Processing & Packaging

15-Mar-2012 - Projects aimed at boosting operational efficiency and sustainability in the food processing and packaging sectors are being urged to apply for a share of a £15m (€18m) fund by the UK Government.

Active and intelligent packaging public database launches

15-Mar-2012 - The first public version of a new database for active and intelligent packaging (AIP) innovations that aims to give small and medium enterprises (SME) free access to the groundbreaking technology has been launched.

News in brief

The place to go for dairy 'bits' for fewer bob?

09-Mar-2012 - UK company DairyBits claims to have launched the first ever website offering cost-effective machinery replacement parts for a wide variety of dairy machines, and promises that it will make the process of ordering new parts for global delivery quicker and cheaper.

Major dairy co-operative First Milk invests in cheese packing rebuild

07-Mar-2012 - UK dairy co-operative First Milk claims that a £17m investment to redevelop its cheese packing and storage site, in a move that it said would spur future growth for brands such as Lake District Cheddar.

News in brief

Nestle lines up for Sustainable Packaging Virtual Conference

07-Mar-2012 - A host of leading industry voices will be taking part in our sister site FoodProductionDaily.com’s virtual conference on Sustainable Packaging which takes place tommorow, March 8 2012, and there's still time to register for our free event.

Amcor agrees price for Aperio takeover – but the deal is far from done

07-Mar-2012 - Amcor today announced it has agreed to pay A$238m (€191m, US$251m) for its controversial proposed takeover of Aperio - its major rival in the Australasian flexible packing arena.

Tetra Pak’s production doubles at factory in China ‘due to demand’.

06-Mar-2012 - Tetra Pak say a new production line at one its plants in China will boost output to 20bn liquid dairy cartons annually to ‘keep up with market demand’.

Our cartons suit markets that demand extra road miles, SIG Combibloc

05-Mar-2012 - SIG Combibloc says that beverages packaged aseptically in cartons and UHT treated are especially well suited to markets such as China that present long-distance transportation challenges.

Systems Labelling claims innovation could end polypropylene ‘jazz’ days

02-Mar-2012 - Systems Labelling has developed a completely removable in-mould label, and claims the product could dramatically increase currently poor UK polypropylene (PP) recycling rates.

'Unique' Velcro flexible packaging partnership will offer dairy sustainability boost - Amcor

02-Mar-2012 - Packaging provider Amcor Flexibles has entered into a strategic partnership with Velcro Europe with the aim of offering an easy-to-open and re-seal system for fresh and dairy products.

Novel dairy waste disposal process offers significant savings on anaerobic digestion, UK firm

01-Mar-2012 - Lindhurst Engineering has successfully tested microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to help dairy processors dispose of waste streams and generate energy, and MD Martin Rigley told Dairy Reporter.com that an installation could cost 75% less than its anaerobic digestion equivalent.

Leading industry lights shine in Sustainable Packaging Virtual Conference

24-Feb-2012 - A host of leading industry voices will be taking part in our sister site FoodProductionDaily.com’s virtual conference on Sustainable Packaging which takes place on 8 March, 2012.

Concerns grow over Amcor's proposed takeover of packaging rival

24-Feb-2012 - Amcor’s proposed takeover of Australian packaging company Aperio is motivated primarily by the firm’s desire to eliminate its main rival, could lead to hundreds of job losses and would hit competition in the national market, a leading trade union has warned.

Amcor profits rise on steady demand and cost cuts

20-Feb-2012 - Amcor said strong performance across the board in its flexible and rigid packaging divisions fuelled a 14% profit increase in the first half of the year as recent acquisitions of Ball and Alcan continued to reap rewards.

Edible food packaging is the future, Harvard developer claims

17-Feb-2012 - US scientists have developed a food packaging technology that could eliminate the need for plastic containers, and the lead developer told FoodProductionDaily.com that it could hit the market inside 12 months.

Top SPX exec 'encouraged' by multinational and local dairy demand in China

16-Feb-2012 - Leading food processing machinery manufacturer SPX says it is 'encouraged' by recent successes within the dairy sector, and the firm's president, Food and Beverage Systems, Kenneth Rodi, told DairyReporter.com that the company anticipated strong product demand from emerging regions such as China and the Middle East.

‘Pukka’ new Arla dairy will not help supermarket milk margins, analyst predicts

10-Feb-2012 - Arla announced on Wednesday that it had broken ground on its new 1bn-litre UK ‘super dairy’ near Aylesbury, but one analyst believes that the extra capacity will not help supermarket milk margins.

Automation necessary to meet 'critical' food safety requirements: Tetra Pak

09-Feb-2012 - Tetra Pak has told DairyReporter.com that it believes plant automation systems are necessary to meet critical food safety requirements worldwide, and reduce the risk of human error.

Alfa Laval says fourth quarter dip can’t spoil successful 2011

08-Feb-2012 - Alfa Laval hailed 2011 as “successful” as orders and operating income grew year-on-year but the company noted slowing in demand in the final quarter.

Packaging material factory opening will boost milk carton output – Tetra Pak

03-Feb-2012 - Global packaging supplier Tetra Pak hopes to boost its output capacity of material used for chilled beverages cartons such as milk by around half a billion packages through its latest factory opening.

Krones looks to seal deal at Anuga with new aseptic valves

31-Jan-2012 - German food machinery giant Krones has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it will launch new aseptic valves as the latest additions to its EvoGuard series at the Anuga FoodTec trade show in March.

World-first pouch recycling tech takes leap toward commercialisation

20-Jan-2012 - Ground-breaking technology backed by food giants Kraft and Nestle that paves the way for the recovery of aluminium from flexible pouches has taken a major step towards commericalistion after securing crucial new funds.

ADM loses faith in bioplastic JV on cost and demand anxieties

18-Jan-2012 - Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) said it is considering the future of its bioplastics operations as it terminated its joint venture with Metabolix and prepared to halt production of the PHA resin at the purpose-built US facility.

Eco concerns clear in recent Chinese, Indian customer visits: Tetra Pak

16-Jan-2012 - Tetra Pak says that during recent client visits in both India and China, customers have shown an increased interest in environmental issues such as energy use, water consumption and product loss.

Fraunhofer looks beyond Wheylayer film coatings to ‘encouraging’ thermoformable composite work

13-Jan-2012 - Gemany’s Fraunhofer Institute says that after the success of research on replacing petrochemical-based polymers in food packaging film barriers with sustainable whey-based alternatives, scientists are now striving to replace EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) in thermoformable composites.