Sep 10, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

IDC Forms Alliance for Aseptic Foodservice™ (AAF™)

International Dispensing Corporation (IDC) (IDND), creator of the world’s only aseptic dispensing tap The Answer®, has announced the formation of the Alliance for Aseptic Foodservice™ (AAF™). The AAF™ aims to target the foodservice market that current aseptic packaging does not adequately address, uniting industry leaders under a single sales and marketing umbrella to promote a turn-key solution for large-format (3 to 20 liter) aseptic packaging.

Consumption away from home is approaching 50% of global food and beverage expenditures; however, in the $60 billion aseptic packaging industry less than 10% is utilized in foodservice. Size and structural limitations inherent in aseptic cartons and bottles account for this under-representation. Once an aseptic package – ranging from 60ml to 2 liters – is opened, the contents must be refrigerated and consumed. From the standpoint of efficiency, cost, and product and packaging waste, purchasing lots of smaller size packages is not ideal for institutional foodservice. The AAF™ combines aseptic technologies to offer an end-to-end packaging solution that remains ambient at all stages – packing, shipping, storage, and dispensing. No other solution in the world has the ability to deliver these efficiencies.

IDC has created the world’s only aseptic dispensing tap, The Answer®, which safely dispenses ultra-high-temperature (UHT) liquid food products from a large-format flexible package, while keeping the remaining contents shelf-stable for an extended period (weeks/months) without the need of refrigeration or preservatives. IDC has also trademarked BID™ (Bag-in-Dispenser) which it expects to supplant BIB as the innovative industry acronym for aseptic foodservice.

A total industrial solution requires the right filling equipment, aseptic bags, and dispenser. By creating the Alliance for Aseptic Foodservice™, IDC brings together outstanding charter members: Alfa Laval, maker of the world’s fastest and most compact aseptic BIB filling machine; Aran Packaging and Goglio, two leading aseptic bag manufacturers with a global reach; and Boxxle, creator of the world’s most ingenious dispensing unit for aseptic bags.

“By forming the AAF™ we are making a significant statement,” said IDC Chairman Greg Abbott. “Leading industry players with a shared vision, who believe in each other, are uniting for the purpose of promoting a definitive aseptic foodservice solution, one that is economical, environmentally friendly, visually appealing, and lends itself to a myriad of applications. Instead of only selling our products separately, we are channeling our efforts into a common purpose that will make us all stronger and build a robust category. This collective turn-key initiative should simplify customer decision-making and provide aseptic brand owners all over the world a streamlined means of expanding their brands into new areas of distribution.”

About IDC

Based in New York City, IDC (IDND; www.idcinnovation.com) is a packaging research and development company that creates and manufactures disruptive innovations for the beverage and liquid food industries. The company is best known for its international award-winning The Answer®, the world’s only certified aseptic tap which prevents micro-organisms from compromising product safety even through prolonged unrefrigerated use. The Answer® is used for both low and high-acid beverages, including dairy, dairy-based coffee, juice, tea, and coconut water in large-format foodservice applications and is currently being deployed in the USA, China, Germany, Pakistan, and Mexico. The company’s trademarked BID™ (Bag-in-Dispenser) system is believed to be the industry’s most economical and environmental means of delivering UHT beverages.

About Alfa Laval

Headquartered in Lund, Sweden with subsidiary companies in 35 countries around the world, Alfa Laval (www.alfalaval.com) is a world leader within the key technology areas of heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling. With more than 2500 patents, Alfa Laval provides worldwide solutions in areas that are vital to society both today and for the future. Alfa Laval–Astepo has 30 years of experience in aseptic processing, having delivered more than 1000 projects based on aseptic fillers worldwide. The HS-LA 1H/1”, Alfa Laval’s new linear Bag-In-Box filler, has been designed to meet market demand of a faster and more reliable filling machine. Thanks to the implementation of brushless electric servo motor technology in the new filler, Alfa Laval is able to control and adjust all the movements of the aseptic filling and the bag feeder with extreme accuracy and smoothness of motion. This is what gives the machine the capability to fill more than 500 bags per hour, based on 10 liter bags. It also enables minimal changeover times compared to any other machine currently available on the market. The filler has received FDA approval to run IDC’s The Answer® tap in the USA.

About The Aran Group

The Aran Group (www.aran.co.il)) is a global operation in the liquid packaging industry encompassing three production sites – Israel, Spain, and the United States – and has grown to be one of the prominent companies in BIB and BID™ solutions, with sales in over 40 countries. Aran offers a wide variety of bags available in 1 liter to 1500 liter sizes, both aseptic and non-aseptic for the food and non-food industry. Aran works together with its partners - suppliers and customers - so that every household in the world will benefit from healthy natural products, especially food and beverage, through advanced packaging solutions using aseptic BID™ technologies.

About Goglio

Founded in 1850 and based in Daverio, Italy, Goglio (www.goglio.it) is a multinational world-leading innovator focusing on sustainable and customized flexible packaging solutions for liquid and dry applications in the beverage, food, and industrial markets. With core competencies in high- and low-acid aseptic, the company manufactures a wide range of bags and pouches with fitments, in sizes up to 1,500 liters, suitable for aseptically processed liquid and pump-able products. Goglio’s bags are state-of-the-art in the industry and their performance guarantees the best preservation of the packaged product even in extreme conditions. As a systems supplier, Goglio manufactures high performance packaging equipment for dry and liquid products, providing a seamless integration of machine, material, and service to leading brand owners worldwide.

About Boxxle

Based in Charleston, SC, Boxxle (www.boxxle.com) manufactures premium, “smart” dispensers for flexible BID™ packaging. Boxxle’s patented design ensures a constant pour rate for smooth consistent dispensing from an elegant, user-friendly, blue-tooth enabled appliance. Boxxle, when combined with BID™ packaging, helps keep beverages fresh for weeks longer than traditional dispensing systems, improving food safety, reducing waste, and increasing profit margins.