HBA IPDA--International Package Design Awards--Accepting Nominations

HBA Global Expo announces that it is now accepting nominations for its annual IPDA (International Package Design Awards). These awards are the only competition that honors the year's most innovative beauty packaging in several categories including cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, skin care and innovations in sustainability.  The best in Hair Care, Sampling/Travel Size, and At-Home Devices and Tools packaging are also recognized.

Highly distinguished speakers from the FAO and UNEP and from leading private sector companies show how to reduce food loss and waste

Three years after its establishment at the first SAVE FOOD Congress, the SAVE FOOD Initiative has already grown into a broad-based international alliance with over 110 members. The second SAVE FOOD Congress takes up this idea and provides a network of representatives from the field of politics, the food and packaging industry, business, research and civil society. In a wide-ranging programme with competent and distinguished speakers, diverse aspects of the problem will be highlighted and solution approaches outlined.

As a result of its geostrategic position, Turkey is a natural bridge between East and West and grants access to 56 countries within a four-hour flight. Its consumer loans-to-GDP ratio is positive, as is its young population with rising spending power. This combined to a stable political and economic environment points to a bright future for the Turkish Food Industry.

The time to act is now - with new government health initiatives and consumers increasingly attracted by healthy and innovative products, the Turkish market rise as a huge opportunity for food and drink manufacturers and suppliers.

Co-built by Wageningen University and Yili Group, one of China's largest dairy producers

With Chinese President Xi Jinping and the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander in attendance serving as witnesses, China and the Netherlands signed several key cooperative agreements benefiting the agriculture sectors of both countries on March 23 (local Dutch time).

4,909 pallets of food and beverages are distributed by more than 900 food banks in Germany each year, reaching needy people throughout the country – over one and a half million by now. This is the equivalent of about 150 truck loads. Most of these food items are products which are about to reach their best-before date.1

Almost no other information is misunderstood as often as this date. Most consumers believe that it tells them whether a food product is still edible. However, the best-before date is simply the date until when a product retains its original qualities under proper storage.

Innovative Eco-company Co2nscience.com, based in Bradford, Yorkshire are passionate about the planet and dedicated to innovation. Stuart Jones started the business because he wanted to find a smart way of re-using some of the millions of plastic bottles that go into landfill each year. So, when they came up with the idea to re-use discarded plastic bottles and turn them into stunning wall art, they knew they'd hit on something unique and exciting!

The team at Co2nscience have rigorously researched, developed, tested, shown-off and waxed lyrical to everyone they've met about their unique Stretcher Prints to the point where they've refined and perfected this truly unique and first of its kind product. And, boy, are they worth showing off!!

Greater collaborations are required if the American food industry is to meet the challenges of sustainability. This was one of the key outcomes of the 4th North American edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit, hosted in San Francisco at the end of January.

Over 160 senior executives debated key sustainability issues affecting the North American food industry over the 2-day summit. Major themes were ethical sourcing & biodiversity impacts, the role of sustainability metrics, and food ingredients for sustainability.

The carbon footprint of worldwide food losses and food waste amounts to the equivalent of 3.3 giga tons of CO2 emissions.1 Compared to the CO2 emissions of individual countries this volume ranks third among the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters after China and the USA. What this means in concrete terms is that the greenhouse gas associated with the production, processing, transport and storage of all non-consumed food corresponds to roughly half of what both China and the USA emit into the atmosphere each year.

Following the success of previous editions in Europe and North America, Organic Monitor is taking its Sustainable Foods Summit to Latin America. The inaugural edition will be hosted in São Paulo on 27-28th March.

Green commodities and sustainable packaging are pivotal themes of the Latin American edition. Approaches to add value to agricultural commodities by sustainable production will be discussed, as well as methods to reduce the packaging impact of food and beverages. Like prior editions, the summit will bring together leading organizations involved in eco-labels and sustainability in the food industry.

Last Date: Feb 10th 2014

In its 3rd edition, Team InnoPack has opened its doors with a Call for Papers and is looking forward to receiving submissions from innovators, packaging development heads, academicians and vendors. Besides technical sessions, submissions can also be in the form of case studies and workshops.

40% of all foods produced in the less developed countries spoil every day before they reach the consumers.1 This is a little less than half of all available foods in those countries, and it also has consequences for the scarce local resources, such as land, water and energy. These "investments" are thus also irretrievably lost.

Elite Invitation-Only Event Scheduled for 12-14 February in Brussels