Ready Meals & Snacks A bag of crisps, peanuts or pork scratchings and a pint of bitter used to constitute a snack in the UK.

Nowadays it is more likely to be a plate of Sushi or Tapas. And today we are much more likely to be tucking in to a Thai Green Curry heated in the microwave than running down to the fish & chip shop.

The dividing line between snacks and ready meals has become increasingly blurred with much of the population happy to make a meal of snacks. In the meantime the market for ¡°real¡± ready meals is also burgeoning. Good news for all in the food supply chain and something that is driving technical developments in packaging and processing systems as this Ready Meals & Snacks special report confirms.

And while the ¡°fat attack¡± tag that tends to apply to crisps and similar products has caused its problems for industry, brands are fighting back with healthy options and promotions which again spell good news for the packaging and processing sector.

An enlarged European Union means ethnic diversity in the UK has never been greater. The growth of the retail ethnic foods market in Western Europe is outpacing the overall food and drinks market in the region, states a report from Food from Britain (FFB) and Leatherhead Food International (LFI).

The European Ethnic Foods Market was worth €4.12bn in 2006, with UK sales worth over €2.34bn; and together with France and Germany, the UK accounts for almost 80% of total sales. The Chinese/Oriental category has a 42% share, while there has been recent growth in demand for Thai and Japanese foods.

Ethnic foods are also making inroads into the snacking market, with sales of accompaniment lines registering good growth. In contrast, sectors such as frozen ready meals and cooking sauces are reaching maturity in the UK.

Thai, North African, Caribbean and Latin American are just some the fastest growing cuisine types in the UK's £1.9bn ethnic foods market. Chinese and Indian still dominate, accounting for a 69% share in value terms although growth is slow compared to emerging cuisines such as Tex/Mex, Thai and other South East Asian foods (Source Food Market Reports).

The UK is still the largest market for ready meals in Europe with 23 per cent of Brits likely to eat a ready meal at least once a week, while only 9 per cent of Germans do the same, (Source TGI Europa).

And a Mintel study shows that of the five major EU countries UK consumption for 2006 to 2007 stood at €3bn with sales expected to grow a further 25 per cent between now and 2011. The UK is followed by France at €2***

Thatʼs not to say the picture is all rose coloured. Commodity prices continue to rise, tensions between suppliers and retailers continue to dominate, and the Office of Fair Trading investigation is likely to displease everyone except the retailers.

None the less the ready meals and snacks market is still set to create rich(ish) pickings for the machinery sector.

The precise characteristics of the product and its packaging are of vital importance when specifying a retort technology, says Satori Stocktec. For example, a rotating system which tilts the retort just a few degrees on each side can cut processing time by a fifth. This can work very well with pouches stacked in trays, says Allen, but they need to have sufficient headspace in the pack to allow product to circulate.

Satori Stocktec is one of three retort manufacturers offering Zinetecʼs Shaka process.

This process takes the tilting or rotating principle one step further, vigorously shaking the basket of Full water immersion process autoclave,stainless steel, from Satori Stocktec READY MEALS & THE MICROW****E No one wants to miss out on growth in the ready meals market. Developments in Europe include shallow aluminium foil and steel trays for the microwave.

Other advantages include:the ability to produce a ¡°crust¡± on products such as lasagne; better uniformity of heating,and the complete recyclability of the trays.

A disadvantage is the length of time they take to heat (the larger the container the shorter this becomes).

Microwaveable Ready Meals in shallow foil trays are now reaching the European market.

Allen adds: ¡°Because the process might take just six or nine minutes rather than an hour, the cooking damage to flavour is much less, so you also need fewer spices and less salt.¡± ¡°A worldwide food producer has carried out successful tests processing pouches in a Shaka system. In the future, it will make a huge difference.

When rotation first happened, quality improved ; this is the next big step,¡± believes Allen.

That said, it is not appropriate for every kind of product or packaging. In products that are more viscous, for example, time reductions will be less impressive.

As well as options involving water and steam,which remain the most common, Holmach points out that CO2 is sometimes used as a processing medium. ¡°This allows for lower processing temperatures, because the anaerobic kill rate is much higher,¡± Holland explains. When blanching vegetables, steam processing can be combined with cooling in CO2, creating what he calls a ¡°short, sharp process¡±.

And with more sophisticated electronic controls come improved data acquisition and reporting.

Like decisions about the specific technology,the selection of particular retort sizes will depend on each manufacturerʼs needs. Lagarde units range in size typically from 1,000 meals per batch up to 9,000. But generally speaking, says Holland, manufacturers will strike a balance between efficiency and flexibility, and most will have to cope with varying batch sizes. There is usually little point in having a single very large retort for high volumes, he points out.

BFS managing director Richard Burke says:¡°Cooking to a precise temperature is imperative from an HACCP perspective. But consistent cooling is equally important.¡± Processing times are speeded up by the air injection system, which accelerates heat transfer at both the heating and cooling stages. Automatic cleaning times of 15 minutes mean that multiple changeovers can be scheduled in a single day,explains Burke.

DC Norris has further developed its range of equipment for processing before the packing stage. Its Jet Cook universal cooking system looks like a jet engine, and performs in much the same way.

Also using steam cooking is the DC Norris Globe Head agitation system. Here, steam is drawn around the outside of the head, and draws product through it without any clogging. This approach is ideal for vegetables, pasta and IQF products, says the company.

T: +44 (0) 1245 47***

E: info**[ta]**migk.co.uk

Holmach

T: +44 (0) 1780 74***

E: sales**[ta]**mach.co.uk

BFS

T: +44 (0) 1234 24***

E: sales**[ta]**europe.co.uk

DC Norris

T: +44 (0) 1767 67***

E: mail**[ta]**orris.co.uk

DC Norris: Jet Cook READY MEALS & SNACKS FACTS Global database The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has opened up its global food safety database for public use. The searchable database classifies food,animal and plant safety measures from worldwide sources.

Information available includes new export and food safety requirements, specific trade concerns, member country national enquiry contacts and details of the authorities who handle notifications.

The Organisation hopes its action will help to break down trade barriers relating to food and drink products. The database can be accessed at http://spsims.wto.org

Pressure on space is a familiar complaint among food manufacturers when it comes to the amount of information required. And on the face of it, new EU food labelling proposals appear to pile on even more pressure.

At the end of January, EU Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou recommended that mandatory nutrition labelling should be introduced, including information on calories,saturated and other fats, salt, sugar and carbohydrates.

The proposal is hardly controversial, given that most UK retailers and brand owners already use either the traffic light system endorsed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or other systems based on guideline daily amounts (GDAs).

But plans to stipulate a minimum print size on food labels are likely to meet stiffer opposition.

British Retail Consortium (BRC) director for food Andrew Opie argues: ¡°Proposals to introduce a minimum 3mm font size for labels are a major concern. This wouldnʼt improve clarity, but would lead to compulsory labelling dominating packs.¡± ¡°It might also be necessary to make packs larger to fit all the information on.¡± Now that would be controversial in an environmentally paranoid world. Remember the FSA recommends 10 point wherever possible.

Some, but by no means all, brands and retailers privately consider that strict adherence to the letter of the law, by including legallyrequired information in whatever point size, is more important than genuine legibility. Others suggest that using different background colours or shading would do more to enhance visibili***

The Food Standards Agency alone has received more than 2500 claims submitted by food manufacturers.

The European Commission (EC) is expected to agree a final list of authorised health claims by early 2***

Ready Steady Go! Nutrition labelling is one element of the EC's draft labelling proposal. The draft allows for national schemes,such as the FSA's traffic light approach, to continue.

The results of this study will Tell the FSA what is working best for consumers and will inform negotiations with the EC.

Basic data such as the barcode and ingredients listing have to go on the outside,¡± explains Embleton. Typically, the inner layer tends to be used for secondary consumer communication,such as promotions or recipe ideas.

¡°Historically, coding was always seen as a packaging operation, but people are increasingly making the link with processing,¡± says Claricom managing director James Butcher.

And making that link is an important step on the road to improved flexibility, he argues.

The potential impact, financial and to reputation, of making mistakes with packaging or coding has never been greater and at the same time, argues Claricom, the risk of making such mistakes is higher. ¡°There has never been more variety of products and packaging in a sector such as ready meals,¡± says Butcher. ¡°And the number of new products and reformulations is also higher than ever.¡± Using a central Package Coding Management System, specific recipes can be reliably tallied with particular sleeves or cartons. The system checks every barcode during production to ensure that the correct packs are used throughout the run.

Under the new rules,unpackaged food and food served by restaurants or catering establishments will also have to indicate the presence of allergens.

FURTHER INFORMATION Sessions of York

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Claricom

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Reading University

www.reading.ac.uk

Traffic lights versus Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) Ready meals are not among those categories where space is most restricted.

The Association argued strongly that the existing 10 Day Rule was already effective.

As a result of the CFA challenge the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) ordered an independent review.

The review, completed in 2006 confirmed that there was no scientific evidence for a 5 Day Rule. The ACMSF noted that the epidemiological evidence included that in the past 20 years no reported case of botulism has been linked to properly stored and prepared chilled foods.

The drafting group included CFA secretary general Kaarin Goodburn and representatives of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Institute of Food Research, the British Retail Consortium, Campden & Chorleywood Food RA and Cryovac.

The final guidance document, reinstating the 10 Day Ruleʼ, was supported by the ACMSF in December 2***

The FSA says it will publish the revised guidance early in 2***

Microbiological guidance In other moves the CFA has published a revised edition of its Microbiological Guidance for Produce Suppliers to Chilled Food Manufacturers. The new guidance aims to help the minimisation of food safety risks by focussing on the use of Risk Assessment and HACCP.

It looks at key control areas including traceability, pack houses and post harvest handling. Particular emphasis is placed on produce that is to be minimally processed and eaten without being cooked.

DEFRA has welcomed the document as very good, comprehensive and useful.

www.chilledfood.org

New fire risk minimisation code for food industry A new food industry Code of Practice on Fire Risk Minimisation has been published by the Insurers Fire Risk Research Strategy Scheme in conjunction with several other insurance industry bodies,the Food Industry Panels Group, (FIPG),and a consortium of industry associations.

Designed to provide advice for all sectors of food production the Code aims to establish a generic property loss control standard to keep the damage caused by fire to a minimum.

The new Code revises the approach that individual companies must take to ensure they are fully compliant with legislative requirements.

Further it provides guidance on fire risk minimisation in both old and new facilities and structures which are required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into force in 2***

The Code has the support of the UK insurance industry and is available from

www.thefpa.co.uk

CFA KO 5 day shelf life ruleʼAn online food chain traceability initiative to provide the global food industry with the ability to trace the source and content of all food product ingredients and packaging movements on demand has been launched.

TraceAssured is claimed to be the first traceability system which can provide an instant and transparent traceability system for the food chain from field to fork.

The system has already been successfully integrated into a number of Moy Park plants, one of Europeʼs largest poultry processing operations and TraceAssured has recently confirmed a global agreement with IT giant, Hewlett Packard as well as receiving support from Scanvaegt International (part of the Marel Food Systems Group).

¡°The TraceAssured solution enables food supply organisations to work together to build and strengthen trust through transparency and can add competitive edge through brand enhancement. The service minimises risk to consumers, businesses and exceeds traceability standards, legislation and customer demands.¡± The system registers a time when each process happens and where, presenting everything in a visual way. For example, it can bring up a factory layout or even a global map to show ingredients sourced in China or Brazil.

The project is aimed at increasing consumer trust in the global food industry, which has suffered in recent years from a series of food safety crises, particularly in the meat sector.

Consumers are demanding greater transparency for all kinds of food products and want to know where their food comes from and what ingredients have been used.

The universityʼs provision at Holbeach holds the specialist status of National Centre of Excellence for the Chilled Ready Meal sector within the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing.

The technology also results in greater yields,particularly in high value products such as prawns (pictured above) and duck, says Air Products.

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