2023 Projects

People are more ethically aware of what they eat than ever before and they care about where that food comes from.

But it is not just ethical concerns that make proof of provenance so important: the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, the 15-year-old who went into cardiac arrest on a flight after eating a baguette from Pret a Manger which did not include details of sesame in the ingredients, has led to calls for tighter rules.

European regulation on consumer food information came into force in 2011 and made nutrition labelling compulsory for pre-packed foods from 2016. This was largely to target obesity and other health concerns by highlighting fat, sugars, salts and calories.

Nutrition experts and public health officials say changes are needed to stop this food culture which contributes to 4 million premature deaths every year from obesity.

Specific information, such as the name of the food, volume of ingredients, preparation instructions and name and address of manufacturer must appear on food labels by law, but that doesn’t provide the information that consumers are now calling for.

Consumers were dealt a further blow when last month, five of the world’s biggest food companies reported they had abandoned trials aimed at developing a new nutrition labelling scheme for Europe.

The scheme by Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever which sought to replace the monochrome labelling system in place has failed because companies could not gain consensus around the new portion-based, colour-based scheme.

 It has long been assumed that red stood for high levels of ‘food baddies’ like saturated fat, with green for ‘go ahead’ and yellow in the middle. It is a colour combination which has worked in traffic lights for many years.

In fact, it may come as a surprise to many a shopper to hear that ‘Colour coding of food labels is very controversial in continental Europe’ according to a spokesman from Nestlé who has called for the European Commission to come up with a ‘common approach’ in the form of a law.

While this could be considered a set back, in fact there is no reason for companies, particularly large suppliers of food, not to develop their own information on products and in fact use the collapse of this latest scheme to develop an even more in depth process which gives consumers the information they want to find out.

 A survey conducted last year found that of more than 800 people, 84% checked where their food as come from either ‘all’, ‘most’ or ‘some’ of the time. It also found that two thirds are either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ concerned about where their food has come from while 68% said that the origin of food is either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important in influencing purchasing decisions.

The origin of particular kinds of food, such as whiskey or cheese, is also important with consumers wanting to buy the ‘genuine article’. 48% of people said they would feel ‘misled’ if they purchased a food product advertised from a certain region only to discover later it was not from that region. And over one quarter said they would feel ‘cheated’ with one-fifth ‘concerned’.

This demand for information doesn’t have to be seen as a problem for food producers: it can be seen as an opportunity for companies, producers, farmers - whoever - to stand out from the crowd in a well-populated marketplace and to better engage with their suppliers and their end consumers.

 This is where Trust Passport comes in.

Brexit provides the opportunity the UK Agri- Food sector to establish a new framework for mutual equivalence of conformity with the so-called SPS (Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary) assessments.

Trust Passport can immutably record all manner of product–specific information, including ingredients, details on the source and origin of those ingredients, how the food has been farmed/raised/produced as well as any of the detailed measures required for SPS trade obligations. The very nature of the technology means that this can be done without the need for delays or excessive transit costs.

Industry may be claiming that they need one scheme “for the good of consumers and business” but even if that were the case, it would not have to be one imposed by a government or a supranational body like the European Commission, whose turnaround for legislation and resulting output is woeful.

With technology such as near-field communication, just like billions of people use every day with their contactless payment cards, there are no excuses for big businesses to claim that without overarching regulation, supply chains will be disrupted.

These big companies have been caught out with dubious methods like deforestation for mass-scale farming or the obliteration of habitats for orangutang to farm palm oil as a cheap ingredient for mass-produced food and the proliferation of videos and articles highlighting these practices has rightly resulted in calls for change. Now, for the first time in the history of international trade, we have technology that can deliver total and reliable transparency across the supply chain.

We believe change can happen right here, with enough will and determination to do it. Necessity is the mother of invention but morals and ethics can be the stimulus for driving change to ensure that we care about our planet and those we share it with rather than ride roughshod over this beautiful gift we have been given. This is why we have worked so hard to launch this technology concept which they call “Know Your Food”.

When the UK and Ireland went their own way on food labelling in 2013 the disruption was minimal because many packaged foods are produced domestically. The single market creates more issues but nothing that can’t be dealt with by people seeking to do the right thing because it’s the right thing, rather than because they have to.

 When matters are left to governments, these companies can employ lobbyists to ensure their products are not disadvantaged but with Know Your Food there are no gimmicks, just facts. This means in order to ensure that companies are not disadvantaged, they may need to change their business practices and that’s better for all of us in the long run.

 Nutrition labelling isn’t going to be something food companies embrace unless their customers demand it, and consumers have such power to make these companies act ethically by voting with their feet.

Romiley Board Mill produces around 55,000 tonnes of cardboard packaging and related products.

Before the introduction of the additive, the oil was changed at 3 monthly intervals. With Lofrix, it lasts for 12 months with monthly monitoring. All manufacturing cylinders have run for more than 10 years without bearing replacements.

Maintenance has been reduced to a few days a year – production has increased almost fourfold with additional significant savings in oil costs, downtime and repairs.

Lofrix® reduced friction losses and extended load-bearing capacity.

Eurofighter Typhoon 4 Lofrix® has undergone a 5-year programme of testing by BAe Systems on cockpit mechanisms of the Typhoon Eurofighter which covered 2,000 movements at every temperature interval between -60°C to + 60°C.

The intensive testing included extensive corrosion testing (salt spray tests).

The Lofrix® Dry friction inhibitor passed all tests and was subsequently authorized to be the only product permitted for use on the Typhoon canopy release mechanism.

Automotive / Road Transport 22% of UK greenhouse gas emissions are caused by road transport. Many of these have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties and most countries are now experiencing preventable deaths due to air pollution.

Lofrix Eco Gel has been tested as an oil additive in over 100 domestic vehicles, which produced the following results:

• An average reduction in exhaust emissions of 56%.

• An average improvement in both torque and power output of over 10%.

• An increase in engine efficiency of over 5%.

• A reduction in fuel consumption of over 4.5%.

Our product is perfectly poised to relieve financial pressures on industry and family transport costs and will also reduce long-term pollution and population health issues.

Next Steps

During the summer of 2022, we’re testing with a major national rail infrastructure owner, testing the impact Lofrix has on:

• Rolling stock wear, fatigue and downtime

• Extending maintenance periodicity, thus reducing costs

• Reducing carbon emissions

• Reduce oil and fossil fuel reliance
  

We have also just signed NDAs with the world’s premier producer of aviation engines and ancillaries and will be testing the impact of Lofrix on the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of world-class aero stock.