Some of the key challenges of the food production industry remain climate protection and a sustainable economic development. In other words, the industry moto these days is more efficiency and less CO2. Besides an impressive exhibition of the latest machinery, equipment and technologies, the German trade fair Anuga Food Tec will host several series of seminars, events, business-to-business meetings, which emphasize the savings potential that can be achieved in modern food production.
Almost 1,500 suppliers from around 40 countries and 43,000 trade visitors from around 130 countries are expected at this year’s edition of Anuga FoodTec, taking place this March 24-27, according to organizers Koelnmesse GmbH and the German Agricultural Society (DLG).For this edition of Anuga FoodTec, the share of foreign exhibitors has increased 54%, meaning a total of 44 countries will be represented, compared to the figures of the previous 2012 edition. The highest number of foreign exhibitors come to Germany from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Switzerland. For the first time there are going to be group participations from Argentina, Denmark and the Czech Republic, with further group participations from China, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan and the USA.
“Registration figures for the seventh Anuga FoodTec, the international supplier trade fair for the food and beverage industry, have been outstanding. Alongside countless market leaders from Germany and abroad, many small and medium-sized companies will also be appearing at Anuga FoodTec. In keeping with the motto “One for all – all in one” Anuga FoodTec will represent the entire production chain, divided into the areas Food Processing, Food Packaging, Food Safety and Services & Solutions”, said Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer Koelnmesse GmbH.Among key players in today’s food technology industries, Anuga FoodTec will host companies such as Ashworth, Bosch Packaging, Bühler, Döhler, Exxon Mobil, GEA, Grundfos, Heinen, Intralox, Ishida, JBT FoodTec etc.
Growing emphasis on machineryAccording to the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), 3 trillion euros was spent on packaged food and drinks worldwide in 2013. According to the British market research institute, Euromonitor, this figure is estimated to increase up to 3.9 trillion EUR up until 2017, which corresponds to a growth rate of 28%. It is therefore not surprising that it is essentially predicted that there will be a sustained worldwide demand for machines and systems for the production and packaging of food and beverages.“Significant shifts are currently being observed on the sales markets. Whereas 10 years ago around 55% of the German food and packaging machines were still delivered to European countries, in 2013 the share was only 47%. Today, the growth impulses are increasingly coming from emerging and developing countries, the food and beverage industries of which are having to be developed, expanded and modernized. On the one hand to create the necessary capacities, but on the other hand also to satisfy the increased quality demands of the export countries. In this way, Asia has in the meantime advanced into becoming the second most important sales region for German food and packaging machines,” said Simone Schiller, managing director Food Business German Agricultural Society (DLG).
International FoodTec Award 2015The German Agricultural Society (DLG) has announced the winners of the International FoodTec Awards. This year, the prestigious accolade will be presented to 18 innovations in the international food production and supplier industries, of which nine will receive the gold medal and nine the silver award. A notable award for the frozen food industry has been granted to Linde, for its Cryoline SI – IQF immersion freezing equipment, whose modular combination of immersion bath and post-cooling tunnel is designed mainly for high-grade, loose-rolling food and has an approximate operational capacity of up to 1,000 kg per hour. In a controlled process, the product is fed directly into the immersion bath by a vibrating conveyor belt that reduces the risk of product clumping. The cold liquid nitrogen instantly crust-freezes and stabilizes the product surface, thus locking in the moisture and maintaining product yield and quality, critical for value-added IQF products.
The DLG awarded, among others, gold medals for innovation to Fritsch GmbH (Germany) for its Multitwist twisting machine, a dough processing system which allows decorative bread products to be prepared in a fully automated process.Intralox has been recognized for its patented DirectDrive System, in which the conveyor belt is driven directly by the drum, which works like a central cog, instead of by frictional force. This obviates the need for overdrive, because the edge of the conveyor belt and the drum are directly connected. Slippage of any kind is eliminated, as there is no longer any friction between the edge of the conveyor belt and the drum.Another gold medalist is GEA Food Solutions, for its MultiDrum, an innovative homestyle breader that splits the product stream and feeds the products evenly into multiple drums, thus reducing the labor costs by up to 80%.Finally, EasyLid® by Sealpac GmbH (Germany) has won the gold prize for its method that delivers quantifiable savings in materials and time, by combining lidding and sealing in a single step, during packaging.The award ceremony will take place on 24 March 2015 at Anuga FoodTec, the international trade fair for food and drink technology in Cologne.