PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
SVZ
Processing of ports’ surplus
fruit and vegetables
As two of the largest seaports in Europe, Rotterdam
and Antwerp play an important role in the
global trade of fresh produce. In 2020, for example,
approximately 2.2 million tons of fruit and
vegetables entered Antwerp via the North Sea,
while the Port of Rotterdam processed an enormous
5.2 million tons across the entire year.
The popularity of fresh produce shows no sign of
abating two years later, either. There is currently
a strong call for 100% natural, healthy foods and
drinks as consumers become more aware of the
effect what they eat has on their overall health
and wellbeing. The tons of imported fruit and vegetables
that the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp
process every day are crucial to meeting this continued
demand.
However, this imported produce also includes
fruit and vegetables which aren’t considered suitable
for selling fresh - either due to their level of
ripeness or appearance. This results in an estimated
5% of produce that is usually used for biofuel,
if not wasted – primarily apples, bananas,
pears and tropical fruits such as mangoes and
pineapples.
SVZ is committed to implementing sustainable
initiatives throughout the supply chain that minimise
the environmental impact of their business.
It already takes in excess kiwi fruit from Belgian
ports, but now the business is looking to take more
surplus fruit and vegetables from Rotterdam and
Antwerp. In fact, SVZ’s soon-to-be expanded Rijkevorsel
processing plant is perfectly positioned to
take in produce from both ports.
“The consolidation of agreements with importers
and fruit companies that operate in the ports
of Rotterdam and Antwerp is an exciting development
for us,” says Monique Behrend-Dullaert,
Director of Procurement & Agronomy at SVZ.
“We’re passionate about making the agro supply
chain more sustainable, and we’re already making
headway with programmes focused on biological
control and the promotion of wellbeing in farming
communities.
September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 11
offer different oat drinks in chilled and ambient distribution,
one of which is mango, ginger and lime flavoured.
Also this year, Tesco in the UK launched a range of
plant-based barista drinks in Pure-Pak under their own
Wicked Kitchen brand. Consumers can choose between
four varieties, including oat, soy, almond and coconut.
A variety of possibilities
For its Pure-Pak, Elopak offers numerous options that
make the beverage carton even more customisable
and sustainable. For example, for cartons with Natural
Brown Board the usual white coating and the bleaching
process are omitted; they therefore have a lower carbon
footprint than conventional white cartons. Their authentic,
natural look makes it even easier for consumers
to recognise them as sustainable packaging.
Already available on the market is the Pure-TwistFlip
tethered cap solution by Elopak. The connection with
the packaging ensures proper disposal of the lid all
the way to recycling. What's more, it is Elopak's lightest
screw cap so far. Plastic consumption is thus further
reduced without compromising either convenience or
product integrity.
A new product that has recently become available is the
Pure-Pak eSense carton. This product has no aluminium
barrier yet still meets all the requirements for aseptic
filling and a long shelf-life outside the cold chain. Instead
of the aluminium barrier, a mixture of polyolefins
is used, which — compared with a conventional aseptic
Pure-Pak carton — reduces the carbon footprint by approximately
30% and offers the potential of a fully renewable
aseptic carton.
"We want to offer our customers the most versatile yet
user-friendly packaging solutions possible," concludes
Wolfgang Buchkremer, Chief Technology Officer Innovation
& Engineering at Elopak. "This is also reflected
in the latest generation of our E-PS120A aseptic filling
machine. Thanks to ultrasonic sealing, it can not only
process conventional composite material, but our aluminium
free Pure-Pak eSense aseptic carton as well.
Many other features, such as the new combi-filler and
the possibility to apply two closure sizes on one machine,
provide further added value and even more flexibility in
the aseptic sector."
1 Source: GfK Consumer Panel FMCG, Milk product
alternatives, Key Facts, Year 2021 vs. 2020
2 Source: https://pressemitteilungen.pr.uni-halle.de/
index.php?modus=pmanzeige&pm_id=5382
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