REVOLUTIONARY NEW APPROACH TO CHILLED MEAT HANDLING BEING LAUNCHED AT IFFA 12 MAY 2016 FoodCap, an advanced materials handling supply chain company based in Auckland, will present its new primal handling system at the leading innovative trade fair this month. The system is a reusable bulk chilled meat handling system for buffering, storage, aging and transportation of red and white meat between primal and case-ready processing lines, and has taken four years to research and develop. FoodCap chief executive Julian Beavis says the technology is revolutionary for primal chilled meat processers, using a robust meat storage capsule that seals completely to maintain a modified atmosphere where oxygen is excluded, preventing microbial growth and product deterioration. “The capsule is essentially the vacuum pack and transportation device all in one, eliminating the need for single use packaging,” Beavis says. “The capsule stores between 110-160 kilograms of meat, either bone in or bone out, meaning greater efficiencies on the production line as well as in storage and handling.” Designed to integrate with automated storage and retrieval systems for efficient and accurate handling and inventory management, the system also has the flexibility to be used without automation if required. It has been scientifically verified by independent research and development company Carne Technologies. Beavis says extensive meat science trials have been carried out on beef, pork, chicken and lamb, providing direct comparison between the FoodCap system and conventional vacuum packaging, which show the system provides outstanding exclusion of oxygen, low microbial growth and extended storage times. The system has also been commercially proven, with installations currently operating in meat processing plants in New Zealand and China. FoodCap’s technology was originally developed as a central processing supply chain for high velocity production and distribution of case-ready meat to supermarkets. Progressive Enterprises uses the technology in its centralised multi-species meat processing and packing plants in Auckland, which have produced more than 400 million consumer packs of chilled meat. With the plant producing up to 120,000 consumer packs of meat per day, the FoodCap system has eliminated more than 100 million cartons and 110 million vacuum bags that would otherwise have been used in a traditional supply chain. Last year, Chinese company Little A fresh approach to chilled meat material handling developed by a New Zealand company is set to be launched on the world stage at this year’s IFFA meat industry trade show in Germany. Continued on P13 >>
FT-May16
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