Halo eyes European expansion with 100% compostable coffee pods: ‘Ours is a totally natural product’ UK start-up Halo Coffee is preparing to expand into continental Europe with its compostable coffee pods that are produced from a by-product of sugar cane processing. The company believes that this offers an important point of difference that will help empower consumers to tackle a pain point in the plastics problem.
Almost 60bn coffee pods are produced annually and the global market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 7.72%. However, only around 29% of coffee pods are currently recycled properly.
“The majority of capsules are not recycled properly due to insufficient and un-easy to reach recycling centres plus a lack of understanding by the consumer of which bin can take which type of capsule without contaminating the stream,” Halo Coffee co-founder David Foster explained, noting that stream contamination is when a recycling stream is compromised.
German confectionery industry offers skilled training for young recruits By Anthony Myers Germany’s confectionery industry has more than 100 apprenticeship places available to young recruits looking for a skilled job in chocolate production.
The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has a total of 13 different training occupations currently online in the following areas:
• Confectionery technologist (m / f / d)
• Specialist for food technology (m / f / d)
• Mechatronics technician (m / f / d)
• Machine and system operator (m / f / d)
• Electronics technician (m / f / d)
• Electronics technician for industrial engineering (m / f / d)
• Specialist for warehouse logistics (m / f / d)
• Industrial mechanic (m / f / d)
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven up demand for food and beverage packaging that is secure and resealable as food safety and security concerns rise, according to a new report by packaging heavyweight Tetra Pak.
According to the Tetra Pak Index Report 2020 which surveyed over 9,000 consumers worldwide to assess current consumer concerns, COVID-19 emerged as the top concern (64%) when it comes to current consumer priorities in 2020, exacerbating concerns about food safety and security and beating out environmental sustainability concerns from 63% in 2019 to 49%.
“COVID-19 has significantly focused attention on hygiene and food safety, with more than two-thirds (68%) of consumers worldwide now believing that food safety is a major concern for society,” Tetra Pak Managing Director for Pak Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia Michael Wu told
Paccor acquires Miko Pac Global packaging company Paccor has signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of Miko Pac, the packaging division of Miko N.V., Belgium.
Paccor said the acquisition strengthens its position in injection molding by complementing the product portfolio and expanding the company s competencies. Miko Pac’s plant in Indonesia extends Paccor’s international reach and the fast-growing Asian market can now also be served.
Miko Pac is a producer of plastic packaging. It develops and produces solutions for ice cream, margarine, ready meals, and other products.
Miko Pac employs approximately 500 people at its production sites in Belgium, Poland, and Indonesia and at its sales offices in France and Germany. Founded more than 45 years ago, Miko Pac is a specialist in thermoforming, injection molding and in-mold labeling.
Novel approach: Wheat gluten key to creating softer and less chewy texture in plant-based foods Plant-based foods formulated with more wheat gluten was found to exhibit softer and less chewy texture compared to commercial tofu, mock meat and animal meat products.
Also known as meat analogues, meat substitutes or meat alternatives, they are typically made from plant-based ingredients such as wheat, soy, pea, peanut, lupin, and mung bean, designed to mimic the appearance, colour, texture, structure and nutritional content of real meat.
In this study, researchers in Singapore formulated four meat analogues by combining wheat gluten (WG) and soy protein isolate (SPI) in the ratios of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40 and 40:60% w/w dry protein basis), using the mechanical elongation method.