Pouring knowledge at FDT

Various sectors of the food and beverage industry gathered at Food & Drink Technology (FDT) Africa to discuss health and safety, innovations and legislation. MARISKA MORRIS reports.

The FDT Africa exhibition and conference was held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, from September 4 to 6 and hosted various exhibits from all the sectors in the food and beverage industry. The Speakers Corner hosted presentations from industry specialists.

Vera Fritsche, from the VDMA, spoke about how technology has contributed to saving water and energy in beverage production, food processing and packaging.

The exhibitors ranged from labelling and packaging companies to quality-assurance and legislation-compliance organisations.

 EcoLab is a global service provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies in the food and beverage, energy, healthcare, industrial and hospitality industry. The company was in attendance to showcase the wide range of services it offers; from water sterilisation and waste management to pest control, sanitation programmes and food-safety audits.

Molapo Stanford Sewela, lab analyst at EcoLab, noted the company’s involvement in assisting South African food manufacturers to test and treat their sites for listeriosis. He said: “Micro-organisms adapt like some viruses and become immune to antibiotics. Listeriosis can adapt and become immune to cleaning products. For this reason companies need to change their cleaning products frequently.”

Sewela stated that EcoLab regularly enhances its sterilisation programmes to ensure its clients manage food safety effectively.

Future Packing, a packaging, cleaning and machinery supplier, featured its array of labelling technology and disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) over two stands. The company specialises in disposable, recyclable PPE, which is ideal for the food and beverage industry. Products range from hair nets and masks, to overalls and gloves.

SERR Synergy, a business-management consultancy firm, attended FTD Africa to present its various legislation-related services with a main focus on the Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act, which is aimed at protecting corporate and personal information. SERR Synergy encouraged organisations to comply with the Act prior to its implementation at the end of the year.

In between all the exhibitions and speakers, the judges of the African Beer Awards also gathered to taste and crown the best beer.

FDT Africa boasted a total of 111 exhibitors and 1 600 participants from 81 countries over the three days.

The next FDT Africa Expo will take place in collaboration with Analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa, a trade fair for water, sewage, refuse and recycling. The combined Expo is planned for July 9 to 11, 2019, at the Gallagher Convention Centre.

Petra Westphal, exhibition group director of Messe München, noted: “Going forward, we will offer exhibitors and visitors of FDT Africa the opportunity to obtain even more comprehensive and cross-thematic information on trends and innovations from the environmental, beverage and food industries as well as analytics. Together, the co-located trade fairs ensure the best possible knowledge transfer for all industries.”