Pick and pack

Out in the old London docks, sits a rather large exhibition hall. An area that has been rejuvenated in the past 20 years with trendy Thames-side apartments, restaurants, hotels and gyms, will soon be the home for a few days in March to the food and drinks industry and processing and packaging companies.

IFE09 and Pro2Pac runs from 15-18 March at the ExCeL Centre, East London, and boasts a whole kaleidoscope of meat products and companies that service the meat industry. From across the world, from Native American meat to German gas analysing equipment, the four-day event promises an interesting few days out for meat industry executives to find what is out there in the market and the potential of shaking hands on a new deal, creating future partnerships and, hopefully, signing life-changing contracts.

Meat feast

One of the most promising aspects of IFE09 is the large number of companies from different countries that will be exhibiting meat products at ExCeL this year.

The most fascinating of all the companies on display has to be American Indian Foods from Montana, which will be showcasing its Mighty Good Bison product. The company promotes food products produced by Native American tribes - or people who promote the use of Native resources for the benefit of the indigenous people of the US. Products, which also includes beef strips, are labelled with the respective tribal affiliation, illustrating the homeland where the product is produced, and the company's goal is to put tribally-owned businesses in contact with buyers interested in food and agriculture products. The company uses a 'Made/Produced by American Indians' trademark, which is specifically developed to protect native producers and consumers from fake imitations, and denotes authenticity. American Indian Foods says it uses this emblem so consumers can easily identify authentic American Indian-produced goods and is a unique symbol of its culture, tradition and pride.

Closer to home in Scotland, Brown Food Group, which started out as a lowly butcher's shop in the 19th century, now operates seven subsidiary companies. Between them, they provide an extensive range of cooked and frozen food products, ranging from delicatessen and pre-sliced cooked meats. Along with its Fenton Gold Boneless Turkey Saddle, the company will be showcasing its whole muscle breaded chicken breast nuggets with a breadcrumb finish.

English firms are also playing a big part at IFE09 and these include Brindisa, Products from Spain and Cherry Valley. Balham-based Brindisa imports an extensive range of high-quality Spanish foods to Britain from a wide selection of producers, ranging from the very specialist with limited availability to larger producers with both capacity and a unique quality. At IFE09, Brindisa will be highlighting its range of Far Serrano Ham and Alejandro Chorizo hoops.

Meanwhile, Products from Spain, importer and distributor of an extensive range of Spanish fine foods since 1950, will be highlighting its Spanish chorizo made of pork.

DB Foods, which supplies a broad range of over 1,000 fresh and frozen meat and poultry products, will be offering different beef products from the UK as it strives to support the farming industry and work with local farmers to maintain full traceability. To ensure it meets the demands of its customers, DB Foods also sources beef from Australia, South America, Ireland and New Zealand.

One of the features of Southover Food's stand this year is its selection of cooked meats. The Sussex-based firm will be displaying its award-winning gammons, which are on and off the bone, as well as turkey, chicken, beef and pork, together with sliced meats that are all locally sourced and produced by hand, using traditional cooking methods. Southover says it is actively looking to meet a partner distributor of high-quality products at IFE09 this year to add Southover Cooked Meats to their portfolio and take them to a new market.

Birds of a feather

Poultry is also on the menu at the show. Duck supplier Cherry Valley will be introducing its M&S British free-range de-boned and stuffed whole duck, with a pork, cranberry and morello cherry stuffing. This free-range duck product is said to ensure succulence and a fuller flavour, as the birds are fed a cereal-based diet and are grown longer. Also new for the show will be the company's Farm Fresh Duck and the launch of new foodservice offerings of the finest and freshest duck products to retailers, caterers, distributors and wholesalers. These provide more meat and less fat than any other brand on the market, says the company, and allows buyers to supply the highest-quality produce to their customers.

Cherry Valley's Eric Jagger says: "We are extremely excited about the launch of Farm Fresh, and IFE09 provides the ideal opportunity for us to introduce this higher-welfare duck to key players in the industry and communicate the versatility of duck and how it readies itself to a number of cooking occasions and also, how to position it as a fantastic alternative to more traditional meat and poultry dishes. Those with a poultry requirement can discover the quality of product we can offer them and there will be lots of information available, as well as Cherry Valley Farm Fresh representatives on hand to answer any questions."

Visitors will also have the chance to see Gressingham Food's range of products, including its geese. Gressingham Foods rears geese from May through to January each year in small free-range flocks on selected farms in Norfolk and Suffolk. All its free-range geese are fed on a wheat-based ration, supplemented with minerals and vitamins but containing no growth enhancers or antibiotics, and are dry-plucked, which is said to give the product an attractive appearance, a longer shelf-life, and prevent water loss during cooking, thereby reducing shrinkage. The geese available on the company's stand all come as whole, portions, crowns or fat.

From France, there are two poultry companies looking to tickle your Gaelic tastebuds. Poultry producer Arrivé specialises in free-range produce, where the chickens are raised in the Landes forest in southwestern France. The company says the location provides an outstanding natural setting for the chickens, where they are free to roam around the pine forest, unrestricted by fencing. At night they retire naturally to their forest shelters or marensines. Every chicken raised by the local farmers is guaranteed by the company to be of slow growing 'rustic' stock and the 'Cou Nu' chicken is said to be an ideal breed for producing firm, finely marbled meat.

Another specialist producer exhibiting its poultry products from France at IFE09 will be Frances Caillor, said to be the largest producer of quail in Europe. Reared in the same area in which Arrivé operates - at the heart of the forests in the Landes area in south west France, quail have been reared by Caillor for over 30 years. The company produces over 25 million quail per year and will be exhibiting its comprehensive range of free-range quail, frozen oven-ready quail and plain and marinated quail fillets.

Good neighbours

Next door to IFE09 is the Pro2Pac exhibition for processing and packaging. One of the main attractions this year at this biannual event is a series of free seminars on packaging innovation, sponsored by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). "WRAP welcomes the opportunity to sponsor and help shape the seminar programme this year for Pro2Pac," says WRAP's Rebekah Cairns. "If you are a food or packaging buyer, manufacturer, retailer or brand owner in the grocery sector, register for the seminars today. Learn more about pushing the boundaries with innovations in packaging and food waste reduction to realise the economic benefits, how to reduce carbon footprints and increase customer loyalty."

At the show, next-generation processing machinery, storage equipment and hi-tech packaging and material developments for the meat industry will all be on display from companies including Orbital, Schoeller Arca Systems and Ravenwood Packaging. Reiser will also be on hand to demonstrate its range of Repak horizontal form, fill and seal packaging machines, offering the industry a new generation of packaging equipment from a more sanitary design to the highest cycle speeds in the industry.

Gas equipment manufacturer Witt has said it will be exhibiting a range of new products at Pro2Pac for leak detection, mixing and analysing. Products on show will include the MAPY 4.0, a gas analyser with ethernet capability for use on Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) lines, featuring the option of an integrated printer and/or bar-code scanner.

Another item on display will be the Pack-Vac, described as a low-cost, portable leak detection system for individual packages, without the need for trace gases. It uses water and compressed air to detect leaks and is designed for use with most flexible and rigid food packaging. Available with six different-sized chambers, it can also be supplied with a special attachment to test vacuum-packs for leaks.

Meanwhile, the Leak-Master, a non-destructive micro-leak detection system can find leaks in individual flexible and rigid food packaging. Based on CO2 detection technology, it produces considerable cost savings over using water as a leak tester.

Witt says it will also be exhibiting the KM100 gas mixer with integrated gas analyser and Leak-Master Mapmax, a fully automatic in-line detection system to detect leaks for food and pharmaceutical packers supplying rigid and flexible MAP using vacuum, thermoform, chamber or horizontal/vertical form, fill and seal packaging machines. This system now has five different chamber sizes, including two for the testing of complete crates/trays.

Sustainability is also high on the agenda at Pro2Pac for new products at the development stage, as manufacturers look to increasingly 'green' alternatives for both packaging and processing methods. Products and solutions on display from companies including Promens Food Packaging, Air Products and Alexir Packaging, which launched the first plastic-free, fully compostable board pack. They will highlight how environmentally friendly products, utilising renewable and sustainable resources, have now become part of the mainstream market. An innovative new transparent packaging format from Schur packaging for Asda's Fresh Tastes range of ready meals, which has already proven to be a real success the company said and offers a 70% reduction in weight compared to conventional packaging, will also be on display.

For the convenience meal market, Windsor Food Machinery and Machines 4 Food will be on hand to demonstrate their ranges of processing equipment designed for the meat industry, including slicers, mincers, strip cutters and tray-sealing systems. Harrison Europac, the UK subsidiary of Færch Plast, one of the industry's premier manufacturers of packaging for ready meals and convenience products is also returning to the event to showcase its comprehensive packaging solutions.

Packaging specialist Sirane is launching a range of new products at the show. These include a new selection of bone puncture resistance materials, featuring metallised, waxed and tinted films. Also on display will be all of Sirane's traditional and existing products for microwaving, cooking and roasting food, as well as its full range of compostable cushioning pads for meat and poultry packaging. Exhibiting for the first time, specialist manufacturer Euroflow will be demonstrating its portfolio of stainless steel processing machinery for the food industry, including conveyors, lidding machinery and transfer and product pumps.

Pro2Pac marketing manager Deborah Conneely adds, "Now in its second year, the growth of Pro2Pac is indicative of its unique positioning. With brand-new technologies, processes and ever-changing consumer demands, the industry requires a direct channel of communication with its customers. Pro2Pac 2009 will bring together a wealth of professionals and prospective customers and provide those important networking opportunities, all under one roof - especially beneficial in the current economic climate.

"We are extremely excited about the 2009 show. Our experience and co-location alongside IFE puts us in an excellent position to deliver real solutions to our customers' business challenges. It's one thing for industry professionals to source products on the internet, but quite another to see live machinery and solutions in person. Pro2Pac 2009 will combine high-quality exhibitors with the right calibre of visitors to help generate plenty of new business opportunities despite these challenging economic times."

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