Food & Beverage Reporter

Food & Beverage Reporter (FBR) is one of South Africa’s leading B2B magazines, with a track record of more than 25 years in the industry. With thought leadership and in-depth coverage of technical topics, news, and local and international developments across the foodbev and allied industries, the magazine caters for South Africa and neighbouring countries. FBR also carries a specialist Packaging& Processing Reporter section in each issue, exploring technology, ideas, and trends in these key segments of the food chain. In response to changing readership trends we offer a fully digitized publication, with both Apple and Android apps In March each year, FBR’s annual Supplier Directory is distributed both in print and online versions providing you with a handy guide to local suppliers and service providers on the continent.

From the editor • Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in Ukraine and Russia who have suffered during the conflict; losing their homes, their safety and their lives

Food & Beverage Reporter

New Innovations • The editor’s innovation pick of the month comes from Jones Soda, a North American craft soda brand, which has embraced augmented reality and engaged with its core audience by turning its bottle labels into action videos. We love the vitality this brings to the products, and considering how virtual life has become, it is no doubt the first of many.

Industry Updates

The five biggest challenges faced by Quick Service Restaurants • Leading global public health and safety organisation, NSF International, commissioned an independent study into the state of quick service restaurant (QSR) operations, worldwide. The results make for sobering reading.

How plant-based friendly are South Africa’s top fast-food franchises? • ProVeg South Africa (ProVeg SA) recently assessed the plant-based offerings available at South Africa’s top fast-food franchise restaurants for the period ending February of 2022. In the top six spots were Kauai, Spur Steak Ranches, Panarottis, Burger King, Simply Asia, and Steers, with other beloved franchises like Nando’s, RocoMamas, and KFC trailing behind.

Food vs. Fuel More than just war putting strain on edible oils • Earlier this month we attended a webinar with Willowton Oil, entitled Edible Oils: What’s ‘Putin’, featuring Thomas Mielke, the executive director of ISTA Mielke GmbH.

The Russian Exodus

Know your Water Risks • Food production is one of the most water-intensive sectors which has posed a danger to our scarce clean-water supply. With this comes the responsibility for the food sector to help resolve the problem and achieve UN’s sustainable development goals relating to water.1

Reconsidering Chlorine • Water is essential for all living things, but it is finite, and even the limited amount of water available for life is not always safe or may be contaminated. As a result, the food sector must develop alternate methods for eradicating pathogens in both the manufacturing environment and the water utilised in food or associated systems.

OneFarm Share – Growing Together Powered by HelloChoice Digital Trading Platform • OneFarm Share is an inspiring story of what can be achieved when key partnerships, backed by corporate support and aided by the latest technologies, work together to drive food relief and food access.

Recyclable Packaging How true are your packaging claims? • Plastic manufacturing has increased rapidly, reaching about 360 million tons in 2018. This has exacerbated the problem of plastics waste, which may pose major environmental issues. As an alternative, synthetic plastics (fossil-based) have been replaced with bioplastics. However, the current nomenclature used regarding bioplastics is ambiguous.

The International Year of Glass • Did you know that 2022 has been declared the...