The prestigious innovation prize is awarded by the German Agricultural Society to recognise ground-breaking developments in food technology
The innovative OPTIMA EGS machine concept from OPTIMA consumer GmbH was awarded the silver International FoodTec Prize by the German Agricultural Society (DLG). The OPTIMA EGS handles the fully automated evacuation, gassing and seaming of baby milk powder containers in the high-care room, and considerably increases production reliability. This year, there were 20 innovation projects from the international food and supplier industry that were awarded the renowned technology prize by an international jury of experts with a range of specialisations.
Said Christoph Held, Managing Director at OPTIMA consumer GmbH: “We are delighted to receive this award. Receiving this award from renowned experts in the food industry is the confirmation that the OPTIMA EGS can offer our customers greater production reliability, product quality and conservation of resources in baby milk powder production.”
The market requirements of baby milk powder producers were assessed in detail during the development of the EGS. According to Held, this strategy has paid off. There is high demand for the machine, and the order books are full. There are further ground-breaking developments in the pipeline, such as a non-destructive 100% leakage check.
Added Dominik Broellochs, Optima’s Group Sustainability Manager: “Compared to conventional post-gassing systems, the amount of space required has been reduced by over 40 percent.”
Besides manufacturing space, the considerations of effective usage of materials, processing accuracy, optimum use of packaging materials, machine recycling and maximising the machine lifecycle all play a major role in the Optima Group’s sustainability strategy.
This was the eleventh time that the International FoodTec Award, the most distinguished innovation prize in international food technology, was presented. The international jury of experts selected 20 innovations from numerous applications to receive a gold or silver award. Once every three years, the International FoodTec Award honours successful implementations of innovative concepts in the sectors of process technology, including measurement and control technology, automation and robotics, filling and packaging technology, environmental technology, biotech, process management including software solutions, logistics, food safety and quality management. The DLG and its partners have awarded the International FoodTec Award since 1994 to recognize pioneering developments in innovation, sustainability and efficiency in the food technology sector. In 2021, five innovations received the gold International FoodTec Award and fifteen received the silver award. For more visit optima-packaging.com
