Anuga FoodTec 2022 – The interview

How important is it for you to be at Anuga FoodTec and what are you looking forward to most?

After almost two years of limited personal interactions, I’m excited to get to participate in this event in person – along with everyone else in the food industry. Anuga is the driving force for innovation and tech novelty in the food and beverage industry, from food processing to packaging, so CAPOL will of course be participating, and we’ll be sharing a booth with our sister company OKS. I’m particularly looking forward to the conversations I’ll get to have with colleagues from the food industry, the new ideas I’ll come across and the relevant contacts I’ll be making.

What trends do you expect to see with regard to food design, processing and packaging?

We’ve witnessed a growing consumer interest in healthier and more sustainable consumption, a mindset that gradually started emerging long before the pandemic. The lockdowns during the pandemic significantly increased consumer demand for natural, healthy foods. At the same time, consumers, especially from Generations X, Y and Z, have grown more aware of how their behavior impacts the planet – in other words, that ‘our shopping choices actually make a difference.’ The food industry has to meet these expectations by sourcing and manufacturing natural products and by making the entire processing chain sustainable. What’s more, new regulations on sustainability and food safety must be implemented and we know we have to tackle the micro-plastic pollution problem that the world is faced with, too. The food packaging industry is making efforts to develop biodegradable and recyclable packaging. So, I think we’re not just talking about passing trends but about a true gamechanger affecting the entire industry.

CAPOL is a well-known brand in the confectionery segment. How can you help the food and beverage industry, inside and outside of confectionery, address these developments?

We’ve been an expert in confectionery surface treatment for over 45 years now. But this fact doesn’t automatically mean that our expertise is limited to confectionery applications. We also address food coatings and similar applications from other industries, for example edible coatings for inclusions – like chocolate chips in ice cream – that require a water barrier function. We also offer release agents for the bakery industry to make it easy for baked goods to be released from their metal forms. As I see it, this is more sustainable than using silicone forms that grow porous over time and therefore need to be replaced on a regular basis. We can also help reduce the amount of plastic packaging material being used, for instance through innovative anti-sticking agents. In a nutshell, we offer sustainably based solutions by using carefully selected renewable and edible raw materials. And this helps the industry to take a natural approach to their food processing.

Why exactly are you collaborating with OKS Spezialschmierstoffe at this event and how will your customers benefit from it?

CAPOL is part of Freudenberg Chemical Specialties – which belongs to the larger Freudenberg Group – and OKS Spezialschmierstoffe is one of our sister companies. OKS offers lubricants for machine parts and conveyor belt chains. Our release agents are used for direct food contact, to avoid stickiness on conveyor belts and other surfaces during the manufacturing process. Both CAPOL and OKS are experts in their fields, working to create added-value solutions and help our customers meet their growing sustainability needs. Which means our customers in the food industry can benefit from our one-stop consultancy on a variety of touchpoints along their process line. In other words, OKS and CAPOL are pooling their knowledge for the benefit of the customer.