Ringier holds successful food & beverage summit in Jakarta

THE 2nd Asia Food & Beverage Summit, organized by Ringier Trade Media Ltd in partnership with the Indonesian Food & Beverage Association (GAPMMI), the Indonesian Association of Food Technologists (IAFT), the Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF), the ASEAN Food and Beverage Alliance (AFBA) and Food Industry Asia, and the Philippine Association of Food Technologists (PAFT), hosted over 190 delegates and experts in the industry in Jakarta, Indonesia from 7-8 November 2016.

The two-day summit featured 21 presentations and 7 technical seminars on food ingredients and additives, breakthroughs in processing and food safety, and updates on logistics and distribution in the Asian region.

The chairman of GAPMMI and current president of the ASEAN Food & Beverage Alliance outlined the current state of Indonesia’s food and beverage industry, which contributed 33.26% of the country’s GDP (non-oil industry) in the Q2 of 2016.  An international authority in the industry, Mr. Lukman emphasized the positive growth in Indonesia’s food and beverage market, and the need for more collaboration among government, business and the academe to bring out the full potential of the industry.

The conference lineup for ingredients included a presentation on functional foods from Dr. Ingrid Surono, president of the Indonesian Scientific Society for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISSPP).

Mr Chia-Hua Kuoa, professor and dean for Research & Development at the University of Taipei, highlighted the benefits of deep ocean water minerals as part of sports nutrition.

We also invited Mr Chei-Hsiang Chen, president of Taiwan Leader Biotech Corp. to share his knowledge of the indigenous edible/medicinal fungus (Antrodia cinnamommea) as food and supplement.

Ms Nikhath Mubeen, technical service manager, Foods at Novozymes South Asia Pvt Ltd focused her talk on options for lactose-free dairy.

In the category of functional drinks, Dr Rindit Pambayun, head of the Food Research Center, Research Institution Sriwijaya University, and president of the IAFT, offered new information on functional beverages with gambir (Uncaria Gambier Roxb).  

From Singapore, Regina Moench-Pfanner, the CEO and founder of ibn360 Pte Ltd shared her insights on fortified beverages and nutrition improvement, while TCI Co. Ltd.’s marketing manager Aaron Chen also gave a presentation on functional drinks.

Processing technologies for different products were part of the topic lineup.  From Matcon, David Newell, general manager & business development director for Asia-Pacific region, shared his company’s expertise on effective powder mixing.

Mr Nalin Amunugama, general manager of BOGE Kompressoren Asia Pacific, discussed safety in the use of compressed air and nitrogen. Mr Amunugama has 26 years of experience in the air compressor business, and is responsible for 15 markets in Asia as well as Australia.

Delegates also heard from Darmanto Setyawan, head of dairy manufacturing at PT. Greenfields, on integrated farming and dairy processing. Greenfields based in Java, is the only company in Indonesia with this capability.

Dr. Iwan Surjawan, head of the Department of Food Technology at the Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences, gave an interesting talk on food innovation in Indonesia, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in this space.

On the topic of food safety, president of the PAFT, Alberto Cariso explained how companies can create  a food safety plan in accordance to regulatory requirements. During the conference, Mr. Cariso also presented the technical paper on food safety in fish processing prepared by Dr Miflora Gatchalian, the CEO of Quality Partners Company Ltd in the Philippines.

Also invited to speak at the event was Prof. Dr.  Alonzo Gabriel, a professor of food science and technology, a university scientist, and the principal investigator of the Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, at the University of the Philippines. He presented his paper on hurdle technology-based fruit beverage processing, particularly in combining physical processes and additive supplementation to achieve fruit juice safety.  

Prof Dr. Gabriel  also presented on food safety and quality as a way of life, a paper prepared by Dr. Jose Gatchalian, former dean and professor at the University of the Philippines’ School of Labor and Industrial Relations.

In the area of food analysis and testing, Vincent Lau, technical marketing manager at AB SCIEX (Distribution), explained how mass spectrometry can be used to quickly test the quality and authenticity of Halal products. Mr. Lau is a specialist managing marketing activities and market development in the ASEAN.

On packaging developments, Henky Wibawa, executive director of the Indonesian Packaging Federation and a consultant on Indonesian packaging,  gave a thorough presentation, and stressed the importance of innovation in meeting consumer needs.

In support of innovation, From Dow Chemical Pacific (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Ms Ng Mei Yen, technical manager, Value Chain for SEA and India, Dow Packaging Specialty Plastics, shared the company’s solutions to meet the packaging challenges in Asia.

Richard Anthoni, chief representative of Newamstar Indonesia gave a presentation on online product and storage solutions, stressing the significant differences between traditional and smart factory layouts, and the cost-effective benefits of moving toward automation.

An overview of logistics and distribution from Dean Eichorn, vice president for Retail at DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific in Singapore, offered a fresh outlook on opportunities and challenges not only in Indonesia, but other parts of the Asian region.

In addition to the 30-minute presentations, Ringier organized technical seminars for exhibitor sponsor companies to showcase their products and services. Taiwan Yes Deep Ocean Water presented its product D-Minneralz^TM functional ingredient; Guangzhou Flower Flavours & Fragrances Co., Ltd presented their flavorings/fragrances; Taiwan Leader Biotech Corp. gave a brief talk on Antrodia cinnamomea fungus as functional ingredient; ZEROW International Co. Ltd presented their functional water purifier which produces negative hydrogen ion water; Jiangsu Newamstar Packaging Machinery Co., Ltd further discussed their online production and storage solutions; Matcon representatives were on hand to explain their powder handling equipment; and TCI which presented an outline of cutting-edge innovations for the Indonesian food industry.

Shanghai Precise Packaging Ltd, a high-tech enterprise was also among sponsors of this event.

Furthermore, match-making services were provided to ensure participants would be able to make the most of their two days at the conference.

This year’s conference which took place at the JS Luwansa Hotel and Convention Center in Jakarta, gathered nearly 190 delegates from Indonesia and other parts of the region. Based on preliminary feedback, participants were highly satisfied with the presentations and the networking opportunities.

To quote Ringier president, Mr. Mike Hay, it was surely “an opportune time to be in Indonesia.”