Food processors are establishing “the era of ‘Hygiene 2.0’”

Mar 20, 2021 Warehousing Ireland e-commerce, Materials Handling, News, shipping, Storage, Warehousing Comments Off on Food processors are establishing “the era of ‘Hygiene 2.0’”

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Schoeller Allibert UK, the European market leader in returnable transit packaging (RTP) solutions for the food manufacturing sector, has commented on the changing role of hygiene for food processors, which the business believes points towards the future of food manufacturing.

Nick James, Sales Director at Schoeller Allibert UK, commented: “The food manufacturing sector has a long history of hygiene development and safe handling protocols. That hasn’t changed; the difference we see today is that this is becoming much more visible and important to the consumer. In today’s competitive food retailing sector, where the consumer factors hygiene into purchase decisions, food and packaging hygiene moves from an obligation to a competitive advantage when managed well.

“In essence, ‘Hygiene 2.0’ is well communicated food hygiene and safety management, and we are seeing clear movement in how food safety is being framed by the public. Today, there is a real pressure to deliver hygiene with traceability, transparency – and now visibility.

“We have tended to imagine that consumers aren’t interested in the technical safety measures and critical control points in the food manufacturing process, but we cannot discount the impact that Covid-19 has had on shoppers. While studies have established that food and packaging is very unlikely to spread viruses such as Covid-19, this hasn’t stopped consumers from engaging with food safety on a whole new level.

‘Hygiene 2.0’ is all about putting food manufacturing safety into the spotlight and making it part of the product value proposition. Shoppers want to know more about how their food has been handled, so it’s a prime opportunity for food processors to shore up their supply chains and create demonstrable food hygiene practices that the consumer is looking for. This begins with tighter control of manual handling and logistics.”

Schoeller Allibert UK has put food processing hygiene at the forefront of its new product development with the launch of Purity Line^®, a range of containers that incorporate antibacterial materials to inhibit the growth of bacteria and moulds at every stage of the supply chain.

The Purity material within the plastic migrates to the surface of the container and disrupts bacterial growth by interfering with enzyme production. This stops the bacteria producing energy, and disrupts the cell’s DNA, preventing the bacteria from replicating.

Schoeller Allibert’s Purity Line range of food safe and pharmaceutical containers provide permanent protection against E. Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus, the most common bacteria found in food environments.

Schoeller Allibert’s Purity Line antimicrobial technology can be incorporated into the manufacturing process of popular totes, including JumboNest^® and Combo Excelsior^®. Food manufacturers and processors benefit from containers that offer valuable protection to products from harmful bacteria and, at the same time, deliver warehouse and handling logistics efficiency gains to optimise supply chains.

Nick concluded: “‘Hygiene 2.0’ is making food processing supply chains more transparent, and the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this need. Food hygiene is no longer treated as purely risk avoidance or a box-ticking exercise; it can be communicated to the consumer as a competitive edge. Brands that can use their food hygiene protocols as part of the brand or product identity are set to find powerful commercial advantages on the table.”

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