June 27, 2012

Product News Roundup: The latest from around the fresh-cut industry

Check out the latest from Wilson Produce, Enza Zaden, Dynamic Systems Inc., Sonoco, Paper Pak Industries, Bunzl Distribution, Buhler, Pure Hot House Foods, San Miguel, Mann’s, CombiScale, CMI Equpment & Engineering, Intelleflex, DeltaTRAK, SEALPAC, Eagle Packaging Machinery, FTNON, Scoring Ag, Schober, Tanimura & Antle and Ready Pac.

Giants team up
to produce minis

Wilson Produce and its long-term seed partner Enza Zaden have launched a new one-pound bag of Mighty Mini Sweet Peppers.  The companies have spent the last five years developing and perfecting the sweet mini pepper. Vine-ripened and greenhouse-grown, the peppers will be available year round.

SIMBA Lite designed
for bulk processors

Dynamic Systems, Inc. in Redmond, Wash., has released SIMBA Lite 2012 to provide fresh food processors with the ability to process, label and track products from field or dock to customer. The SIMBA (Specialized Inventory Management with Barcode Accuracy) system is designed for companies that process in bulk and allows a production line worker to change content of labels on the computer or touch screen, capturing product information (weight, size, color, grade) and printing a label with a barcode identifier for that tote or carton. The label information is stored in the SIMBA inventory system, which then provides production and inventory reports.  The cartons may then be accumulated onto a pallet, and tracked with a single pallet identifier. 
SIMBA’S van loading feature tracks each carton or pallet onto a specific van.  A Bill of Lading is then produced automatically.

Packaging system
extends shelf life

Sonoco, Paper Pak Industries and Bunzl Distribution have announced introduction of the UltraFreshSystem for packaging fresh-cut produce. The system features a custom-designed, thermoformed Sonoco tray combined with an UltraZapXtendaPak food safety pad from Paper Pak Industries. The tray includes an insert to channel liquid away from the product while the food safety pad absorbs excess moisture inside the package and emits a steady stream of carbon dioxide, reducing the growth of microorganisms such as yeast and mold. Together, the tray and absorbent pad maintain the appearance of the fresh-cut product and extend shelf life by slowing the produce’s respiration rate. The result is a fresher, firmer product through the use-by date.

Optical sorter finds
contaminants, defects

Buhler’s high-efficiency SORTEX #1A optical sorter integrates Buhler’s custom-designed high-definition bichromatic cameras, enhanced InGAAs technology and PROfile shape recognition technology to detect foreign material.  Based on color and shape, the SORTEX E1A identifies foreign contaminants introduced from the field and packaging process, in addition to extraneous vegetable matter and color defects.

Grilling trays from
Pure Hot House

Pure Hot House Foods in Canada rolled out new Pure Flavor Griller Trays just in time for barbecue season.
In 15 different blends and in three sizes, the trays have precut veggies for grilling. The company has also launched its new website.

San Miguel kits
feature super greens

San Miguel Produce has launched  nine new salads and salad kits comprised of dark leafy greens – no lettuce or spring mix. The seven conventional and two organic blends are part of San Miguel’s Super Greens salad series, the company said. They’re offered in the SuperKALE, IRONman and EnerCHI banners.

New sweet potatoes
are crinkle cut

Mann’s has introduce new washed, cut and ready-to-eat crinkle-cut sweet potatoes in 10- and 22-oz. bags. Updated packaging is designed to help drive consumer awareness, and include new cooking instructions.

Intelleflex, DeltaTRAK
are pooling efforts

Intelleflex has announced a strategic solution partnership with DeltaTRAK. By partnering with Intelleflex, DeltaTRAK will extend its family of cold chain solutions for the food, pharmaceutical and processing industries by offering the Intelleflex XC3 Technology-based tags and readers under the DeltaTRAK brand.  XC3 Technology readers and tags deliver on-demand data visibility for tracking and monitoring the temperature and condition of temperature-sensitive products, such as food and pharmaceuticals. Products can be monitored and managed throughout the cold chain without requiring unloading of pallets or opening of containers, while also addressing government and industry regulations for traceability, safety and quality.
Under the terms of the agreement, DeltaTRAK will offer XC3 Technology-based fixed, cellular and handheld readers and TMT-8500 temperature monitoring tags to customers throughout the world. DeltaTRAK will also incorporate Intelleflex’s recently announced ZEST Data Services into its solution offerings.

Speed peeler
designed for onions

CMI Equipment and Engineering’s Onion Speed Peeler 120 can peel onions at a rate of more than 120 per minute while maintaining a 90-plus percent peel rate. The Speed Peeler also allows for low maintenance and adjustable air flow and is designed for onion processors, secondary suppliers and food processing facilities.

 

SEALPAC traysealer
for smaller volumes

{filedir_21}13-SEALPAC_A4_traysealer-post.jpgThe new SEALPAC A4 traysealer is an entry-level model designed for production runs with smaller volumes. Its compact design makes the SEALPAC A4 suitable for small- to medium-sized companies, especially in catering, that wish to implement fully automated tray-sealing.

Case erector/loader
helps cut costs

The new Eagle Packaging Machinery Boxxer Case Erector Loader Sealer System combines case erecting and product loading into one automated system that significantly reduces labor costs. Fully enclosed and built in a heavy duty welded tubular frame, the system can produce fully packaged cases at speeds up to 15 cases per minute and weighing up to 50 lbs. Designed in a compact footprint, the system can be built for tape or glue applications and features quick size changeover that can be done in minutes with no tools. All guarding is interlocked and includes alarms for low or no product and a low hopper alarm for the case blanks.

New piece count feature
on PrimoWeigher Scales

CombiScale Inc. announces the addition of a PIECE COUNT feature on its PrimoWeigher combination scales that allows packaging based on quantity instead of weight. Using the base weight of the individual product and factoring in tolerances set by the manufacturer, PrimoWeigher looks for combinations of buckets that achieve a desired weight and is able to calculate a precise count of the product. Additionally, product mixing software provides manufacturers with the ability to piece count two different products into a single package. By example, a 16-head scale can be configured to run one product on 8-heads and a second product on the other 8-heads and then combined into a single package.
PrimoWeigher combination scales are available in 10, 14, 16, 20, and 24-head configurations with 1.5, 2.5, and 5 liter bucket sizes operating at speeds up to 200+ cycles per minute.

New air dryer
extends shelf life

Food Technology Noord-Oost Nederland B.V. (FTNON) has introduced a new air dryer for fresh salads, vegetables and herbs. Designed to help increase shelf life with lower humidity, the FTNON air dryer is easily cleaned and makes bacteria build-up virtually impossible, according to the company. With optimal reuse of waste energy, it minimizes energy consumption.

New Hydro-Cooling
unit from ScoringAg

ScoringAg, a solution provider for FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) recordkeeping, food safety and traceback requirements, has rolled out a new Ag-Pack Hydro-Cooler to prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens in fresh fruits and vegetables, including leafy greens and sprouts.
The unit takes field heat out of harvested produce, increasing the volume of sellable crops. It can also simultaneously perform a kill step using PAA and hydrogen peroxide on foodborne pathogens. The straight-through design is efficient for putting RPC's or lugs loaded with a harvested crop.
The Hydro-Cooler-sanitizer Model 275 uses food grade ice to do the cooling either from an ice machine on site or purchased ice. The Hydro-Cooler-sanitizer Model 250 has a 5-ton stainless steel coil water conditioning cooling system.
The database links tracking and traceback food/feed sanitation records of all food and feed, ingredients and containers.

Schober unveils automated
robotic stacking system

Schober has introduced the high-velocity Twin Spider Automated Robotic stacking system for its RSM Rotary Die Cutting Machines. Specifically designed for precise stacking and counting of products up to 40 inches in length (1000 mm), this new delivery technology is ideal for IML and other labels as well as nested product configurations and different profile jobs that have been ganged together into one print repeat. The Twin Spider Robotic system is used in line with Schober RSM rotary die cutting technology. Speeds of up to 195 f/min (60 m/min) are attainable with a maximum cycle rate of 50 cycles per minute.

Tanimura & Antle
launches packaging, promotions

Tanimura & Antle welcomed salad season with new packaging and promotions. Recently launching  its Summer Fun Sweepstakes with Artisan Lettuce, Romaine and Boston Lettuce, the company also reintroduced its Field Fresh Wrapped Leaf Lettuce in new colorful bags that include a QR code with direct linkto a series of videos showing lettuce being harvested and packaged right in the field. Also new for the season is a baseball-themed package for iceberg lettuce.

Ready Pac expands
its Disney line

Ready Pac Foods, Inc. in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products, is announcing a new line of Disney‐themed Mini‐Meal and Salads designed for kids 6 ‐ 12. The Disney‐themed Cool Cuts line consists of newly formulated Mini‐Meals and Salads that have been developed specifically for kids’ tastes and preferences. In addition, a Disney character was matched to each item based on the character’s personality, and inside kids will find a “fun factor” that matches the Disney character on the label, such as a sticker or temporary tattoo. The product line includes salads — Pizza, Taco, Caesar and Harvest — and mini- meals that include fresh or dried produce.

    





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