On the evening of the 7 May, a group gathered in the Atrium, a beautiful venue at Firmenich South Africa’s offices in Midrand, to celebrate the graduation of the students who studied the SAAFFI-Wits Course in Flavour & Fragrance Technology during 2023. This course, which is held annually at Wits University School of Chemistry, and is also available online, comprises 12 lectures and 3 practical sessions. It is offered to 2nd year Applied Chemistry students at Wits, and is open to interested members of the flavour, fragrance and FMCG industries. While it is a South African based course, stu ..read more

Read your May 2024 Food & Beverage Reporter Magazine In the May edition of Food & Beverage Reporter we celebrate the resilience of the South African food, beverage and packaging industry as one of  the industry’ biggest stars, Tiger Brands, inaugurates a new home for Black  Cat Peanut Butter with a R300mn capital investment. This is one of the largest investment of capital that the company has made in a single project. You can also read how service providers such as  ensure food safety with its new ecoGSE system – a multifaceted approach integrating technology into eve ..read more

BEVERAGES – PET In the beverage processing industry, PET bottles are the de facto choice for most manufacturers and brands. These products are extremely practical, lightweight and virtually unbreakable. In this feature we look at some of the major suppliers of extruding technology, and the strides that are being made in the sector to make these bottles even more lightweight with a bigger recyclable content. In addition we will focus on technical considerations during the manufacture of PET bottles, including the energy required, the CO2 win during transportation and the impa ..read more

ALLERGEN TESTING Unexpected or undeclared allergens and the misrepresentation of food continue to make headlines and is the leading cause of food recalls globally. Whilst the impact on brand reputation can be financially damaging, the impact on people can be catastrophic. Reducing your risk and increasing your capability in allergen management is key for the modern day food manufacturer. We highlight all the latest solutions in our May edition.  PROCESSING TECH – CARBONATION SYSTEMS From beer to cool drinks, who doesn’t love a beverage with a bit of bite and zing and that carbonation i ..read more

Glen Carlou Chardonnay was the only South African wine to achieve a Top 10 placement alongside a host of respected international estates at the prestigious Chardonnay du Monde® wine competition held in Burgundy, last month. As one of the first producers of Chardonnay in South Africa in 1988, Glen Carlou boasts both the climate and soils perfect for specialist production of this exciting cultivar.  The 31st annual Chardonnay du Monde® competition, translated as meaning ‘Chardonnay of the World’, aims to recognise the world’s best Chardonnay wines, with 200 international exp ..read more

Color shapes consumer perceptions and drives product success. Maartje Hendrickx, Market Development Manager at GNT Group, explains how plant-based EXBERRY® colors meet rising demand for natural, sustainable products while delivering vibrant hues Color is key to setting positive first impressions in food and drink. Delivering the right appearance communicates quality, taste, and freshness, influencing perceptions of flavor, sweetness, and overall acceptability.  In the modern era, color is also now increasingly used to capture shoppers’ attention and send out instinctive signals about pro ..read more

Cape Town will celebrate a first for the province with the hosting of the Organic and Natural Products expo just a week away.  From 26 to 28 April, the Cape Town International Convention Centre will play host to more than 100 exhibitors showcasing innovations. From new products to activations, demonstrations and trials, the expo takes engagement to a whole new level. In order to make a visit to the expo affordable to as many members of the public as possible, the R100 entry fee can be halved to R50 by pre-purchasing tickets at nts/OrganicAndNatural/TicketSales.aspx or at the ga ..read more

Ishida Europe has further strengthened its presence and offering to customers on the African continent with the acquisition of specialist South African packaging equipment manufacturer National Packaging Systems (NPS). Established in 1983 and based in Pinetown, near Durban, NPS has built a strong reputation for the design and manufacture of high-performance and reliable vertical form, fill and seal machines for sachets, stick packs and pillow packs, as well as volumetric fillers, auger fillers and feed systems. The company also designs and installs bespoke systems manufactured to customers’ s ..read more

Africa has one of the world’s fastest growing consumer markets, projected to boast 1.7 billion consumers by 2030. The number of ‘ultra-high net worth’ individuals in Africa with assets exceeding $30 million is expected to grow by almost 50% this year, making way for ample retail opportunities. Consumer and business spending in Africa should reach around US$6.6 trillion by 2030, fuelled by population growth and urbanisation.  This gives rise to the strength within the African Continental Free Trade Area that has the potential to boost economies across the continent by promoting intra-Afri ..read more

The solution to finding an alternative to traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cling films for fresh food applications is outlined in a new White Paper from Berry Global. How Omni™Xtra+ Can Drive More Recycling of Cling Films details the challenges that users of PVC cling films now face owing to its inability to be widely recycled and how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni® Xtra+ polyethylene (PE) version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. PVC has been the material of choice for many years for fresh food applications thanks to it ..read more