NPD team expands at Dalziel Ingredients

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

NPD team expands at Dalziel Ingredients

Alex Ramsay (left) and Ellen Brimacombe have joined Dalziel’s Ingredients’ expanding NPD team

Dalziel Ingredients, the UK specialist in bespoke seasoning blends, cures and functional ingredients, has strengthened its new product development team with the appointment of Alex Ramsay and Ellen Brimacombe as NPD technologists.

Alex Ramsay joins from Orchard House Foods and brings two years’ experience in process development, having previously graduated with a degree in food science and nutrition from Northumbria University.

She will work closely with production and quality teams at Dalziel’s NPD and manufacturing centre in Gateshead, which now manufactures a broader range than ever of bespoke and diverse ingredients.

Ellen Brimacombe has joined from Symington’s after 14 months in the food industry, having graduated with a degree in food science and nutrition from Sheffield Hallam University.

Ellen’s new role sees her strengthening Dalziel’s product matching, concept development and sample creation expertise.

And she brings account management skills from previous roles outside the food industry.

Working with the customers and Dalziel’s sales team, Ellen will analyse product requirements and develop sample concepts and flavours to fill gaps in the food industry.

And starting in July, student Katie Richmond joins on year placement from Northumbria University where she is studying food science and nutrition.

Dalziel has a strong association with the university, with Katie being one of many students it has taken on work placement since 2008.

Dalziel’s 13-strong product development team advises food manufacturers across the UK on flavour trends, market analysis, factory processes, recipe formulations and product quality enhancements (increasing yields, salt reductions, improved texture and fat reduction).

NPD manager Fran Hutton said: “The diversity in our skills sets us apart in terms of our experience and industry knowledge. We have a real passion for food and everything that encompasses it.

“We meet our customers’ needs with quick turnaround of samples, up-to-date knowledge of legislation, guidelines and policies, and an in-depth knowledge of the market. We keep on top of current market data, food trends and flavour predictions.”

All Dalziel Ingredients’ products – seasonings, complete mixes, rubs, glazes, functional blends, flavoured batters, flavoured crumbs, snack seasonings, cures and brines – can be developed as gluten free at Dalziel’s purpose built, BRC accredited dry blending site. And existing products can reformulated as gluten free.

For more information, contact Dalziel Ingredients on 0191 469 3078, email: info@dalzielingredients.co.uk or visit www.dalzielingredients.co.uk

UniCarriers TX3 electric counterbalance truck receives Red Dot Award

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

UniCarriers TX3 electric counterbalance truck receives Red Dot Award

The new UniCarriers TX3 electric counterbalance truck stands out in all things design. The Red Dot Award jury of some 40 industry experts has noticed this too. They have awarded the truck the internationally recognised seal of quality in the category Product Design. The jury’s decision is based on a comprehensive assessment process in which the TX3 made a winning impression, thanks to its ProVision concept that ensures optimal, all-round visibility. The award will be officially presented on 9 July 2018 during the Red Dot Gala at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany.

During the product test, the TX3 was assessed against nine different criteria, including degree of innovation, ergonomics, functionality and durability. The jury were especially impressed by the truck’s exceptional combination of design and functionality. The construction of the chassis and mast uses the ProVision concept developed by UniCarriers, letting the driver benefit from a clear 360° view. The extremely low dashboard and two windows in the front panel for added visibility contribute to this effect. The latter are unique in the market to date and optimise the driver’s view of the fork tips and the front corners of the truck’s load. The result is the ability to handle goods in an exceptionally precise and safe manner. In addition, the novel design reduces the blind spot by around 10 per cent. The new Triplex mast, the slim roof columns and the roof’s chamfered front edge also help provide an optimal field of vision. The entry steps are low and the cabin is spacious so that the truck’s driver can enjoy a high level of comfort, and there’s plenty of legroom for taller drivers too. ‘Our new TX series features design for more than just design’s sake. It helps ensure that the truck can be operated ergonomically and safely. Winning the Red Dot Award is confirmation of our great aspiration for functional yet appealing construction, which is what we strive for in our ProVision concept’, explains Tobias Laxa, Group Marketing Director at UniCarriers.

The Red Dot Award: Product Design has been in existence since 1955. A specialist jury of international experts finds the year’s best products in an evaluation process that lasts several days. In 2018, designers and manufacturers from 59 nations submitted more than 6,300 objects to the competition.

Bühler presents new digital solutions for the food processing industry

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Bühler presents new digital solutions for the food processing industry to meet global challenges

Bühler is set to unveil ground breaking digital technologies that include minimizing toxic contamination, reducing food waste and increasing end product quality across the whole food value chain as part of a new partnership with Microsoft. The new digital solutions and services will be presented at the Microsoft booth at Hannover Messe in Germany. “Today’s food value chains are facing tremendous challenges,” says Ian Roberts, CTO at the Bühler Group. “Digital solutions will allow us to improve food safety and integrity and reduce food losses and waste. They enable us to be more efficient in production. In fact, with intelligent implementation of our digital capabilities we will make a major step towards meeting our goals of lowering waste and energy consumption in the food value chain by 30%,” Roberts adds. For the agriculture industry to meet the global quality demands of the future, sustainability in all aspects of agricultural production is key,” said Caglayan Arkan, General Manager Manufacturing & Resources at Microsoft. “Microsoft’s mission is to help leaders like Bühler take advantage of its data using our Azure cloud and Azure IoT technologies to accurately forecast trends in agriculture, improve food safety and provide better services for customers.”

The Bühler-Microsoft collaboration comes at a time when the global food industry faces increasing environmental and economic pressure. By 2050, the planet’s population is predicted to grow to nine billion. Providing sufficient nutritious food in a sustainable way is a major challenge we have only begun to address.

More than 30% of global energy goes into food production. However, around 30% of all food is lost or wasted, while 800 million people are starving. From today’s perspective, we continue to challenge the limits of our agricultural systems, which will need to supply an additional 265 million tons of plant protein by 2050.

It is Bühler’s declared aim, through smart partnerships, to create businesses that contribute to solving these challenges. “With the digitalization of the food industry we have a new, unrivalled capability we can bring to bear,” says Bühler CTO Roberts.

The showcases to be presented at the Hannover industry tradeshow cover the whole value chain from farm to fork:

Gamaya – improving efficiency and sustainability of industrial farms

Gamaya decision support and automation services help farmers optimize their use of water, chemicals, fuel and manual labor, while reducing environmental impact and improving the quantity and quality of produce. Examples of analytics include the mapping and classification of weeds, early diagnostics of plant disease, pests and nutrient deficiencies, as well as prediction of yields. Enabled by a unique combination of technologies including hyperspectral and satellite imaging, data fusion and artificial intelligence, it improves the efficiency and sustainability of farming businesses through smarter decisions.

Breakthrough sorting solution – saving lives and increasing yields

Maize, the world’s main cereal crop, can be affected by aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxin that is highly carcinogenic. 500 million people worldwide are at risk of exposure to it. It is estimated to cause up to 150,000 cases of liver cancer a year and contribute to stunting in millions of children. The economic impact on farmers, food processors and the economy is significant. Bühler will be launching a breakthrough sorting technology for maize, making a major contribution to addressing this urgent challenge. This revolutionary solution will be presented for the first time at Hannover Messe with a working demonstration.

PreMa – Intelligent storage and handling

85 million tons of cereal grains are lost in storage and handling every year. Reducing this loss helps our customers and contributes to safeguarding more of the food the world produces. PreMa is an intelligent silo monitoring solution to ensure grain is stored under the correct conditions.

TotalSense – providing quick and objective quality control for rice

TotalSense is a mobile rice analyzer that provides for quick and objective quality control. The customer submits a photo of a rice sample and receives a quality report, including an analysis of broken and discolored rice grains. TotalSense reduces the time for rice quality checks by up to ten times.

Safefood.ai – improving food safety through data-driven early warnings

Safefood.ai scans thousands of official databases, webpages, news and social media channels for events and rumors related to food safety. It identifies food and feed products affected and provides customized early warnings to food processors, enabling them to stay ahead of food safety risks.

Microsoft Manufacturing & Resources General Manager Caglayan Arkan adds: “Collaborations like the one between Bühler and Microsoft will be essential to feeding our world and fueling a better future for our natural resources and food production. With artificial intelligence and the cloud, we have the technology to address some of the biggest challenges facing the industry.”

And Bühler CTO Roberts concludes: “The digital revolution is a huge opportunity for the food manufacturing industry. It has the potential to bring beneficial changes along the entire value chain, improving safety, transparency and efficiency, and reducing energy consumption and waste. We are only scratching the surface of this potential. The partnership between Bühler and Microsoft will equip us with tools to address some of the key challenges the industry and the world faces.”

Image 1: Testing

Image 2: Food Safety Screenshot Tablet

Image 3: Total Sense

Image 4: Total Sense

Image 5: Sample Tray Rice

Image 6: Sample Tray Rice Defect

Media contact:

Burkhard Böndel, Head of Corporate Communications,

Bühler AG, 9240 Uzwil, Switzerland

Phone: +41 71 955 33 99

Mobile: +41 79 515 91 57

E-Mail : burkhard.boendel@buhlergroup.com

Samuel Eckstein, Head of Internal & External Communications,

Bühler AG, 9240 Uzwil, Switzerland

Phone: +41 71 955 29 36

Mobile: +41 79 517 52 46

E-mail: samuel.eckstein@buhlergroup.com

Trade media contact:

Tracey Ibbotson, PR Executive,

Bühler UK Limited, London, England

Phone: +44 (0) 1992 537 421

E-mail: tracey.ibbotson@buhlergroup.com

Kara, catering for Education with a new Glazed Oval Bun

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Kara, catering for Education with a new Glazed Oval Bun

Sandwiches are the number one meal served at lunch time in schools, consumed on 35% of occasions*. With this in mind Kara’s developed a new bread carrier with education at the forefront, meeting new guidelines whilst also appealing to children. Kara, the Foodservice brand of the Finsbury Group, offers a broad array of nutritious bakery products to cater for the education sector and can’t wait for this to be in schools.

2017 welcomed the revised FSA salt targets, the pressure on catering for school menus is increasingly challenging for many caters, Kara’s Glazed Oval Bun has been specifically designed to meet the new FSA salt guidelines as well as being low in fat and saturated fats; school caters can now rest assured that with Kara’s newest Glazed Oval Bun, they are adhering to the latest government standards.

The bun has a soft buttery texture which accompanies both hot and cold fillings perfectly. Chicken is the number one sandwich filler in schools*, the Glazed Oval Bun has been developed with an oval shape to allow for succulent Chicken Fillets to fit perfectly. But this bun is perfect for any filling and as meat free dishes are set to increase on menus in the next 2-3 years across all sectors, the Glazed Oval Bun is suitable for both vegan and vegetarian, perfect to cater to a variety of dietary requirements.

Foodservice Development Manager Danielle Meehan said, ‘Developing the new Glazed Oval Bun was a key for Kara knowing that every child in the UK must have a piece of bread available in school every day*1, it was important to develop a product that meets guidelines, but that appealed to children. The bun is pre-sliced for added convenience and ticks all the nutritional boxes needed for the education sector. The Glazed Oval Bun delivers on the needs of the Education School Foods plan, whilst delivering on a superior taste and quality, were excited to add it to our Kara range.’

*All data collected from MCA Allegra, 2017

*1 https://www.gov.uk/school-meals-healthy-eating-standards

To find out more about the Glazed Oval Bun or for more information on Kara, visit www.karafs.co.uk or call 0161 351 2399 to speak to a member of the Customer Care team

Keep up-to-date with Kara’s latest news by following us on Twitter @karafsbakery

Oakland International Corby Hub Gains Global BRC Standard

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Oakland International Corby Hub Gains Global BRC Standard

Oakland’s Quality Assurance Manager, Louise Smith and Business Unit Director Corby, Lee Whiting

In its first audit, supply chain and distribution specialist Oakland International has secured a rating of ‘A’ in the British Retailers Consortium’s (BRC) quality audit for storage and distribution at its recently opened facility in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Oakland’s Business Unit Director at Corby, Lee Whiting, commented: “Gaining an BRC ‘A’ rating is fantastic news for our Corby team and for our customers, with BRC accreditation providing positive acknowledgement that Oakland works to the highest industry standards.”

Passing with flying colours, the clean audit followed a rigorous two days assessment of environmental standards, operating systems, traceability, layout and product flow and incorporates handling requirements of specified materials which offers a bench mark for best practice within the storage and distribution industry. Oakland’s proactive methods facilitate continuous improvement in all systems and processes using bespoke management systems to provide customer confidence that all products stored and distributed through Oakland International retain their inherent quality.

As well as reflecting the standard’s best practise, Oakland’s BRC accreditation demonstrates consistency and care in the supply chain operation, a key factor in the firm’s popularity as a supply chain partner of choice.

Oakland’s Quality Assurance Manager, Louise Smith, commented: “Our team’s continued dedication ensures attention to detail and our flexibility of service offer is maintained throughout, delivering positive results time after time. We are all delighted to receive such positive feedback, particularly as this was our first audit since operations began at Corby.”

Oakland customers enjoy a seamless, fully controlled quality standard which suppliers and their retail and wholesale customers have the utmost confidence in. Oakland ensure that the highest standards of quality, safety and legality are being followed through all supply chain management solutions and support services including tempering, co-packing, multi-temperature distribution, distress load management and brand development support.

Putting CoolKit to the test

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Putting CoolKit to the test

CoolKit has delivered the latest batch of refrigerated vehicles to their client ALS Laboratories (UK) Ltd – which feature a bespoke flooring solution.

ALS collect samples for analytical testing from a range of food manufacturers to ensure they are safe to consume before hitting the shelves of UK supermarkets. The company has been using CoolKit as its sole supplier of refrigerated vehicles for around 12 months.

Last year they purchased 24 vehicles, primarily Renault Trafic vans, from Burnley-based CoolKit and the latest 15 vehicles have been fitted with a bespoke floor covering to prevent their loads from slipping around in the back of the vehicle.

The innovative GRP flooring is a perfect combination of a hygienic easy-to-clean resin floor, without the harshness of an anti-slip gritted floor.

Susan Pratt, UK Logistics Manager at ALS: “CoolKit has sourced a bespoke flooring for us that’s hygienic and easy to clean. Rather than having trays and boxes sliding around in the back it has given us a more stable load area.”

ALS have multiple contracts with food manufacturers and suppliers and use the refrigerated vans to collect samples for microbiological, chemistry and molecular analysis. They collect from countless locations across the UK, delivering samples back to nine food testing laboratories.

Susan added: “It is vitally important to maintain the cold chain between the point of the sample being picked up to delivery back to the laboratory. Samples typically need to be kept between 1-5 degrees and any degradation of the samples can affect the final results.”

Their fleet of 90 vehicles collect samples of food for human consumption from factories, abattoirs and artisan manufacturers. Each van has a number of collection points on the route and the vehicles are customised by CoolKit to meet ALS’ specification and are delivered complete with the ALS logo and signwriting.

ALS vans are also fitted with trackers – to monitor driver behaviour, for safety of both the load and the drivers, and to track the location of each vehicle.

“CoolKit do an excellent job and offer a professional service,” says Susan. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re ordering one van or twenty. Nothing is too much trouble for the highly-skilled team.”

CoolKit continuously monitor changing vehicle weights and fuel efficiencies to ensure their customers are using the best vehicle for the job.

Mark Beaton, Sales Specialist at CoolKit, said: “It’s great to work with the team at ALS and supply a well-known and respected company with their fleet of refrigerated vehicles. We want to ensure that we meet the customers’ needs and exceed their expectations, find solutions to real problems and deliver vehicles on time or ahead of schedule.”

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