NEWS | Industry Updates
Vending prepares for refrigerant changes
Over the next few years there are going to be a few radical changes with regards to the refrigerants that will be permitted for usage in new vending machines/chillers. Managing director of DGB Refrigeration Gary Barlow explores what the industry must prepare for. From January 1, 2020 the use of R404a in new chillers will be
prohibited. This will not have a great impact on vending because R134a is the predominant refrigerant. But from the January 1, 2024 R134a will also cease to be used in
the manufacture of new chillers. The use in service repairs and refurbishment has no set date but will eventually be phased out over time. Both of the above are manmade hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
which are greenhouse gases (GHGs) and directly contribute to the increase in global warming. As an example – the emissions of every 1kg of Carbon Dioxide
equals a GWP (global warming potential) of 1 per kg. Whereas the emissions of 1kg of R134a has a GWP of 1,300 per kg and remains in the atmosphere for about 14 years. So, as you can see getting repairs done by companies that are equipped with this knowledge, a good reputation and competent engineers is of utmost importance. Chiller units can have gas leaks especially in the evaporator or condenser coil, which must be difficult to detect and repair on site. But firms such as DGB Refrigeration carry stock of brand-new
replacement evaporators for many chillers used in the vending industry and work towards detecting leaks and repairing them in house. To just add refrigerant to its current charge (topping up) is not
cost effective, but more importantly it is unethical and actually illegal. Over the coming years ‘’topping up’’ could also lead to some
serious implications. The replacement refrigerants or hydrofluorocarbons will be hydrocarbons – natural refrigerants with a negligible GWP. They are however highly flammable, must be handled with care and systems containing them should only be worked on by authorised certified engineers. Isobutene (R600a) will replace R134a and is currently the refrigerant of choice in most household fridges. Propane (R290) can also replace R134a and R404a. Hydrocarbon refrigerants will
only be able to be used on chiller systems/machines designed with these refrigerants in mind, so cannot be used as a replacement refrigerant (drop in) for a current R134a chiller/machine. This would be highly dangerous. To finish on a positive –
hydrocarbons are not only just good for the environment, they are also an extremely good refrigerant and could save you between 17% and 54% on energy consumption.
8 |
vendinginternational-online.com Shocking sugar statistics
revealed Children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old by the time they reach their 10th birthday, according to Public Health England (PHE). This is based on their total sugar consumption from the age of 2. This figure comes as a new Change4Life campaign
launched in January, supporting families to cut back on sugar and to help tackle growing rates of childhood obesity. While children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in
recent years, they are still consuming around eight excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to around 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year. To help parents manage this, Change4Life is encouraging
them to ‘Make a swap when you next shop’. Making simple everyday swaps can reduce children’s sugar intake from some products (yoghurts, drinks and breakfast cereals) by half – while giving them healthier versions of the foods and drinks they enjoy. While some foods and drinks remain high in sugar, many
companies have reformulated products such as yoghurts, breakfast cereals and juice drinks, meaning these swaps are a good place for families to start. Making these swaps every day could remove around 2,500
sugar cubes per year from a child’s diet, but swapping chocolate, puddings, sweets, cakes and pastries for healthier options such as malt loaf, sugar-free jellies, lower-sugar custards and rice puddings would reduce their intake even more. Severe obesity in 10 to 11 year olds has now reached an all-
time high. Overweight or obese children are more likely to be overweight or obese as adults, increasing their risk of heart disease and some cancers, while more young people than ever are developing Type 2 diabetes. Excess sugar can also lead to painful tooth decay, bullying and low self-esteem in childhood. Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said: “Children
are consuming too much sugar, but parents can take action now to prevent this building up over the years. To make this easier for busy families, Change4Life is offering
a straightforward solution – by making simple swaps each day, children can have healthier versions of everyday foods and drinks, while significantly reducing their sugar intake. With a third of children leaving primary school overweight
or obese, tackling obesity requires wider action and is not just limited to individual efforts from parents. PHE is working with the food industry to remove 20% of sugar from the products contributing the most to children’s sugar intakes by 2020. In May 2018, PHE published progress against the first-year
sugar reduction ambition of 5%, which showed an average 2% reduction in sugar across categories for retailers and manufacturers. While breakfast cereals and yoghurts and fromage frais
were among the categories meeting or exceeding the 5% ambition, some products in these categories are still high in sugar – this is why Change4Life is making it easier for parents to find lower-sugar options.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
