A few months ago at Cibus Tec, the fair dedicated to food and beverage technology, some topics were discussed that are of interest to the various players in the sector at this historical moment.

These themes include:

• Food Safety, characterized by increasingly stringent regulations;
• Environmental Sustainability: a constant commitment for food companies striving to develop effective strategies to reduce their environmental impact.

Over the past two years, the convergence of these issues has driven companies to innovate and introduce new products, often requiring novel packaging solutions. Current results are promising in terms of material reduction, use of environmentally friendly materials and proper disposal methods.

As a result, those of us involved in packaging need to be aware of the new challenges facing the food sector and be able to respond to market needs in a timely manner.

New types of packaging and regulations on food contamination have made our field of research extremely challenging, as in many cases these two aspects are not always easy to reconcile. On the contrary, recent developments in the sector have highlighted how the relationship between food safety and environmental sustainability can also become contradictory.

Consider, for example, the different approaches of EU countries to this issue: Italy is a pioneer in recycling technologies, while the European Union, pushed by the Nordic countries, wants to focus more on reuse, without taking into account that reuse raises a number of important issues related to the contamination of materials.

In addition to these problems, there are also issues that we have always had to deal with, such as optimising factory floor space, making processes more efficient, improving the management of complex lines, and so on.

Well, the issue is complex and therefore the answers to these problems are different. At M.H., we have addressed these issues by presenting a series of innovations at Cibus Tec, the success of which confirms that we are on the right track.

Given the complexity of the issue, our contribution does not end here. In addition to developing new products, we have initiated a book that will focus on current challenges and will be published next year.

M.H.’s Answer: Saniflex

One of the solutions that we have developed to meet these new requirements and that we presented at Cibus Tec is Saniflex.

Saniflex is our standard for the transport of naked products, specially designed to meet the most stringent requirements, and has been created taking into account certain typical situations that occur when there is a need to reduce the bacterial load of the production and packaging line.

First of all, the product handling structure must be completely washable in all its parts; therefore, there must be no areas that are difficult to access for the cleaning system. In addition to an open and accessible structure, the operator carrying out the washing must be able to disassemble the components requiring more thorough sanitisation without the use of tools.

Secondly, the materials that make up the handling systems must “withstand” the frequent washes that are usually carried out with rather aggressive chemical products in order to guarantee the reduction of the bacterial load.

In fact, when a customer expresses this need to us, we pay particular attention to the materials and mechanical components of the product to be proposed: for this reason, many of our conveyor belts can also be manufactured in stainless steel.

All these characteristics influence the technological aspects of the production process: packaging and handling machines must not only fulfil their primary function, but also preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the products.

Taking all this into account, we have created Saniflex, which is characterised by:

• the use of materials certified for direct contact with food;
• cavity-free components to simplify the sanitising process;
• all threads are covered,
• all fasteners and spacers are fitted with gaskets.

In addition, the system is designed to be easily dismantled without the need for tools, in order to simplify and speed up washing and sanitising operations as much as possible.

Saniflex is just one of the solutions proposed by M.H. to meet the current needs of the food packaging sector, but thanks to its thirty years of experience it is able to create any type of connection between packaging machines, including all the product handling accessories to feed the machines properly.

This includes elevators or descent systems to free up floor space and optimise material flow, unitising and sorting systems to handle the most complex lines, and specific accumulation systems to maximise line efficiency.

If you want to optimise your packaging process and would like a free consultation