Given the major role that the food and beverage sectors play in the issue of sustainability, Anuga FoodTec 2024 has a special significance. The international industry meeting point, with the main theme of “Responsibility” from March 19 to 22, 2024 in Cologne, has sustainability packaging solutions at the top of its agenda.
The solutions offered contribute significantly to more environmentally friendly production, from recyclable packaging materials to packaging processes that are simplified for efficiency.
The topic of “optimal” packaging material will be one of the most fascinating ones to be covered at Anuga FoodTec. For food producers, this decision is still difficult to make. Recyclability regulations and the desire for fewer and lighter packaging are joining forces with the New Green Deal of the European Union. By 2030 at the latest, all non-recyclable materials shall be eliminated from packaging. The focus is mostly on multi-layer foils because they offer a high level of protection. They provide a significant issue since they require labor-intensive material separation before being handled individually.
Solutions that conserve resources and reliably protect food goods are needed now more than ever because only a product that is delivered to the consumer in flawless shape will eventually contribute to sustainability. The packaging sector enters the picture here. The firms exhibiting at Anuga FoodTec, who are assisting manufacturers on their route to climate neutrality with their knowledge of packaging, have the answers: more paper instead of plastic, more recyclable mono-materials instead of multi-layer films. The problem is that paper doesn’t naturally have any barrier or sealing capabilities; instead, these qualities must be added to the paper. In Cologne, the most current advancements made here will be revealed.
This comprises functional papers that can be recycled in the paper cycle and have a high proportion of renewable raw ingredients, rendering special coatings or lamination unnecessary. They guarantee that the quality of the packaged food is protected since they include built-in barriers against oxygen, steam, and grease. Some papers have a dispersion on the back that makes them well-suited for heat sealing. They are appropriate for multi-packs and items that don’t need extra protection, including sweets and other little confections.
The ideal concept for any packaging, whether stand-up bags, flow packs, or thermo-formed containers, may be found at the exhibition halls. Plastic packaging can serve as an example for recyclability when it is properly designed. The suppliers at Anuga FoodTec exhibit packaging expertise in its best light with a wide range of mono-materials, renewable resource foils, and extremely thin structures. As true single-substance solutions, they can be incorporated into the respective recyclable material cycles.
The packing process must be efficient and dependable, even when using alternative packaging materials. As a result, manufacturers of packaging machinery have long been interested in sustainable development. When designing their systems, they give special consideration to how versatile they may be used. They also test the applicability of their creative packaging ideas. For instance, the tensile strength of the sealing seam is carefully scrutinized in order for flow bags made of fiber-based foils to match the machine performance of flow bags made of plastic.
The newest generation of high performance packaging machines can produce flow bags made of barrier paper with an integrated heat-sealing capability and a paper ratio of more than 95%, either using the more common cold-sealing process or the much more difficult heat-sealing process. By using precisely varied temperatures, the procedure may be adjusted to the needs of the packaging material as well as the robustness of the product that needs to be packaged. Although until recently these couldn’t be processed by existing equipment, the issue has since been resolved with specialized retrofitting kits. Thus, switching between paper and monostructures made of polypropylene or polyethylene is simple for food manufacturers.
Processes for producing food can only operate effectively and with great performance when packaging and system are completely synchronized with one another. Therefore, consideration of upstream and downstream processes is increasingly given while developing fully automated and robot-supported packaging equipment, in addition to primary and secondary packaging. Systems that allow for quick and simple format changes and are thereafter immediately ready for use again are essential for the production of food.
All packing procedures, including setting up carton blank cuts, grouping, and top-loading as well as sealing and labeling, employ tested standard modules. An additional division machine can be used to simply carry out the operation of placing the product in a cardboard or plastic tray initially. When it is necessary to attach space-saving end-of-line solutions to accurately reflect the entire process, it is advantageous to have a machine design that also consistently adheres to the plug-and-play philosophy. A single HMI can integrate and control external aggregates that perform operations like labeling and palletizing.
Modern packaging devices, which can be seen in action live at Anuga FoodTec, are true all-stars thanks to their versatility and multifunctionality. Long-term, reduced unexpected downtime, less waste, less resource use, and increased production sustainability are the results of this. This is crucial since almost every unplanned stop might prevent a food product from reaching the point of sale, which is especially true in companies that deal with easily perishable goods like meat products or specialty foods. The worldwide supplier trade exhibition for the food and beverage industries will be held in Cologne from March 19–22, 2024, and will showcase any additional sustainable solutions the packaging sector has to offer.
Find out more at: https://www.anugafoodtec.com/