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

Food & Beverage Reporter

New Innovations • The product that caught our eye this month is the award-winning recyclable FunctionalBarrier Paper from Mondi, designed as an alternative to plastic packaging. We hope to see this innovative and sustainable offering in our South African stores in the not-too-distant future.

Industry Updates

Why it’s time to take a chance on (vegan) cheese • The rapid expansion of the global plant-based food sector and the increasingly diverse considerations for consumers to opt for a plant-based diet are setting the scene for local manufacturers and producers to get into the ring with some of the world leaders in this space.

Innovate rapid microbial screening system: For faster results, lower costs, and improved risk mitigation • Aseptic packaging is well accepted in many food and beverage applications. In the case of dairy products, many undergo ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing and need to remain commercially sterile during packaging. To ensure this, food manufacturers must test all products before releasing them for sale.

Making Meat for Africa Cultivating protein • In this tantalising feature, we look at a company called Mzansi Meat, a cellular agriculture company based in Cape Town. Started in 2020 by co-founders Brett Thompson and Tasneem Karodia, Mzansi is the creator of Africa’s first cultivated beef burger.

Ignorance is no defence: The legalities regarding cannabis and hemp in food • We reached out to the specialists in Consumer and Food Law at Hahn & Hahn Attorneys, for an update on the legality of using cannabis in food and beverage products. Isabella Mazzone shared the latest insights with us.

Sustainability in the Spotlight Westfalia Fruit • Sustainability is gaining more momentum as global leaders and businesses respond to the critical need for change. This month we look at some of the solutions which Westfalia Fruit have put in place to ensure sustainability in their operations.

The Fluid Future of Water Self-Reliance in South Africa • When it comes to being partially self-reliant for water supply, South African citizens are no strangers. From JoJo tanks to generators, we are veterans of small-scale self-sustaining intervention. But it is not enough for the consumer sector to be implementing these practices, it needs to reach further than this.

Sustainability in Retail Checkers Sitari • Leading the way in sustainability among retail stores is the Sitari Village Mall, which includes the Checkers Sitari branch - South Africa’s first premium supermarket and shopping centre to run entirely off renewable energy from wind and solar sources.

Future-proofing Your Organisation’s Safety • It has been a tough two years; COVID has dominated businesses’ health and safety space/attention and continues to be necessary. The good news is that many countries seem to be coming out of the covid pandemic haze. It brings opportunities for industries that were hard hit during the pandemic,...