Revolutionary New Approach To Chilled Meat Handling

Revolutionary new approach to chilled meat handling being launched at IFFA

Innovative New Zealand company, FoodCap has developed a fresh approach to chilled meat material handling which it is preparing to launch on the world stage at the upcoming IFFA meat industry trade show in Frankfurt, Germany.

The FoodCap primal handling system is a reusable bulk chilled meat handling system for buffering, storage, ageing, and transport of red and white meat between primal and case-ready processing lines.

At the heart of the system is the FoodCap, a meat storage capsule. The FoodCap is robust and seals completely to maintain a modified atmosphere where oxygen is excluded, preventing microbial growth and product deterioration.

FoodCap CEO, Julian Beavis describes the technology as “revolutionary” for primal chilled meat processors. “The capsule is essentially the vacuum pack and transportation device all in one, eliminating the need for single use packaging. They store between 110-160 kilograms of meat, either bone in or bone out, meaning greater efficiencies on the production line as well as in storage and handling,” he said.

The FoodCap primal handling system is designed to integrate with automated storage and retrieval systems for efficient and accurate handling and inventory management, although it also has the flexibility to be used without automation if required.

The new system has been scientifically verified by independent research and development company, Carne Technologies.

Extensive meat science trials have been carried out on beef, pork, chicken and lamb providing direct comparison between the FoodCap system and conventional vacuum packaging. Across all species the FoodCap system provided outstanding exclusion of oxygen, low microbial growth and extended storage times.

The system has also been commercially proven, with installations currently operating in meat processing plants in New Zealand and China.

FoodCap’s technology was originally developed as a central processing supply chain for high velocity production and distribution of case-ready meat to supermarkets.

New Zealand grocery company Progressive Enterprises uses the technology in its centralised multi-species meat processing and packing plants in Auckland, which have to date produced over 400 million consumer packs of chilled meat. With the plant producing up to 120,000 consumer packs of meat per day, the FoodCap system has eliminated more than 100 million cartons and 110 million vacuum bags that would otherwise have been used in a traditional supply chain.

In 2015, FoodCap installed their technology for Chinese company Little Sheep Meat Industry Co, in their primal lamb processing operation in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, as part of a project to convert the plant from a frozen to a fresh chilled operation. Zhang Gang, Chairman and Founder of Little Sheep explains, “For three years my team scoured the world looking for innovations that would lead to a competitive advantage in the extremely dynamic Chinese marketplace. We found such an innovation in the FoodCap Primal Handling technology from New Zealand, a country famed for its fresh chilled meat production and handling. FoodCap not only introduced their unique chilled material handling system; they introduced Little Sheep to a range of specialist companies and technologies which collectively delivered us a world class chilled lamb processing operation.”

Four years of research and development has seen the development of the new primal handling system, which is being launched at IFFA. This has included further refinement of the original technology, ensuring reliability of operation and ease of application.

“We know we now have a system that is proven to provide a range of benefits, from extending shelf life and improving food safety, to decreasing manual handling and production costs,” said Mr Beavis. “We’re excited to be launching it at the world’s largest meat equipment event and look forward to discussing the technology with meat processors and potential distributors in Frankfurt.”

FoodCap can be found at IFFA 2016 in Hall 11.1, site A.41