Health, margins and consolidation came shining through at the FiE exhibition this week as key issues currently facing the food industry. But strategies to take on these issues were also in evidence and one buzz word was louder than others - concepts.
A catch all philosophy promoted by ingredients companies at the FiE show, that closed its doors yesterday, 'concepts' are being used to offer a micro version of the 'one-stop' shop.
Belgian firm Acatris has embraced the idea of concepts and used the show as a platform to bring its Pectacon stabiliser systems to the food manufacturer.
So how does it work? "This is a tailor-made concept. We develop solutions for our customers through the product itself," Eric van de Hoek business unit manager at Acatris told FoodNavigator.com.
As margins continue to be squeezed across the food ingredients industry, but most notably for commodity ingredients, ideas that add value to ingredients are currently being pushed as a way to lift those pressurised margins.
"The Pectacon range already includes more than 400 ready-made formulas that have been tried, tested and proven to be effective," added van de Hoek. " Our expertise is in using the synergies between the ingredients to provide the right solution for our customers," he continued.
According to van de Hoek the Pectacon concept is essentially targetted at medium-sized companies in Europe who outsource their product development, with a particular focus on the Netherlands and Belgium.
Asked if the company was affected by the price pressure on hydrocolloids van de Hoek told FoodNavigator.com that Acatris has established long standing relations, and stable prices, with its suppliers of pectin and carragenan.