Read your September 2026 Food & Beverage Reporter Magazine
Managing change across the food and beverage value chain
Change in food and beverage manufacturing is rarely confined to one part of the operation. A decision about an ingredient can affect processing. A change in processing can influence product characteristics. Packaging choices can affect recycling, supply chains and market access. Skills, equipment and process control connect these decisions.
This issue of Food & Beverage Reporter examines these connections and the developments shaping production across the value chain.
Phoebe Davin, Senior R&D Technologist at Synercore, examines dietary fibre in bakery formulations. Fibre’s ability to bind and retain water can influence yield, moisture retention, crumb structure and shelf life. For manufacturers developing higher-fibre breads, cakes, muffins, and other products, understanding these interactions is key to maintaining processing performance and product characteristics.
Processing itself can influence ingredients. Green Cell Technologies® (GCT®) has commissioned laboratory testing comparing conventionally manufactured retail beetroot powders with beetroot processed using its Dynamic Cellular Disruption® (DCD®) and Disruptor® technology. The findings indicate that processing methods can affect the nutritional profile of the finished ingredient, reinforcing the need to consider processing during product development.
In dairy production, filtration is another process requiring control. Donaldson examines filtration applications for water treatment, compressed air and steam purification, and highlights the relationship between equipment, handling, and maintenance.
Digital tools are also changing production practices. GEA’s Changeover Assist application provides operators with step-by-step guidance for product and recipe changeovers on SmartControl-based machines. Standardised procedures can help reduce operator errors, product waste and unplanned downtime.
Technology requires people with the knowledge to use it. Wael Khoury, Managing Director of Tetra Pak Southern Africa, considers the skills requirements facing the next generation of food and beverage entrepreneurs. For small businesses, technical knowledge and access to training can influence their ability to establish and grow sustainable operations.
Packaging brings another set of considerations. The SAPRO Awards, held in Cape Town on 21 August 2026, highlighted applications for recycled plastic across packaging and commercial markets. For food and beverage manufacturers, this raises questions around recyclate availability, specification and consistent supply.
Mondi’s packaging development demonstrates how these considerations intersect, combining a corrugated outer box with recyclable, laser-marked flexible packaging for eCommerce and bag-in-box applications.
The common thread across these developments is that manufacturers cannot consider decisions in isolation. Ingredients, processing, equipment, people and packaging form an interconnected system.
For South African food and beverage manufacturers, understanding those connections will remain central to decisions about efficiency, product development, skills and supply chains. This issue examines where those decisions are being made and what they mean for the sector.
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