Second CleanSmoke Coalition Congress held in Frankfurt/Main
- Around 40 international attendees at Sheraton Hotel in Frankfurt
- Manifestation of European Initiative for sustainable smoking
- Presentation of new CleanSmoke label
For the second time already, the CleanSmoke Coalition Congress was hosted in Frankfurt. Around 40 participants from various European countries discussed the benefits of sustainable smoking with CleanSmoke. Over 20 CleanSmoke producers, suppliers of modern smokehouses, meat manufacturers, smokehouses, retailers and food retailers have joined forces in the CleanSmoke Coalition (CSC), based in Brussels, to raise the europe-wide profile of CleanSmoke and highlight its benefits.
CleanSmoke is a method which allows to generate fresh smoke and smoke flavours, without compromising on the typical smoked taste. As a bonus for both people and the environment, no hazardous substances such as ash, tar, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are generated during this process. This technique has already been developed in the 1960’s, and has since paved the way for modern smoking technologies.
Uwe Vogel, CleanSmoke Coalition Chairman, welcomed the attendees with an overview of the EU activities that the CSC has undertaken since its foundation earlier this year. One aspect was the presentation of a label for foods that have been smoked with CleanSmoke. Among the topics of guest speakers were the protection of emission and resources, the very current area of food safety as well as legal and communication aspects.
That CleanSmoke is, by definition, smoke is not a question for Prof. Dr. Stephan Borrmann, director at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, since the smoke is also generated during the burning of biomass. The benefit of CleanSmoke according to the aerosol researcher is that it undergoes a pre-purifying process, preventing food from being subjected to harmful substances such as PAH or tar.
Meat technologist Prof. Dr. Ralf Lautenschläger, lecturing at Ostwestfalen-Lippe University, highlights the future relevance of modern processing technologies for meat manufacturing. Lautenschläger explained the impact that modern processing technologies have on quality and safety of meat products. When using CleanSmoke, manufacturers maintain the typical benefits of smoking such as taste, colour and preservation, without having to accept the pollution from harmful substance such as the hazardous PAHs.
Food engineer Dr. Kemal Aganovic from the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), demonstrated how important the contribution of CleanSmoke to protecting the environment could be. According to Aganovic, in Germany alone, up to 80 per cent of CO2 emissions – compared with conventional smoking methods – could be reduced. This is especially relevant since Germans count as the biggest consumers of smoked meat, with a market share of more than 60 per cent out of all meat products.
Lawyer Jens Karsten from law firm KWG highlighted the regulatory framework of modern smoking technologies, with a focus on a clear declaration of smoke according to the ’European regulation on the provision of food information to consumers’. Karsten illustrated that smoke should be declared as such on the ingredient list, and raw materials, such as “wood“ or “primary smoke products“, should not be named as ingredients.
Andreas Severin, managing partner of communications agency crossrelations brandworks and member of German Agricultural Society (DLG) for consumer issues, showed ways out of a crisis of trust that is apparent in consumers. Eco products are at an advantage, as well as companies that adhere to sustainable and ethical standards, says Severin. According to the communication expert, companies that consider social principles, treat natural resources in a sustainable way, and concern themselves with animal welfare, can build a high level of trust.
First-hand Experiences
Reiner Neidhart, owner of the restaurant “Neidharts Küche“ near Frankfurt, and Hans-Joachim Kunkel, owner of smokehouse “Die Räucherei“ in Klein Meckelsen, were able to provide attendees with first-hand examples from their daily experience with CleanSmoke. Both have been successfully applying the process for many years now.
“The feedback for the second CleanSmoke Coalition Congress was once again very positive “, says CSC’s Uwe Vogel. “With over 40 international participants from the food industry, we can say this event has been a great success.“