2024 – Page 103

Sainsbury’s reduces plastic with new paperboard tray for breaded chicken packaging

In its new application to private-label breaded chicken products from Sainsbury’s, Graphic Packaging International and Moy Park’s paperboard tray hopes to use between 72% and 82% less plastic per tray and remove 300 metric tons from the retailer’s supply chain annually.

The PaperSeal Shape paperboard tray was developed in partnership with G. Mondini. Its double sealing flange and rigid construction are said to provide a hermetic seal for the modified atmosphere trays. As such, it is said to match the shelf life provided by the original plastic tray.

Apparently, it can also be easily recycled at kerbside, as it is said to contain less than 10% plastic by total pack weight and meet On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme guidelines in the UK.

The move is set to reflect the Sainsbury’s ‘Plan for Better’ commitment, with the interlocking pillars of ‘Better for you, Better for the planet, and Better for everyone’.

“We truly believe that PaperSeal is a game-changer for retailers looking to reduce their reliance on plastic while still offering their consumers a packaging solution that performs,” said Paul Tye, new business development director at Graphic Packaging. “We worked closely with the team at Moy Park to ensure operational and supply chain efficiency was optimized, and supplying the trays from our UK packaging facility helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with packaging transport.

“This new packaging wouldn’t have been possible without the steadfast commitment to collaboration and innovation shown by our partner Moy Park, as we worked together to ensure every part of the finished solution delivered the highest possible quality and circularity standards for Sainsbury’s consumers.”

Matt Harris, head of packaging at Moy Park, added: “Moy Park has a keen focus on developing sustainable, recyclable packaging solutions and this collaborative project has pooled expertise from across the value chain to deliver an innovative, recyclable paperboard tray solution, ultimately removing a significant tonnage of plastics from the supply chain.”

Previously, Graphic Packaging worked with Morrisons to roll out a cartonboard photographic print pressed tray for its premium, core, and entry-level steak lines. The move is expected to cut 250 tonnes of plastic out of the retailer’s supply chain every year.

Meanwhile, Moy Park has adopted Klöckner Pentaplast’s kp Elite modified atmosphere packaging tray made of rPET. It claims to be the only lightweight, mono-material, modified atmosphere packaging tray to be certified as 100% recyclable by RecyClass, and aims to extend products’ shelf life and reduce food waste.

If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:

How are the top brands progressing on packaging sustainability?

Sustainable Innovation Report 2024: Current trends and future priorities

Reuse vs. single use – which is better for the environment?

The ultimate guide to global plastic sustainability regulation

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Gary Ford to join Bfrepa as PR and policy advisor

BFREPA has announced that Gary Ford, currently chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), will join the organisation as a PR and policy advisor from November.

Mr Ford has worked in the agricultural sector for more than 30 years and brings with him a wealth of expertise, Bfrepa said.

He joins the organisation from the BEIC, where he was most recently chief executive.

Prior to that, Gary had a long career at the NFU, where he held various roles, including chief poultry adviser.

Mr Ford said: “When the opportunity to work with BFREPA arose, I didn’t hesitate.

“I am passionate about supporting producers; it’s where my roots are both in my working career and family history.

“The egg industry is in my blood, and I have seen how hard the BFREPA team works to support the free-range sector, and I am really excited to be a part of that.

“The next few years will likely bring a range of challenges for our sector, and I look forward to working with BFREPA to help steer us through them.”

One priority once in post is to meet members in a series of roadshows, helping them to understand what they want to see from the organisation in the future.

James Baxter, BFREPA chairman, added: “The egg industry is constantly evolving and faces some difficult challenges.

“Adding someone of Gary’s calibre to our team is a real coup for the organisation. His extensive knowledge in the poultry sector, combined with his willingness to engage with producers, will be a tremendous asset as we continue to navigate ever-changing policies from welfare and environmental to a cage-free commitment in 2025 and beyond.

“Gary will add to our team substantially, further strengthening our representation of members.”

Mr Ford starts his new position in November.

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Industry News for June 8, 2024

Tripleseat, the leading sales and event management platform for restaurants, hotels, and unique venues, is excited to announce the acquisition of Merri, a cutting-edge 3D floor plan and event design application for restaurants, hotels, unique venues, and event planners. This strategic acquisition aims to enhance Tripleseat’s robust suite of tools, providing all venues with an all-in-one solution for seamless event planning and management. As the hospitality industry continues to grow and evolve, the need for efficient, technology-driven solutions has never been greater. By integrating Merri’s innovative 3D floor plan design capabilities with Tripleseat’s comprehensive event management platform, venue owners and event planners can now access a powerful toolset that simplifies the planning process and enhances guest experiences. Tripleseat currently serves over 16,000 restaurants and hotels globally and has managed 34 million events to date. By incorporating Merri’s technology, Tripleseat aims to further solidify its position as the leading event management solution provider in the hospitality industry, ensuring even more efficient and effective event planning processes for its extensive user base.

Everline Resort & Spa, a spacious year-round mountain resort in North Lake Tahoe, announces Matt Hale as Executive Chef. Hale returns to the property after working in multiple culinary positions at the resort nearly 20 years ago. In his position, Hale will oversee the resort’s food operations, from managing the curation of menus at the on-site restaurants to managing banquet operations for meetings and events. With more than 25 years of experience working in the hospitality and culinary industry, Hale realized his love for food while growing up on a small farm in Sierraville, California. Throughout his childhood, his parents taught him how to grow vegetables and fruit trees, as well as how to can for the winter. He would also regularly visit his mom while she was working in restaurants and would always find ways to help, from assisting the chef to bussing tables. Hale followed his passion and attended South Lake Tahoe Community College where he received his degree in culinary arts. Following his graduation in 2003, Hale worked at multiple South Lake Tahoe restaurants including Mendocino, a popular fine dining Italian restaurant. In 2006, he moved to the Truckee area and began working as the Sous Chef at Six Peaks Grille at Everline, then named Resort at Squaw Creek. He quickly progressed his career at the resort with multiple promotions to Banquet Chef and then to Executive Sous Chef. Following his time at Everline, Hale moved to Skamania Lodge, in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, where he worked as Executive Chef for more than six years. He then moved back to the Lake Tahoe area where he held the role of Executive Chef at the Tahoe Donner Association.

Zafferano America, the manufacturer of award-winning cordless lighting, handmade tableware, and colored glassware, is pleased to announce the hiring of Gabriella Vivaldi as Director of Marketing, effective immediately. Vivaldi, a bilingual dual citizen of the United States and Italy, has led marketing and communications efforts for established Italian furniture brands and material manufacturers for nearly two decades. In her new role, Vivaldi will oversee and implement North American marketing strategies for both the brand and its New York City Showroom (121 Varick Street). Vivaldi will also manage strategic partnerships and organize events both on- and off-site while working directly with Zafferano SRL, of Quinto di Treviso, Italy, to ensure strategic alignment across the international family of Zafferano companies.

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California Supreme Court says that delivery drivers are contractors

Under a unanimous California Supreme Court decision, drivers that work for companies like Uber and DoorDash are officially considered contractors, not company employees.

On Thursday, The California Supreme Court upheld an earlier appeals court decision that affirmed the legality of Proposition 22 — a bill that delivery apps spent $200 million lobbying for — that passed in Nov. 2020, and changed the legal classification of delivery drivers back from company employees to independent contractors.

“We have no need in this case to decide the applicability of our reasoning in the County of Los Angeles to Proposition 22,” the Supreme Court justices wrote in a unanimous decision. “We reserve these issues until we are presented with an actual challenge to an act of the Legislature providing workers’ compensation to app-based drivers.”

Proposition 22 was a direct response to a 2018 Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent 2019 California Assembly Bill 5, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, and made it harder for companies like Uber and DoorDash to argue that their delivery drivers were independent gig workers. AB5 had stated that drivers would qualify as employees if the company controls how they perform their job or if that job is part of a company’s regular business.

At the time, delivery companies got together to file a lawsuit against the state of California, declaring that the AB 5 was unconstitutional. Delivery companies and other proponents of Prop. 22 argue that classifying drivers as contractors is beneficial to these workers because it allows them the flexibility of setting their own hours and schedule within an “on-demand” work structure.

Critics of this reclassification have argued, however, that legally making drivers contractors rather than employees lets delivery companies off the hook when it comes to paying out benefits of full-time employees, including paid sick days, health insurance benefits, and the ability to unionize.

Since Proposition 22 was approved by California voters in 2020, the legality of the case has bounced around in lower courts. This state Supreme Court decision is likely to be the final say on the matter after more than four years of legal deliberation. The decision was lauded by delivery companies:

“This decision is a huge victory for California Dashers and voters – Prop 22 is here to stay,” Liz Jarvis-Shean, vice president of communications and policy, said in a statement. “Today, we celebrate with the hundreds of thousands of Dashers in California who will maintain access to crucial benefits and protections, and to the unique flexibility that draws them to this kind of work. We are pleased that this law is affirmed and this unnecessary legal process is behind us.”

Union advocates, however, did not see this decision as a legal victory.

“Prop 22 has allowed gig companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to deprive us of a living wage, access to workers compensation, paid sick leave and meaningful health care coverage,” Service Employees International Union California executive director Tia Orr said in a statement obtained by Politico. “Today’s ruling only strengthens our demand for the right to join together in a union so that we can begin improving the gig economy for workers and our customers.”

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

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US alleges overseas fuel traders, shipping companies financed Houthi attacks

Our privacy commitments

This Privacy Policy outlines the information we may collect about you in relation to your use of our websites, events, related publications and services (“personal data”) and how we may use that personal data. It also outlines the methods by which we and our service providers may (subject to necessary consents) monitor your online behaviour to deliver customised advertisements, marketing materials and other tailored services. This Privacy Policy also tells you how you can verify the accuracy of your personal data and how you can request that we delete or update it.

This Privacy Policy applies to all websites operated by Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd (as indicated on the relevant website).

This privacy statement does not cover the activities of third parties, and you should consult those third-party sites’ privacy policies for information on how your data is used by them.

Any questions regarding this Policy and our privacy practices should be sent by e-mail to privacy@gtreview.com or by writing to Data Protection Officer at, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd, 4 Hillgate Place, London, SW12 9ER, United Kingdom. Alternatively, you can telephone our London headquarters at +44 (0) 20 8673 9666.

Who are we?

Established in 2002 and with offices in London and Singapore, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd is the world’s leading trade and trade finance media company, offering information, news, events and services for companies and individuals involved in global trade.

Our principal business activities are:

Business-to-Business financial publishing. We provide a range of products and services focused on international commodities, export, supply chain and trade finance markets including magazines, newsletters, electronic information and data

Organisers of seminars, conferences, training courses and exhibitions for the finance industry

Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd is a company registered in the United Kingdom with company number 4407327 | VAT Registration: 799 1585 59

Data Protection Policy

This Data Protection Policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who visit our website, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure.

Why do we collect information from you?

Our primary goal in collecting personal data from you is to give you an enjoyable customised experience whilst allowing us to provide services and features that will meet your needs.

We collect certain personal data from you, which you give to us when using our Site and/or registering or subscribing for our products and services. However, we also give you the option to access our Sites’ home pages without subscribing or registering or disclosing your personal data.

We also collect certain personal data from other group companies to whom you have given information through their websites (including, by way of example, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd and subsidiaries, in accordance with the purposes listed below). Should we discover that any such personal data has been delivered to any of the Sites, we will remove that information as soon as possible.

Why this policy exists

This Data Protection Policy ensures Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd:

Complies with data protection law and follow good practice

Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners

Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data

pretexts itself from the risk of a data breach

We may change this Policy from time to time so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you’re happy with any changes. By using our website, you’re agreeing to be bound by this Policy.

Data protection law

The Data Protection Act 1998 described how organisations – including Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd – must collect, handle and store personal information. These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials. To comply with the law, personal information collected must be stored safely, not disclosed unlawfully and used fairly.

The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:

Be processed fairly and lawfully

Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes

Be adequate, relevant and not excessive

Be accurate and kept up to date

Not be held for any longer than necessary

Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects

Be protected in appropriate ways

Not be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), unless that country of territory also ensures an adequate level of protection

How do we collect information from you?

We obtain information about you when you use our website, for example, when you contact us about products and services, when you register for an event, register to receive eNewsletters, subscribe or register for a trial to our GTR magazine/website.

Types of Personal Data Held and its Use

1. Customer Services and Administration

On some Sites, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd collects personal data such as your name, job title, department, company, e-mail, phone, work and/or home address, in order to register you for access to certain content, subscriptions and events. In addition, we may also store information including IP address and page analytics, including information regarding what pages are accessed, by whom and when.

This information is used to administer and deliver to you the products and/or services you have requested, to operate our Sites efficiently and improve our service to you, and to retain records of our business transactions and communications. By using the Sites and submitting personal information through the registration process you are agreeing that we may collect, hold, process and use your information (including personal information) for the purpose of providing you with the Site services and developing our business, which shall include (without limitation) the purposes described in the below paragraphs.

2. Monitoring use of our Sites

Where, as part of our Site services, we enable you to post information or materials on our Site, we may access and monitor any information which you upload or input, including in any password-protected sections. Subject to any necessary consents, we also monitor and/or record the different Sites you visit and actions taken on those Sites, e.g. content viewed or searched for. If you are a registered user (e.g. a subscriber or taking a trial), when you log on, this places a cookie on your machine. This enables your access to content and services that

are not publicly available. Once you are logged on, the actions you take – for example, viewing an article – will be recorded (subject to any necessary consents). We may use technology or a service provider to do this for us. This information may be used for one or more of the following purposes:

to fulfil our obligations to you;

to improve the efficiency, quality and design of our Sites and services;

to see which articles, features and services are most read and used

to track compliance with our terms and conditions of use, e.g. to ensure that you are acting within the scope of your user licence;

for marketing purposes (subject to your rights to opt-in and opt-out of receiving certain marketing communications) – see paragraph 3 below;

for advertising purposes, although the information used for these purposes does not identify you personally. Please see paragraph 5 below for more details;

to protect or comply with our legal rights and obligations; and

to enable our journalists to contact and interact with you online in connection with any content you may post to our Sites.

Please see paragraph 5 below for more information on cookies and similar technologies and a link to a page where you can turn them on or off.

3. Marketing

Some of your personal data collected under paragraphs 1 and 2 above may be used by us to contact you by e-mail, telephone and/or post for sending information or promotional material on our products and/or services and/or those of our other group companies.
We give you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving marketing communications. Further detail can be found on the applicable Site and in the footer of each marketing communication sent by us, our group companies or service providers. See also “Consents and opt-outs” section below.
We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Profiling

We may analyse your personal information to create a profile of your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with information relevant to you.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

All our Sites use cookies and similar technical tools to collect information about your access to the Site and the services we provide.

What is a cookie?

When you enter some sites, your computer will be issued with a cookie. Cookies are text files that identify your computer to servers. Cookies in themselves do not identify the individual user, just the computer used.

Many sites do this whenever a user visits their site in order to track traffic flows, recording those areas of the site that have been visited by the computer in question, and for how long.

Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. Selecting not to receive means that certain personalised services Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd offers cannot then be provided to that user.

Why do we use cookies?

Log In – Where we provide log in mechanisms for site users a cookie is created at login and for the duration of the session. Each cookie contains a unique reference number only (no personal information) which is used to confirm you are authorised.

Analytics – To allow us to keep track of traffic to our website we use cookies. The cookies simply tell us if you have previously visited our website so we can get more accurate figures for New vs Returning visitors.

Find and control your cookies

All of the major browser providers offer advice on setting up and using the privacy and security functions for their products. If you require technical advice or support for a specific browser/version please contact the provider or visit their website for further details:
www.microsoft.com / www.mozilla.com / www.apple.com
/ www.opera.com / www.aol.com / www.netscape.com
/ www.flock.com / www.google.com.

We may use cookies to:

remember that you have used the Site before; this means we can identify the number of unique visitors we receive to different parts of the Site. This allows us to make sure we have enough capacity for the number of users that we get and make sure that the Site runs fast enough

remember your login session so you can move from one page to another within the Site;

store your preferences or your user name and password so that you do not need to input these details every time you visit the Site;

customise elements of the layout and/or content of the pages of Site for you;

record activity on our Sites so that we understand how you use our Sites enabling us to better tailor our content, services and marketing to your needs;

collect statistical information about how you use the Site so that we can improve the Site; and

gather information about the pages on the Site that you visit, and other information about other websites that you visit, so as to place you in a “market segment”. This information is only collected by reference to the IP address that you are using, but does include information about the county and city you are in, together with the name of your internet service provider.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but, if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that, or to notify you each time a cookie is set. You can also learn more about cookies in general by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org which includes additional useful information on cookies and how to block cookies using different types of browser. Please note however, that by blocking, deleting or turning off cookies used on the Site you may not be able to take full advantage of the Site.

6. E-mail tracking

E-mail tracking is a method for monitoring the e-mail delivery to those subscribers who have opted-in to receive marketing e-mails from GTR, including GTR Africa, GTR Asia, GTR Americas, GTR Europe, GTR Mena, GTR eNews, Third party e-mails and GTR Ventures.

Why do we track e-mails?

So that we can better understand our users’ needs, we track responses, subscription behaviour and engagement to our e-mails – for example, to see which links are the most popular in newsletters. They enable us to understand the consumers journey through metrics including open rate, click-through rate, bounces and unsubscribes. Any other purposes for which Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd wishes to use your personal data will be notified to you and your personal data will not be used for any such purpose without obtaining your prior consent.

How do you track GTR eNewsletters?

To do this, we use pixel GIFs, also known as “pixel tags” – these are small image files that are placed within the body of our e-mail messages. When that image is downloaded from our web servers, the e-mail is recorded as being opened. By using some form of digitally time-stamped record to reveal the exact time and date that an e-mail was received or opened, as well the IP address of the recipient.

7. Consents and opt-outs

You can give your consent to opt-out of all or any particular uses of your data as indicated above by:

Indicating at the point on the relevant Site where personal data is collected

Informing us by e-mail, post or phone

Updating your preferences on the applicable Site or eNewsletter (unsubscribe and preference options are available in the footer of each eNewsletter)

To turn cookies and similar technologies on and off, see the information in paragraph 5 above.
Any questions regarding consents and opt-outs should be sent by e-mail to privacy@gtreview.com or by writing to Data Protection Officer at, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd, 4 Hillgate Place, London, SW12 9ER, United Kingdom. Alternatively, you can telephone our London headquarters at +44 (0) 20 8673 9666.

8. Disclosures

Information collected at one Site may be shared between Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd and other group companies for the purposes listed above.

We may transfer, sell or assign any of the information described in this policy to third parties as a result of a sale, merger, consolidation, change of control, transfer of assets or reorganisation of our business.

9. Public forums, message boards and blogs

Some of our Sites may have a message board, blogs or other facilities for user generated content available and users can participate in these facilities. Any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should always be careful when deciding to disclose your personal information.

10. Data outside the EEA

Services on the Internet are accessible globally so collection and transmission of personal data is not always limited to one country. Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd may transfer your personal data, for the above-listed purposes to other third parties, which may be located outside the European Economic Area and/or with a different level of personal data protection. However, when conducting transfers, we take all necessary steps to ensure that your data is treated reasonably, securely and in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

Who has access to your information?

Confidentiality and Security of Your Personal Data

We are committed to keeping the data you provide us secure and will take reasonable precautions to protect your personal data from loss, misuse or alteration.

However, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features described above to try to prevent unauthorised access.

We have implemented information security policies, rules and technical measures to protect the personal data that we have under our control from:

unauthorised access

improper use or disclosure

unauthorised modification

unlawful destruction or accidental loss

All our employees, contractors and data processors (i.e. those who process your personal data on our behalf, for the purposes listed above), who have access to, and are associated with the processing of your personal data, are obliged to keep the information confidential and not use it for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for us.

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately. Each team handling personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles. However, the following people have key areas of responsibility.
The board of directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd meets its legal obligations.

Name of Data Controller

The Data Controller is Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd. Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd is subject to the UK Data Protection Act 1998 and is registered in the UK with the Information Commissioner`s Office.

How to access, update and erase your personal information

If you wish to know whether we are keeping personal data about you, or if you have an enquiry about our privacy policy or your personal data held by us, in relation to any of the Sites, you can contact the Data Protection Officer via:

By writing to this address: Data Protection Officer, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd, 4 Hillgate Place, London, SW12 9ER, UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8673 9666

E-mail: privacy@gtreview.com

Upon request, we will provide you with a readable copy of the personal data which we keep about you. We may require proof of your identity and may charge a small fee (not exceeding the statutory maximum fee that can be charged) to cover administration and postage.

Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd allows you to challenge the data that we hold about you and, where appropriate in accordance with applicable laws, you may have your personal information:

erased

rectified or amended

completed

Disclosing data for other reasons

In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject. Under these circumstances, Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd, will disclose requested data. However, the Data Controller will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company’s legal advisors where necessary.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We will occasionally update this Privacy Statement to reflect new legislation or industry practice, group company changes and customer feedback. We encourage you to review this Privacy Statement periodically to be informed of how we are protecting your personal data.

Providing information

Exporta Publishing & Events Ltd aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed, and that they understand.

How the data is being used

How to exercise their rights

To this end, the company has a privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used by the company. This is available on request and available on the company’s website.

Review of this policy

We keep this Policy under regular review. This Privacy Statement was last updated in April 2018.

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Do Anchovy Hops Actually Taste Like Anchovies?

In the current era of craft beer, it’s safe to say that drinkers can expect the unexpected. Shop shelves are lined with cans that boast wild graphics, clever names, and strange ingredients. It takes a lot to stand out in the sea of brightly colored 6-packs and hyped-up collab brews, but there’s one add-in that still has some shock value: Anchovy hops.

To uncover the story behind this somewhat unsettling ingredient, VinePair tapped Matt Storm, co-founder of Fast Fashion Brewing, the Washington brewery that originally gave the hop its provocative name.

The origins of this controversial ingredient can be traced back to lower Yakima Valley’s Segal Ranch, a third-generation family farm that produces popular hop varieties, as well as some more experimental plantings. In September 2020, one of Segal’s more out-there strains, then dubbed 24B-05, grabbed the attention of two up-and-coming brewers visiting the farm: Fast Fashion Brewing’s owners Storm and Brian Strumke. The pair examined and sampled six or seven hop examples to potentially brew with, and landed on the experimental 24B-05 due to its intriguing aromas. The farm offered a program where brewers could pay up front to grow the hops to later use them, and with Fast Fashion Brewing’s investment, the variety was scaled up from one row of hop vines to a full acre.

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Though some brewers stick with the numerical name of experimental hops once they’ve purchased them, when Storm and Strumke finally got their hands on the first harvest of 24B-05, they wanted to put their own stamp on it.

“The first beer we made with it was called Hot Pizza,” Storm says. “Brian thought to call the new hop ‘Anchovy’ since it would be like hot pizza with anchovies — the most ridiculous topping.”

So, to answer the burning question in everyone’s brains: No, the hop and the beer don’t taste like anchovies. Instead, they have an appealing, fruit-forward profile.

“It’s like a big punch of watermelon Jolly Rancher,” Storm says. “It has some of those classic Pacific Northwest flavors like citrus and pine, too, almost like cascade or centennial. But the thing that really jumps out is the watermelon.”

In fact, the pair originally planned to change out the hops as different “toppings” for the brew each year, but the Anchovy brew turned out so well, it became a staple in their frequently-rotating portfolio of beers. They even shared the hops with a few like-minded brewers to make their own limited-edition Anchovy brews, stirring up even more excitement for the new variety.

While the beer was a success, according to a report from DC Beer, Segal Ranch owner John Segal wasn’t too pleased with the naming decision. “Why don’t you just call the hop Sh*t?” Segal told DC Beer. “Because, as far as I’m concerned, there’s sh*t and then the next smelliest thing is an anchovy.”

The Fast Fashion Brewery owners admit the name does cause some occasional hesitation among guests, but overall, it’s just increased interest in the beer. “It’s so brash that people want to ask questions about it,” Storm says. “You have more people ask about hops than ever. In that regard, it’s a success.”

Despite the strange name, the nation’s new batch of Anchovy beers were so compelling that more U.S. breweries and international producers now seek out the hop. Some are even leaning into its fishy title with anchovy-themed beer labels. As a result, Segal Ranch has significantly increased its plantings of Anchovy to try to meet the growing demand.

Those interested in tasting the hop for themselves should venture to Fast Fashion Brewing’s annual Anchovy Hop Festival. The event celebrates beers that boast the unconventional hop with brews from across the country and, of course, some hot pizza with anchovies.

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Australian farmers increasingly concerned about government policy

Australia is one of the world’s biggest agricultural exporters

22 August 2024

2 minute read

A rising number of Australian farmers are disgruntled with the government’s climate and agricultural policies, a survey showed on Wednesday, as measures to protect the environment draw farmers’ ire in Europe and some other places, reported Reuters.

Australia is one of the world’s biggest agricultural exporters, shipping nearly $50 billion worth of products as varied as beef, wheat and wine in the 2022-23 financial year.

Since coming to power in 2022, the country’s Labor government has passed legislation that will ban exports of live sheep and restrict the use of water for farming in some areas.

It has also sought to raise more money from farmers for biosecurity and pushed ahead with renewable energy projects in rural areas, causing anger in the farming sector.

Seventy-three percent of 1,026 farmers surveyed across the country said government policies were harming the industry, up from 54% a year ago, the poll by the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and communications agency Seftons found.

Eighty percent said the government did not understand or listen to farmers, up from 41% last year, with only 10% saying the government had a positive plan to grow the farm sector.

Half of respondents thought Australia’s food and fibre production would increase over the next decade, down from 56% a year ago.

“The results are unsurprising. Critical issues like the live sheep export ban, biosecurity tax and water buybacks have weighed heavily on farmers,” said NFF President David Jochinke.

“Farmers are frustrated,” he said. “They feel they aren’t being heard and they are being steamrolled by harmful policies – that appear to be driven by activist groups or politicians, not farmers.”

Earlier this year, farmers in numerous European countries staged protests over a range of issues including excessive environmental rules.

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McGregor’s Butcher & Bistro draws from Scottish Highlands origins

Owner Mike Gregg combines a meat shop with a specialty restaurant in the greater Kansas City metro.

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How Newk’s will help FSC Franchise Co. become a billion-dollar platform

FSC Franchise Co. wants to join the billion-dollar sales club, and its 2023 acquisition of Newk’s Eatery could help get it there.

Alongside Beef O’ Brady’s and The Brass Tap, the platform, which is owned by Capital Spring, currently has $500 million in annual sales. Acquiring a fourth brand in the next year or more will help it reach its goal, said Chris Elliot, FSC Franchise Co. CEO.

“Adding Newk’s has energized the platform because of what it brings in that fast casual niche,” Elliot said, adding that there has been renewed interest in the Beef O’ Brady’s and Brass Tap brand, the latter of which has a pipeline of 85 locations and growing.

“Being on the platform together, I think over the next four or five years is going to be good for all of these brands,” Elliot said.

Other multi-brand companies have been adding to their platforms this year as well, including Darden, which is buying Chuy’s for over $600 million, and One Group Hospitality, which bought Benihana for $365 million. Craveworthy Brands and Brix have also been growing their portfolios.

The benefits of creating a brand platform

With combined resources, brands under FSC’s umbrella can share purchasing power, culinary and development expertise and other services, all of which can help lower operating costs.

The consolidated culinary team has already driven some benefits across the three brands. For example, Newk’s uses a Parisian Roll for its sandwiches that is “incredibly good,” and Elliot saw a benefit in adding it to the other two brands in the platform. The culinary team has been looking for ways to make that happen, he said.

Newk’s also buys better shrimp and salmon, so the rest of the platform is now buying these same items, Elliot said.

“Over time, there’s probably going to be probably a dozen more opportunities like that to work together to improve quality, and when you improve quality and save money at the same time, that’s a home run,” Elliot said.

Post-acquisition, Newk’s also presents attractive financials for franchisees. In addition to franchisees receiving more support from a combined development team, the cost to operate is reduced, helping improve unit level economics, said Frank Paci, Newk’s CEO.

“We’ve got better service at lower costs for the franchisees in the Newk’s system,” Paci said.

The addition of Newk’s could create opportunities for existing FSC franchisees who own Brass Tap or Beef O’ Brady’s to add Newk’s to their portfolio or vice versa, Elliot said.

Optional Caption

Permission granted by Newk’s

Newk’s strengths will continue to drive sales

Newk’s sees a lot of potential for growth and capacity, Paci said. A competitor like McAlister’s, which is already a $1 billion brand under GoTo Foods, has 500 locations compared to a little under 100 for Newk’s. It also offers an attractive real estate platform, off-premise program and value meals.

Paci sees the Newk’s brand expanding by 50% over the next five years, with its primary challenge finding the right franchise partners. Newk’s also has the option of building corporate stores that provide a good return on investment, Paci said.

Newk’s offers a 2,800 square foot unit, versus its historical 3,500- to 4,000-square-feet restaurant. This smaller footprint option is helping reduce construction and rent costs. With over 55% of its business happening off-premise, the smaller stores make more sense, Paci said.

“With the big square footage, the costs have gotten out of whack,” Paci said. “We don’t need that much space.”

The company has taken a much more flexible approach to development and has done well with inline locations. Previously it targeted end caps, which can be hard to come by.

“We can afford spaces that other people may have to pass up because they don’t have the top line that we’ve got,” Paci said.

The chain produces average unit volumes of $2.4 million, with its top third of stores doing $3.3 million in unit volumes, Paci said.

“I think those are very attractive numbers to potential franchisees,” Paci said.

Newk’s has worked closely with franchisees to streamline operations, given the ongoing challenges with finding labor. Previously it was using dough balls and then pressing the dough, and slicing cheese in-house. It partnered with a manufacturer to press the dough, instead and has shifted to ordering sliced cheese to reduce prep time and reallocate labor to guest service, Paci said.

The chain’s off-premise business, particularly its catering channel, continues to grow, creating another benefit to franchisees. Catering has grown three years in a row on a comp store basis, Paci said. The company has also been investing in third-party partnerships, seeing these not just as an opportunity to boost sales, but also to boost awareness.

Thirty percent of its sales come from combo deals with large pairings, like a large pizza and half salad or cup of soup, or a large sandwich and half salad or soup. It also offers family meal deals where you can get two pizzas and a salad, which helps boost the dinner daypart. In contrast to competitors that offer half-sized entrees with their combos, Newk’s has always offered large combos.

“We’re playing with the amount of food that we’re giving you for what you pay as value,” Paci said. “We feel like there’s value in the personalization as well as the price of those two items together.”

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ProSys Highlights Range of Filling and Tube Loading Systems at PACK EXPO International 2024

Visit Booth C 3656 to see VCF Chub Filler, ProLoader-T Tube Loading System, and CMX System

ProSys Fill, LLC announces it will highlight the VCF Chub Filler and ProLoader-T Tube Loading System at PACK EXPO International 2024, to be held November 3-6, 2024, at McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, Booth C 3656. Also on display will be the Custom Mix (CMX) System.

The VCF Chub Filler on display offers vertical filling speeds up to 40 per minute for self-leveling to highly viscous products. Servo dosing provides high levels of accuracy with less waste. Both electrical components and the clipping head are controlled by the programmable logic controller (PLC) instead of pneumatic switches. The VCF Chub Filler includes a unique discharge chute with a Teflon liner that can be quickly swapped out in the event of a product leak or a burst chub, making cleaning easy and reducing downtime. The clipping and cutting head features magnetic proximity sensors that can be positioned to optimize the clipping and cutting procedure and reduce wasted time.

Applications experts will also be on hand to showcase the ProLoader-T Tube Loading System, featuring a small footprint that saves valuable floor space and allows for a single operator. The ProLoader stores and loads six cartons of tubes and automatically picks cartons and returns empties for an operator to replace when necessary, producing significant labor savings. The ProLoader offers continuous tube loading, and one operator can run both the filler and tube loader, resulting in significant labor savings.

Visitors to the booth can also see the Custom Mix (CMX) System, an on demand in-line manufacturing process designed for use with creams, lotions, pastes, liquids, and abrasive slurries. Ideal for adhesives, cosmetics, chemicals, and dentifrice pastes, as well as pharmaceuticals, sealants and caulks, and greases, the CMX system allows manufacturers to produce a base product in large volume and then process smaller volumes of final products by blending in additives to the base product. Manufacturers can simultaneously inject and mix up to 12 additives at flow rates up to 12 gallons per minute. With its high precision accuracy, space saving design, and support for custom volume production, CMX is fully integrated into any ProSys fill station and control platform for filling cartridges, tubes, syringes, airless pumps, or unique containers.

For more information, visit https://prosysfill.com/

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