:: Cranswick plc ::

The Sandwich Factory Has Strengthened Environmental Initiatives By Teaming Up With Prosper De Mulder Ltd.

The Sandwich factory has further strengthened their environmental initiatives by teaming up with PDM (Prosper De Mulder Ltd.) in order to put into place intergrated food chain recycling services. PDM prides itself on being the only company within the UK to offer a complete portfolio of solutions for food recycling . A family owned group of companies, it has an annual turnover in excess of £200 million and employs over 1,100 people at 22 sites across the UK.

The UK is committed to producing more energy from sustainable or renewable sources in order to limit climate change. In addition the UK also has a legal obligation under the EU Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of bio-degradeable material being sent to landfill.
PDM Group's renewable energy operations help in achieving both of these vitally important environmental goals.

PDM Group's biomass-to-energy plants use unused or unusable food as bio-fuels in place of traditional fossil fuels such as coal. Biomass is the term applied to fuels derived from organic matter.
The use of biomass for power generation is 'carbon-neutral' as the carbon released during the production of the electricity is balanced by that absorbed by plants during their growth.
The use of food residues as bio-fuel for renewable power generation provides a double benefit to society; not only does it reduce the volume of waste being disposed of to landfill it also enables the generation of clean, sustainable and safe energy.

Electricity generated by PDM Group's combustion plants qualifies for 'Renewable Obligation Certificates' (ROCs) under the Government's Renewable Energy legislation.

By teaming up with PDM, the Sandwich Factory hope to further enhance their environmental initiatives by aiding the reduction of the amount of bio-degradeable material being sent to landfill.
As an organisation, The Sandwich Factory send approximately 400 tonnes a year to PDM’s Bio energy plants. This weight equates to approximately the same as 500,000 loaves of bread, allowing PDM to effectively produce a significant quantity of bio mass through the bio-degradable material provided by The Sandwich Factory.

If you would like any more information regarding The Sandwich Factory’s partnership with PDM and other ways in which we are striving to improve our environmental initiatives, please contact michael.price@tsfl.co.uk

The Sandwich Factory Has Strengthened Its Biosecurity Regime With The Introduction Of On-Site Generated Natural Disinfectant Solutions (NDS)

The Sandwich Factory has strengthened its biosecurity regime with the introduction of on-site generated Natural Disinfectant Solutions (NDS). As a result it has substantially reduced its reliance on conventional chemicals in the cleaning and sanitisation process and increased its plant capacity.

The Sandwich Factory have teamed up with Activated Water Technologies Ltd (AWT) and BFS who have developed a unique process to generate NDS, a powerful water-based natural disinfectant and NDS Base, a versatile natural detergent, using only pure sea salt, potable water and electricity.

The NDS solutions are used in a variety of applications including terminal sanitization after cleaning on floors, belts, mixers and drains. The solution is also applied during production using hand sprays to sanitize belts, in the low to high care spray tunnels and automatically in the boot washer. All solutions are applied at ambient temperature.

The NDS Base solution (detergent) is applied at ambient temperature during production to prevent the build up of butter on the floor and to clean cheese cutting boards. No protective clothing or special precautions are required in the application of the solutions.

Commented Gill McWilliam, Operations Manager, The Sandwich Factory, “the use of the AWT technology has substantially reduced conventional chemical usage as well as substantially improved the company’s biosecurity as evidenced by recent audits. There are no handling issues associated with the use of either of the NDS solutions and we are actively looking to expand the usage in operations such as salad washing. We are delighted with the results and look to improve productivity that the real-time application of the technology allows”.

AWT have granted BFS Europe Ltd an exclusive license for their technology in the food processing industry from farm to fork. BFS have extensive in-depth knowledge and experience of the challenges posed by Biosecurity related issues to food manufacturers.

New Eco Fleet For The Sandwich Factory Limited

The Sandwich Factory has taken delivery of four Leyland DAF, Euro-4 engined 7.5 tonne delivery vehicles.

The engines in these new vehicles use SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology for after-treatment of the exhaust gases.

In this process, an additive (AdBlue) is injected into the exhaust gases before they pass through an SCR catalytic converter. In the catalytic converter, the additive reacts with nitrogen oxides, converting them into nitrogen gas and water vapour. This process reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides and improves fuel consumption figures, both giving a positive benefit to the environment.

The Sandwich Factory are committed to continuing to make positive steps towards greener ‘food to go’ deliveries and, as the fleet of vehicles is updated, environmental considerations will be an integral part of purchase decisions.

The Sandwich Factory Champion The Cause With The Latest Biodegradabe Sandwich Packaging

Tri-Star, the innovative food packaging solution provider, has designed and developed the first ever sustainable PLA base web sandwich pack for The Sandwich Factory, one of the largest sandwich suppliers in the UK.

This milestone contract which has just gone live, means The Sandwich Factory are the first major sandwich supplier to run with a biodegradable base web sandwich packaging solution.

From their manufacturing facility Atherstone, The Sandwich Factory make and supply 900,000 products per week, specialising in premium quality sandwiches, hot eating panini and other food to go products.

Kevin Curran, Tri-Star Packaging’s Managing Director, said: “The revolutionary pack, made of a black PLA base and biodegradable film took around a year to develop, requiring significant investment and the use of the latest materials available”.

Tri-Star secured the business after The Sandwich Factory worked with a major transport operator that has a pro-active environmental policy, to produce a range of high quality products packaged in biodegradable packaging from sustainable sources.

The biodegradable sandwich skillet is the ideal environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based plastic skillets, able to biodegrade in weeks under the right conditions. The specially formulated material used is manufactured from Polylactic acid (PLA), a polymer produced from lactic acid that derives from dextrose obtained from corn starch. This ensures the skillets come from a totally sustainable source, meeting The Sandwich Factory’s strict policy guidelines for the environment.

Kevin Curran, Managing Director of Tri-Star Packaging, concluded: “We are thrilled to be working with The Sandwich Factory and supplying them with our innovative biodegradable material. The company and its sandwich range have an excellent reputation for quality, which we are proud to be a part of. We look forward to forging a successful business partnership for many years to come.”