vending machines. Preparing the perfect beverage in a vending machine requires a combination of factors. Reliable operation, attractive cups, user-friendly equipment – and a dependable source of excellent water – are all crucial to producing the right result, and the right revenue. All factors are equally important, but one topic is on the rise.

“If your business wants to stand out from the crowd and win customer loyalty, you need to offer products of consistently great quality”, explains Dr. Hilmar Walde, Chief Technology Officer at the leading water technology company BRITA and member of the EVA board.

Taste and appearance have become key differentiators for quality.

Coffee is a prime example. Ideally, it should match the standards today’s discerning consumers expect from a barista-staffed café. However,

contains a balanced mix of minerals, such as calcium and sodium.

Only then it has the ideal hardness for brewing hot beverages such as coffee”, he highlights.

Still service and maintenance is the key to profitability and revenue.

that means more than just rich flavor – appearance, including a classic

Therefore BRITA’s filtration systems have been designed for ease of

crema, also plays an important role. But one swallow does not make a

operation. Installation and servicing, including filter replacement,

summer – it is only a consistency within the customer’s experience that

are simple and intuitive. BRITA Professional products offer a variety

creates trust.

of tried-and-tested features: a pivoting wall mount for the filter head enables cartridges to be replaced quickly and smoothly, without special tools. The hoses remain attached to the filter head, and the machine can continue to operate thanks to an integrated bypass system. A convenient interlocking ensures that. Moreover, the filter can be rinsed and drained at the touch of a button – with no risk of water leakage.

Water as main ingredient in your recipe for success.

BRITA’s PURITY filtration systems improve the quality of the water used to prepare hot beverages in your vending machine. Moreover, BRITA-enhanced water extends the service life of your equipment.

All key components that come into contact with water are reliably protected against limescale and deposits of unwanted minerals, such as gypsum. By guarding against damage in this way, you can increase the operational availability of your valuable equipment. And by avoiding repairs and reducing maintenance effort, you generate savings that

Water of the finest quality – and easy maintenance.

boost your bottom line.

Dr. Walde asserts: “We have extensive hands-on

A beverage is only as good as its ingredients. And that applies to vending

experience of your industry.

machines, too. Aromatic coffee beans and fine teas are all-important.

As a result, we understand

But so, too, is the water that goes into each and every cup. Dr. Walde

that the combination of

points to the scientific research provided by BRTA and other mayor

excellent service – provided

players in the market like the SCAE organization: “Water has a significant

by trained professionals –

impact on the taste, aroma, and appearance of the final product.”

and user-friendly technology

Any good water filtration systems turn mains water into a liquid ideally suited to the specific needs of your vending machine. “The filtered water

is key to ensuring high equipment availability.”

European Vending Association As such a large and increasingly diverse market, the vending industry is subject to the trends of several industry sectors as well as the changing requirements of international and national legislation. The EVA provides a vital platform and single point of contact to represent and promote the needs of its members. In December 2014 for example, new European legislation was introduced that had a significant impact on foodservice operators and vendors throughout the market. EU Food Information Regulation No 1169/2011 (FIR), also known as Food Information for Consumers Regulation (FIC), relates to the way that operators and their suppliers label and describe nutritional and allergy information on packaging.

“FIC represented a significant challenge to the vending industry, however the EVA was able to exclude the vending machines themselves from legislation that would have meant that operators would had to provide information relating to pre-packed foods on the machines.

For products including snacks, pre-packed sandwiches and canned drinks the requirement is to provide the information regarding nutrition and allergies after the purchase of these items on the item’s packaging,” Erwin reveals. “However for non pre-packed foods and drinks, such as hot chocolate

and coffee it has been required since 2014 to display this information on the machine.”

FeelGood project Today the EVA continues to serve its membership and the wider needs of the vending industry within Europe. During November 2015 the association hosted its first European Vending Experience (EVEX), in association with the Spanish vending association (ANEDA). The event was held in Malaga, Spain and included seminars, workshops and networking opportunities to operators and supporters at every level of the vending industry. The event also hosted two keynote speakers who discussed important trends within the vending industry, including the further development of healthy options in vending machines and the need for technological innovation to deliver a positive and meaningful experience to customers.

To help spearhead the further introduction of a healthy choice of food products within vending machines the EVA is a member of the EU Platform for Diet, Nutrition and Physical Activity, which was established by the European Commission. One of the commitments promoted by the EVA via this platform is the FeelGood project that is currently in operation within France. “The

FeelGood logo is now used on over 4000 machines throughout France. It is a special label that has been approved by the French Ministry of Health as well as nutritional bodies and is designed to give an indication that the machine contains healthier food options,” Erwin explains. “To be awarded this label, the machine must contain products from five categories compromised of water, cereals, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. This is a project that we support at the local level and we would like to see it take off in other countries.”

During 2016 and beyond the EVA will continue to support its members as the vending industry continues to evolve and address new challenges and opportunities. During November 2016 the association will host its second EVEX event in France, where members and supporting partners will be able to discuss important developments including the ongoing delivery of healthy food options and the upcoming EU ban on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) in new equipment like refrigeration systems of chilled vending machines. The ban on F gases is due to come into effect during 2022 and represents one of the many areas in which the EVA will assist its members over the coming years. D www.vending-europe.eu

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Finely

crafted

With over two decades of proven experience, Zip Technologies is a manufacturer of brewing equipment with a passion for delivering turnkey brewing solutions to the brewpub, craft brewery and microbrewery industries

O

perating from the Hungarian city of Miskolc, Zip Technologies is a forward thinking provider of finely crafted brewing equipment, with a goal of making brewing as enjoyable and seamless as possible by bringing to a small scale the technology and automation that is usually exclusively enjoyed by larger breweries. “The idea of producing brewing equipment grew

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from a simple intention to start brewing ourselves,” reveals the Founder and Executive Director, Lászlo Tóth. “At the beginning of 1993, the market offer for craft breweries was quite scant and was mainly represented by a couple of companies, producing for big industrial breweries. Not having found the desired capacity, we gathered a group of talented engineers and created the very first type of Zip craft brewery. The idea found a

Zip Technologies

configurations. “With time the driving concept behind the business came into shape – we wanted to create equipment that was unique in every detail, with parts that can only be found in a Zip brewery,” Lászlo elaborates. “Today Zip delivers equipment for small scale beer production that is suitable for beginners in brewing with a genuine passion to brew, just like we were at the beginning. Through the automation of all of the brewing processes, Zip is able to ease the brewmasters’ life and leave space for creation and experiment. Based on traditional brewing techniques with automation at hand, we provide a professional starting kit that helps the brewer grow through experience.”

True beer lovers

positive response and soon we had more and more requests for small brewing kits, particularly from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Those were experimental breweries, which were tested together with our customers.”

Beginning with just a single type of brewing equipment, Zip gradually grew to offer 50 varied solutions comprising of different designs, capacities and

The Brewhouse Restaurant represents Zip’s contribution to a new generation of brewpubs and brewing restaurants that share one common goal – to promote the beer and gastronomy concept

Zip’s main focus is geared towards brewmasters and brewing enthusiasts, including individuals who have been involved in the brewing industry for years and want to develop a brewery of their own, entrepreneurs from a host of industries who are ready to invest in new projects, restaurant owners in search of new ideas and home brewers with some brewing experience looking to expand their capacities. Throughout all of its applications, Zip’s client base is comprised of people who are true beer lovers.

Today Zip continues to operate from its 5000m2 manufacturing plant, from where it develops bespoke equipment for its clients. “Although we have grown in recent years, we want to preserve the status of a craft manufacturer and not the feel of a large industrialised product supplier,” Lászlo explains. “Along with industrial equipment for cutting and treating the stainless steel rolls and sheets before shaping them into vessels, a lot of work, such as welding is done manually. We have around 100 employees of whom at least 40 are engineers and experienced specialists including mechanical and food and beverage processing engineers, as well as welders, cooling engineers, technicians, fitting specialists and programmers. Ninety-five per cent of our equipment is produced by Zip without any outsourcing.”

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Competition success

Tecnofondi S.p.A TECNOFONDI SPA STAINLESS STEEL DISHED HEADS. Tecnofondi S.p.A is an Italian company located in the province of Brescia, which since 1965 has produced dished heads for the construction of tanks, cisterns and boilers.

The production takes place in two separate divisions: The Division of Stainless Steel Heads was created in 2004, and is separated from the main building and thus allows the company to produce stainless steel heads through machinery and equipment specially developed for the processing of stainless steel. Furthermore, after production heads can be polished up to a mirror finish.

In total the business has 44 employees, ten in the office and 34 in the production. It can support the following languages: Italian, German, French and English.

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Zip also operates its Brewhouse Restaurant, which opened during 2012, featuring five brewmasters on staff as well as a selection of seasonal and speciality beers. “The Brewhouse Restaurant represents Zip’s contribution to a new generation of brewpubs and brewing restaurants that share one common goal – to promote the beer and gastronomy concept. The most prominent feature of the restaurant is its on-site brewery, with the beers being served straight from the tanks to the table taps,” says International Sales and Marketing Manager, Anna Svibovich. “In 2014 we presented our beers for the first time at most of the world’s most popular beer competitions and cups to great success. For example Zip’s Imperial Stout won Dublin’s Craft Beer Cup for 2014 and later the Diamond Cup in the European Beer Competition, while our 2013 Xmas Ale won a gold award at the

Zip Technologies Alltech Commonwealth Craft Beer Cup in Lexington. We brew many popular beers under the Zip brand including ales, pale, ales and lagers. Among the most recent of which are the Pineapple Noir Black saison speciality beer, Instead of Innocence IPL, Hopiverzum Black IPA and our Don’t Panic blond ale. Many recipes are created in co-operation with our Scandinavian, American and English partners and currently we are working on recipes of sour beers that appeal to the hearts of connoisseurs of beer and fruity beers.

The main priority is placed on the use of only natural fruit without concentrates or sweeteners.”

Over the years Zip has enjoyed great success at several global brewing industry events and its presently keen to explore opportunities to expand its market presence in the US, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, Asia, India and Africa. “It goes without saying that industry events and competitions are the main venues for meeting prospective customers, as well as chance to reunite with the existing and past clients. The events provide an opportunity to exhibit our new developments, equipment and services and a place to meet industry peers and competitors to learn new techniques.

They also help us to stay tuned and be aware of the emerging trends in craft brewing,” Anna concludes. “Throughout 2016 and beyond, we will continue to work to enlarge the geography of our sales in the European market with a focus on increasing service works in-line with increased demand.” D www.zipbier.com

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Passionate

creators Delivering award winning frozen foods and ready meals, KK Fine Foods represents a trusted supplier to pubs and wholesalers throughout the UK

Samir Edwards & Leyla Edwards

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S

ince the company was first established in the kitchen of its founder and current CEO Leyla Edwards during 1987, KK Fine Foods has grown into a leading brand in the delivery of high quality meat, fish and vegetarian meal solutions to the UK pub and wholesale sectors. From its base in Northern Wales the business has nurtured a trusted reputation in the supply of frozen foods and ready meals and fostered strong relationships with some of the UK’s leading brands.

KK Fine Foods was originally founded to produce a comprehensive range of vegetarian frozen foods and following the success of the business the company later diversified into the manufacture of foods incorporating meat, poultry and fish. This resulted in an unprecedented

demand for its products that has enabled KK Fine Foods to grow from a small business into a mid-sized market leader, twice winning the Welsh SME of the year award.

The company today employs in excess of 250 people at its Deeside location, having completed a £4.2 million expansion project in 2015. The investment into additional manufacturing space and new equipment created as many as 90 new jobs within the business and increased its production capacity to more than £40 million worth of frozen food in a year.

More recently during November 2015, KK Fine Foods announced the creation of an additional 100 jobs with the further investment of £833,000 into the business following the award of several major contracts from key customers.

The investment will enable KK Fine Foods to create a third production hall including new freezing facilities and cooking lines, as well as new equipment and IT control systems to increase productivity and efficiency. “This latest expansion is part of our strategic longterm growth plans which we have been able to bring forward thanks to recently winning several new contracts that widen our presence across the market place,” explains Managing Director Samir Edwards. “It will enable us to meet the growing demand from some of our key customers and we anticipate it will increase our turnover to £40 million within three years.”

The announcement of the company’s latest round of investment coincided with an exciting end of 2015 for the firm, with the KK Fine Foods winning the coveted British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Catering Product of the Year prize at a prestigious gala dinner. The company was awarded Catering Product Of The Year 2015 for its Korean Spicy Vegetable Curry as well as the competition’s gold, silver and bronze awards. As well as taking the competition’s top prize, KK Fine Foods’ Korean Spicy Vegetable Curry also won the gold award for ‘Best New Meat Free/Vegetarian Product’, while its Slow Cooked Roasted Shredded Pork achieved the silver award for ‘Best New Multi-Portion Product’ and its Pumpkin,

KK Fine Foods Kale and Sweet Red Onion Tart claimed the bronze award in the Best New Meat Free/Vegetarian Product category.

“KK Fine Foods’ profile has increased considerably after winning a string of awards at the 2015 BFFF Gala Dinner.

These awards, combined with our ongoing investment in the business and high quality innovative range of recipes and dishes, is a winning combination and has resulted in significant new orders from our customers,” reveals CEO Leyla Edwards. “Managing Director Samir Edwards is driving sales forward with a young and dedicated team of new product development chefs who are aware of the ever changing trends in food consumption based on global innovation.”

“We had an amazing evening and these awards demonstrate

ago there was no demand for Korean curry, but through remaining at the forefront and predicting the development we have been right on the money in terms of the timing of the product, and the feedback has been that it’s been one

our commitment as a business to continually deliver quality, innovative and great tasting products to our valued customers,” Samir adds. “Twelve months

of the best products available.”

The development of new products within KK Fine Foods begins with the company’s passionate product

development team, which creates dishes with the aid of market research to determine current industry trends.

The firm’s ‘Product Champions’ then take on a hands-on role throughout the factory by training teams in new product preparation and make-up to ensure that its dishes not only taste great, but also look authentic to their respective country of origin. Only once the new dishes are given an all-important seal of approval do the new products finally enter full production. “For us, it is all about relationships and delivering what you say you are going to deliver,” Samir concludes. “As a family owned business, there is a lot more passion, a lot more energy, and ultimately care and attention. Building upon our experience within the food business, our aim is that clients look to us to develop solutions, and that we are always their first point of call for every brief.” D www.kkfinefoods.co.uk

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CPS Case Packing Systems congratulates Oerlemans Waalwijk CPS Case Packing Systems congratulates Oerlemans Waalwijk with their modernized production line. The relationship with Oerlemans goes back to 2005 with the delivery of four fully automatic case packer CP201 lines in Broekhuizervorst, and several lines in Poland for packing frozen potato products and vegetables at high speed. The casepacker lines executed with features like a low noise rumble section distributing the product in the bag with air expel unit. Bag collecting belts and possibly turned or overlapped before entering the case packer. The case packer unit has a menu-controlled bag compressing system on the bomb doors in order to compact bag formations to the carton inner sizes. This all to pack frozen food quick and solid in transport cases. The new Oerlemans distinguished case packer line has extra features.

The lines can pack beside the pillow bag also doystyle bags in alternating format packing in American Style cases. This features is developed by CPS to comply with the packing demands of Oerlemans. This makes the CP201 case packer multifunctional in packing different bags and packing formats.

CPS Case Packing Systems has the knowledge and proven experience to pack flexible and semi flexible packaging. Due to the fact that flexible bags are not stackable you need a special way of packing. Through the years has CPS Case Packing Systems got the knowledge and experience to handle flexible packaging in a way where speed, product handling and more product packed per m3 are increased.

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The CP 201 Casepacker will pack more product per m3 than is possible by hand for Oerlemans. This will reduce costs as production costs, stock and transport costs.

CPS: making the impossible packable A Case packer line can be built with several modules like in-feed systems, metal detectors, leak detection, check weighing, devices to level, spread and devide products. CPS Case Packing Systems listens to their customers and reduces the customers packaging costs by supplying a sophisticated packaging line.

Oerlemans Foods Group

Inspired by

nature

With close to four decades of industry experience, Oerlemans Foods Group specialises in producing private label freshly frozen vegetables, fruit and potato solutions to the Retail, Foodservices and Industry segments

F

ounded in 1977 as ‘Oerlemans Diepvries Centrale BV’ by Dutch entrepreneur Mr. Oerlemans, the Oerlemans Foods Group (Oerlemans) has today grown to employ circa 700 members of staff across the four production facilities and central offices. The company has developed a strong presence inside both Northern and Eastern Europe from its current headquarters in Venlo within the Netherlands. In addition to its manufacturing facilities located in the Netherlands and Poland, Oerlemans also manages regional offices within the UK and Poland as well as a further office in

Andre Hendriks

Moscow. Throughout its history Oerlemans has grown to export to customers within the retail and foodservice markets across 50 countries globally and continues to deliver a market driven and innovative service.

“Mr. Oerlemans was a visionary who clearly saw the potential and value of the fresh frozen market and as such Oerlemans was one of the first companies to focus in the area of fresh frozen food sourcing and production. Building the Oerlemans company from 1977 onwards means that the business has built up a great history of experience in the production of fresh frozen vegetables, fruit and potato products,” explains CEO, Andre Hendriks. “Oerlemans has the control of the full value chain from field to fork and works together with its loyal famers based in the Netherlands and Poland to ensure the best raw materials to process according to the highest quality standards.

Nowadays the Oerlemans Foods Group is delivering a full product portfolio, focused on private label excellence. By bringing inspiring fresh frozen solutions to the market to help our customers to grow the category.”

Oerlemans was previously featured in FoodChain magazine during June 2015, when Andre discussed the importance of innovation across the food industry as well as a growing appreciation of the freshness of frozen foods. Where previously frozen

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products may have been undervalued, today consumers & customers are increasingly aware of the benefits of the fresh-frozen sector. Most vegetable products arrive at the Oerlemans production facilities within only four hours of harvest, meaning that they are incredibly fresh having been harvested at their peak and immediately frozen on arrival. This means that the resulting products that are manufactured by Oerlemans retain high levels of freshness as well as their important vitamins, fibres and minerals.

The growing demand for fresh and healthier foods has generated new trends and opportunities across the food and beverage industry that has helped to generate increased business for Oerlemans and its clients. “What you typically see throughout the market is the fresh frozen category is of increasing importance to retailers and food service customers. This is linked to the growth

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of fresh frozen concepts such as fruit smoothies and meals for example, in line with the growing trend for the consumer who are more and more looking for healthy, easy to prepare and tasty food offerings.

“There are new innovative food solutions entering into the market that are targeted towards those consumer needs and are selling very well generally.

The awareness of consumers regarding fruit and vegetable intake has had a positive impact on the fresh food market and with this development more retailers are linking the fresh market with the fresh frozen goods,” Andre elaborates.

“Next to the increasing health awareness, I see that the fresh frozen market is of increasing interest to the consumer because of the benefits it has in terms of convenience and the simplicity of preparation and storage of frozen fresh foods. Another element that I see will benefit the fresh frozen market is the

growing public awareness of food waste, which is eliminated by fresh frozen food because consumers are able to use these products only when they really need them. As a result of above positive indicators, we have seen increased attention from consumers, and with this from our customers, and as a result producers & customers will be interested in developing further interesting solutions that are in line with these trends. These are all really positive developments

Oerlemans Foods Group for the future of our business and the market in general.”

Further to the growing demand for healthy food options, there is an increasing expectation for food safety and transparency in food production. To meet the challenges of both greater demand in potato and vegetable products as well as for high quality manufacturing processes, Oerlemans has continued to invest in its facilities by doubling the size of its potato factory in Broekhuizenvorst while relocating its vegetable production to Oerlemans’ dedicated vegetable production facility in Waalwijk. As well as allowing the company to increase its manufacturing capacity, the on-going investment of Oerlemans into its facilities has helped the business to obtain high levels of certification in food safety.

During September 2015 for example, the company underwent an unannounced BRC International Standards (BRC) and an International Food Standard (IFS) audit, with Oerlemans again earning a high level of certification. “The demand for food safety is growing as consumers and authorities increasingly expect that the food we eat should offer the highest levels of quality and security. At Oerlemans we are constantly investing in and ensuring the adequate availability from field to fork, the nutritional adequacy, and the safety of the food supply which has become increasingly complex and requires substantial and continuous focus. We are proud to have earned over the last years a high certification in both IFS and BRC,” Andre says.

“We are making significant investments in innovating and delivering the best in fresh frozen fruit, vegetables and potatoes. This will allow us to meet the rising demand but also produce more efficiently with an even better outcome, while meeting the evolving expectations of our customer base. We have invested for example in a new packaging line in Waalwijk and recently installed a state-of-the-art fryer for our potatoes in Broekhuizenvorst together with a new filtering system,” he continues. “We have decided that our mission is ‘To be the best private label supplier of fresh frozen vegetable, fruit and potato solutions in Europe.’ This is quite a statement, as it

means that we really have to be much better than the market on some essential competencies. I see that this has to be achieved mostly through really good customer service and innovative capacity to make a difference as a medium-sized enterprise like Oerlemans.”

The company’s strategy to operate as the leading fresh frozen provider through Europe is supported by the Oerlemans Foodlab, which enables the company

to network directly with suppliers and customers to develop market-leading products in line with current consumer trends. “Our Foodlab is the centre of innovation and inspiration, we believe in agile and flexible development together with our main customers who are looking for category growth initiatives,” Andre concludes. “Innovation in Oerlemans is enabled by our unique capability to proactively support the concept development needs of our strategic customers with the aim to drive category growth as well differentiation by bringing fresh frozen inspiration to the shopper community of our customers. This means that we invite our main customers on a regular basis in our Foodlab to come together to codevelop unique and innovative solutions.

We as an industry have so much to offer in bringing excitement into the fresh frozen category and the consumers are ready for it!” D www.oerlemans-foods.com

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Five star

service

As part of the Exclusive brand, the three AA Rosette Avenue Restaurant at Lainston Country House Hotel maintains the group’s fundamental values to deliver high quality food that is both creative and progressive

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P

laced elegantly in 63 acres of beautiful Hampshire parkland, just two miles from the ancient city of Winchester, the Grade II listed Lainston Country House allows guests to enter a world of historic charm that is seamlessly mixed with contemporary elegance. Currently operating as a five star luxury hotel, this enchanting 17th century William and Mary house endeavours to deliver optimum quality to guests by following the five star standard of service that is provided at all other hotels under the Exclusive umbrella, as James Mearing, Sous Chef at Lainston Country House Hotel’s restaurant The Avenue begins: “Exclusive has a few properties that are five star hotels, such as Pennyhill Park and the Manor House, so we aim to deliver the same level of luxury as other hotels within the group by maintaining the same fundamental values and traits.

Examples of these traits would include the fact we have lavish rooms that offer real luxury to guests, as well as the fact we have a very strong food offering.

“Here at Lainston we have Olly Rouse as our Head Chef; he has worked at the vineyard with John Campbell for a long time, has cooked at two Michelin star restaurants and has earned a Michelin Star in his own right. Working with Ollie, we in the kitchen are progressive and creative when it comes to the food we offer to customers. For example we create our own home made pro-biotic beverages which are packed with vitamins and digestive enzymes. We also grow our own food and herbs in our fantastic kitchen garden which is open for guests to come and view, and also see our birds of prey, whilst there,” he adds.

Proud to challenge themselves when it comes to creating dishes that delight the senses, chefs at The Avenue undertake a thorough and open approach when developing the menu in line with changing seasons, as James comments: “It is an open forum for all chefs in the kitchen to input ideas, which we believe creates a more productive atmosphere as everyone feels like they are a part of

Lainston Country House Hotel the dish development process. Whoever then comes up with a dish will present it to myself, Olly and Joe, the senior chefs, who will then taste and discuss whether any changes need to be made to the food. Once this part of the process is complete we will then do a tasting for all members of the kitchen; we will then take photographs and type up each recipe before it is sent through our recipe database where it is made easily available on iPads for all departments of the hotel, to utilise the information for their particular requirements.

“Following this development we then have a tasting for the restaurant team so everyone is aware of changes we have made and provided knowledge on how the dishes are constructed as well as what the ingredients are so they have answers for any questions from guests.

Once all of these parts of the process are complete, the dish is ready to go live.”

within this menu is the new star of the show: pressa iberica, which he sourced himself and built a great dish around.

Sourcing and traceable provenance is a key part of Lainston; everything we use is analysed and sourced and tested to make sure it is the very best we can offer. For those wanting food at the bar, we offer dishes such as burgers that have been sourced from our local buffalo farm that is based just a few minutes down the road. We are always

progressing and improving to ensure all dishes are the very best we can offer.”

Alongside this commitment to sustainability and quality, Lainston, in line with the Exclusively Green programme set up by its parent company, has continued with a number of initiatives to reach the group’s overall aim of being ‘zero direct to landfill’. One example of this is the group’s trial for a sophisticated boiler management system at Lainston House in 2008, which stops the boiler from running when it is not

Buffalo burger To make the most of its harvest from the kitchen garden and its suppliers’ best ingredients, the menus at The Avenue are often changed to ensure guests receive optimum quality foods at their most fresh. Those seeking the highest quality ingredients that are skillfully prepared and artfully presented, the restaurant’s award-winning a la carte dining menu includes starters such as crab tortellini, with cauliflower, pomegranate and peanuts and main courses such as pork with smoked pork rib, sweet potato and apple.

Discussing recent innovations on the menu, James says: “Our tasting menu has just been changed and our Sous Chef Joe worked very hard on this; one example of the high quality

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Lainston Country House Hotel needed; in a two week trial the system saves 27 per cent energy consumption.

Lainston House also now works with Yates Disposables, a company that provides it with 100 per cent recycled toilet paper, kitchen roll and bio-degradeable tissue paper. “We won the Green Award in 2015, which shows the levels we go to and what we strive for. We try to ensure we are the best we can be in every area of the business, whether that is food we are offering or the property that the guest is staying in,” says James.

Fun and relaxed One way Lainston House and its chefs will continue this level of quality is through its Exclusive Academy, which is breeding chefs for the future, as James explains: “As a group we have an academy that takes on 12 chefs each year; these chefs go through a two year programme, which includes cookery classes, day trips to visit suppliers and working with some great

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chefs in our group. The chefs will then be filtered into the group’s kitchens for work experience.” This kitchen is also home to Season, an Exclusive cookery school that offers a diverse range of classes to customers, as James continues: “The cookery school was introduced just over a year ago and was a £1 million pound development that enabled us to open our kitchen for cookery lessons to the public.”

With the cookery school increasing in demand and the five star Lainston House undergoing renovation over the next 12

months to become more modernised and informal, James has a positive outlook for the future of the hotel and the level of service it will provide guests. “We will be continuing with the luxury element of what we offer, while also making the hotel more relaxed; we want to make the dining room a bit more interactive and fun rather than formal. There isn’t any real change in direction, it is more about progressing and improving on what we already offer,” he concludes. D www.lainstonhouse.com

FoodChain The business of food and drink

Schofield Publishing Ltd

10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road l Cringleford l Norwich l NR4 6AU T: +44 (0)1603 274130 | F: +44 (0)1603 274131 Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Rob Wagner rwagner@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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