News & Events

January 2020
Moving on
We are located in the Netherlands.
You can expect the same services and expertise. We are ready when you are!
Feel free to contact us at contact@eltyfood.com

GET TICKETS NOW

 
​Food Evolution
co-hosted by Elty Food.
When: Wednesday, February 7th 2018 at 19:30
Where: Cinema, St James Cavalier, Castille Place, Valetta (+35621223200)
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Watch Trailer Now

July 2017

Read our latest interview with Malta Today here.
We can help your business improve the quality of food and drinks. Want to learn how?
Is your food product a time bomb? Join us to acquire more knowledge on the factors which influence shelf life and gain more insight with regards to a product’s expiration date, its shelf life testing and more. Learn how to maximize profits in this exclusive workshop for food professionals, manufactures and aspiring product owners. READ MORE

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May 2017

​The workshop All About Shelf Life was a great success.
Over 10 companies attended and got a lot a value during this presentation.
Malta Today published an interview with Jeanette Cameron and Dr. Marisa Cassar about Shelf Life in foods.
Click here to read the whole article.
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ALL ABOUT SHELF LIFE

Shelf Life is an important issue when producing food.
How would you feel if you would be able to extend the shelf life of your product with 50%?
What would this mean financially to your company?

 Dr. Marisa Cassar (Phd Microbiology) and Jeanette Cameron MSc. (Foodtechnology WUR Netherlands) will give exclusive and valuable information about shelf life and more.
The experts will teach about what defines expiration, product quality & improvement as well what is needed to control this in your food.

When: May 9th, 17:30 - 19:00
Where: Malta Life Sciences Park - San Gwann

News Updates

March 15, 2017
DUTCH AMBASSADOR MALTA VISITS ELTY FOOD AT THE MALTA LIFE  SCIENCES PARK

Elty Food Ltd is a private company based in Malta that helps food and drink companies get the highest quality out of their products. Elty Food is genuinely curious about the foods and drinks we put into our bodies. This curiosity emerges from true passion for the food industry and a wholehearted enthusiasm for eating healthy.
 
On Wednesday, March 15, the Dutch ambassador Joop Nijssen and policy officer Liesbeth Oost visited our local office at the Life Sciences Park in San Gwann.
They were welcomed by Jeanette Cameron (Founder of Elty Food), John Mizzi and Joseph Sammut (CEO of the life Sciences Park).
After a tour of the fully operational park and a visit to our laboratory, an open conversation with the ambassador followed.
The Dutch Embassy was particularly interested in the fact that a Dutch entrepreneur had the bold idea of starting up a food technology business in Malta. Ambassador Nijssen expressed his admiration for a non-Maltese resident who was able to navigate a field that every country takes pride in: food.
We discussed the more general issue of food safety and in what specific ways Elty Food could contribute to solving some top-priority issues. Joseph Sammut also stated that Elty Food is one of the most collaborative startups at the park -- always seeking for mutually beneficial partnerships and ready to pass along projects to the right persons.  
Jeanette Cameron emphasized that Elty Food is a firm believer in staying in your expertise area. She also mentioned that the competition of Elty Food is coming from people that try to sell expertise they don't have in the first place, meaning that their offer lacks the underlying standard of scientific knowledge.
As a final conclusion, this was a very inspiring conversation - as the ambassador tweeted it himself. Elty Food has a very positive outlook to the future and is confident that the unique services they deliver will benefit many food producers.
 
NEWS UPDATE, 16/03/2017
Download article here 17.03.16_news_update_elty_food_all_rights_reserved..pdf

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From left to right: J.Nijssen (Dutch Ambassador Malta, J.Cameron, L.Oost)

Previous Events & Articles

- Workshop Interview : All about Shelf Life in collaboration with MLS BioDNA (Dr. Marisa Cassar)
- How to calculate nutritional labels - January 2017
- Cake and Biscuit Technology Seminar - Nov 2016
​- Understanding product and nutritional labels in collaboration with MUHC - Ongoing
- In depth interview with the founder of Elty Food - J. Cameron 
- Our vision on quality in the local food industry

Read our complete interview with Malta Today Here:
How Malta's new food scientist is changing the food industry

Cake, Science, Bakery, Engineer. We never thought these words would go together.
There’s a food scientist in town that’s making us rethink our food and how we create successful businesses. 

Jeanette has a Masters Degree in Foodtechnology from Wageningen University and was senior product-developer for major international food brands
In this MaltaToday exclusive, we met with Jeanette Cameron the food scientist behind Elty Food to understand what food technology isand how she plans to change the local market. Jeanette says she can give businesses the tool kit they’ve been needing to leave their competitors behind (and a lot of that done in just one hour of working with her).

This is a really interesting time that you’ve brought Elty Food and food technology to Malta with EU standards coming into place. How are you helping the local market get onboard with this?

We help the food industry by connecting the right knowledge with execution. Basically our services cover the complete process from purchasing raw materials to seeing that final product on the shelf.

Ok so I have this idea to create an amazing new drink using local ingredients and I want it to hit International markets like the US and Australia. Where do we start?

That’s a great question. We actually start with the end in mind. Where do you envision your product being consumed and by whom? If you want to target female health conscious consumers who are on the go then the taste, ingredient composition and packaging of the drink are completely different to a product for macho men who want to hang out with his friends. Of course marketing plays a big role, but first you need a quality product.

So I bring you my recipe and you help me make it even better?

We improve the end quality of your product. Most ‘damage’ is actually done during processing meaning that fantastic raw materials can end up leading to an inferior quality product if you don’t understand what happens during the production process. The other way around is even more important; inferior raw materials can’t make superior end products. It’s a balance between the right recipe and the optimum processing in order to achieve maximum results.

How do you help me enhance my flavours and quality?

First we taste and test the product together and ask you what you would like to have enhanced. We set up a plan and help you get to the desired state of the product. Since you are always the specialist of your own product, we make sure to give you effective and fast results by working with other professional product specialists of that area. Why? Because we don’t like losing time to mess around.

"Their product will be better than their competitors. Why? They benefited of the skills and were not afraid to invest these 6 hours into their product."
Perhaps more importantly, how do you help me create a product that is better than my competitors?

By setting you up with our specialists. A great example is the tailored special service package of our bakery engineer who happens to be in Malta to lecture at the Cake Technology Seminar. We invite one of the world’s best Bakery Engineers with a track record of successful international products. She prepares in detail at her own bakery lab and comes fully loaded with the right information and recipes. She provides in house training as well. Within 6 hours of solid practical training she can turn a lingering problem around. Their product will be better than their competitors. Why? They benefited of the skills and were not afraid to invest these 6 hours into their product. Believe me I have seen it. This is game-changing investment. 

"For not even €5, you'll have a complete label with layout, printed out with all correct information plus a professional website appearance. "
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Okay, say I have a small bakery in Malta with a vision to grow into a micro-chain. I have some package design in place like a logo but I don’t have nutritional labels. Where do we start?  

We can make the complete labels for you, or we guide you through our easy nutritional software package named Elty Nutritics. It's user friendly software and delivers complete EU compliant nutritional labels. It also has a very beautiful interface for companies that are showcasing their products online. Large manufacturers as well as butcher shops, sandwich shops and pastizzerias can benefit hugely. This software is already used by companies like Radisson, Costa Coffee, Weight Watchers and even Danone. The best thing is that for not even € 5, you’ll have a complete label with layout, printed out with all correct information plus a professional website appearance. Try it for yourself at www.eltyfood.com/eltynutritics and get your free trial now.

That’s truly an extraodinary price and there’s a free trial...

Yes, completely free! Try it for yourself! To be honest, during my days as a product developer we calculated all these Nutritional Values in house. With over 300 changing recipes I dreamt about having such a program working for me. And now it’s here! I am sure every entrepreneur has looked around to see what an outsourced nutritional label will cost. Our prices are only a small fraction of that, with the advantage that you keep all recipes in-house!

Can you tell us about some of your food product development in the past, I know you said you developed A branded European drinks?

I was the senior product developer for award winning and A branded juice and soft drinks. I have made them all. From energy drinks, to juice drinks to juices.

I know you are having a cake and biscuit technology seminar. Love those words together – cakes and technology. It really is a science. So, what can bakeries, bread companies, hobbyists, aspiring entrepreneurs, businesses small and large really get out of this seminar? What will be some of their biggest takeaways?

Yes, I liked the words as well. Everyone who attends will leave with a broadened perspective and a deeper understanding of dough, emulsifiers, the baking process and the many options and techniques there are in Bakery World. We will give tools on how to understand and work through different challenges. A special segment will be dedicated to healthy alternatives. We all know that if you make a cake and decide to take half of the sugar away, the cake won’t be nice. You will have the correct and practical understanding of why and how some ingredients actually behave in the baking product. To be honest, I personally think that anyone who misses the chance to attend will feel very sorry if they notice that the competitor who did come is stealing away clients with improved or even healthier pastry products, especially now with the holidays around the corner.

What is your vision for Malta’s food industry? How do you see it evolving and your place in this picture?  

"My vision for the Maltese food industry is a thriving food manufacturing climate with food and drink product quality that competes with other European countries"
My vision for the Maltese food industry is a thriving food manufacturing climate with food and drink product quality that competes with the other European countries. In this scenario there is room for innovation and growth but we only need a solid knowledge basis for that. It is vital to be able to deliver and make certain foods ourselves, otherwise we will become more and more dependent on import goods and trends. Consumers are highly educated and demand a certain quality. I have spoken to many entrepreneurs and all of them are striving to grow and reinvent their products and services. And the role of Elty Food is to help those who are willing to invest in knowledge.

Since you have worked with some huge international companies as well as pushing small businesses off the ground, can you tell us what are some of the things holding a company back from creating successful products?

There's often the issue of top management not listening to their employees who are physically working with the product and know what needs to be improved on. Management doesn't want to invest in certain skill courses if it doesn't pay off right away. At the same time, many of the world’s most successful products were invented by dedicated employees who felt valued and correctly educated.


We can’t wait to see how Jeanette helps transform the local market. Want to see these effects on your business for yourself? Jeanette will be hosting a Cake & Biscuit Technology Seminar this month!  

This exclusive training will be provided by an International Bakery Specialist who is a skilled bakery engineer from the Netherlands, specialised in cake and biscuit technology and is a professional product developer for large international companies.

Definitely sign up as a gift to yourself, company and future before her offer expires. You and your team will learn invaluable skills that will help propel you on the path to success. For more information check out EltyFood Cake & Biscuit Technology Seminar. 

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Read Our Complete Interview: "All about Shelf life" right here:
We can help your business improve the quality of food and drinks. Want to learn how?

Is your food product a time bomb? Join us to acquire more knowledge on the factors which influence shelf life and gain more insight with regards to a product’s expiration date, its shelf life testing and more. Learn how to maximize profits in this exclusive workshop for food professionals, manufactures and aspiring product owners

How would you feel if you would be able to extend the shelf life of your product by 50%?
​ What would this mean financially for your company?
Dr. Marisa Cassar (Director BioDNA) and Jeanette Cameron MSc. (Director Elty Food), will give food manufacturers the necessary information to improve the shelf life of their products.  They will teach about what defines expiration, product quality and improvement as well what is needed to control this in food and drinks. This workshop is highly recommended and a must for professional food manufacturers who are HACCP certified or would like to be certified.

We interviewed Jeanette Cameron, the inspiring food technologist who is helping some of Malta’s biggest food manufacturers create successful businesses, and Dr. Marisa Cassar, Director of BioDNA, to understand how this 2 hour event is a game-changer for Maltese food professionals, manufacturers and aspiring product owners.

Jeanette, can you tell us what are some of the rookie mistakes food and drink manufacturers are making?

What I have seen is that manufacturers know a lot about their products, it is often their baby. Especially manufacturers that also developed their own products. With this attachment, they tend to stick with a very traditional way of working and producing and limit themselves in the opportunities for improvement. While it is actually very important to move with the changing consumer behaviour and demand.

So basically this is costing manufacturers resources and money?

Yes, because consumers get more and more educated and they demand a certain quality. Consumers want a trustworthy shelf life, meaning that when they buy your product over and over again, they want to taste and experience the same product regardless how long ago it has been produced. Once a consumer has experienced an off taste or bad experience they usually don’t buy again.

I bet there will be more of that at your workshop. You were saying the last time we met, that this knowledge could help manufacturers get an edge over their competitors?

That is for sure, and not only on the quality side, but as well on the financial side. Waste is a huge problem with products that are not stable during shelf life. And imagine that you could sell these products instead of throwing them away. Or produce higher amounts without having to worry about your stock. This would be a great cost reduction.

Juice companies, bakeries, cafes and microbreweries are on the rise in Malta. Could this workshop be beneficial for them?

This workshop is aimed especially at them. By collaborating with BioDNA we can create a field of knowledge that is unique and very valuable for these entrepreneurs.

Every food has its own properties and particular care. Together Elty Food and BioDNA will make sure you can map your food product and we will show you what it takes to establish a trustworthy shelf life.

Anyone who is serious about manufacturing food and drinks, will take away valuable knowledge from this event.

Sounds like anyone who is serious about manufacturing a food or drink product will be missing out if they don’t attend.

Every product needs its own specific way of testing and optimizing. If you are not able to attend the workshop you can always contact us directly. One thing I can give away is that preservatives are not always the solution!

Dr Marisa Cassar is the Director of BioDNA, an ISO17025 accredited microbiology testing lab, who will be partnering up with food technologist Jeanette Cameron to host this special workshop.

Dr. Marisa Cassar, can you explain what are the dangers of contamination? What is necessary to avoid contamination?

Contamination can come in different forms, such as dust from the environment or also people can also be a source of contamination. Contamination can be in the form of physical contamination such as hairs or plastic fragments but mostly food contamination is due to bacteria, viruses and fungi. Most of the time contamination is invisible to the naked eye. Bacteria are very small and usually it is impossible to detect contamination by just looking at the food. If someone presents us with a piece of chicken and tells me one is contaminated with Salmonella and the other is not, I will not manage to detect which is which by just looking at them. Thus contamination most of the time goes undetected during the processing and is only detected either if spoilage appears before the expected expiry date or else a consumer develops food poisoning. The dangers of contamination depend on the type of contamination or the type of food in question. The consequences of contamination can be far more serious in ready to eat food then in food that is to be cooked.

Microbial contamination can come from a number of sources such as raw material of poor quality or inadequate hand washing. Thus to avoid contamination it is very important that one understand the food process and identifies all possible sources form where contamination can occur.

Dr Cassar, is it in fact possible to extend shelf life and by what means?

Most of the time what we see is that when manufacturers develop a product, they check what the competition has set as shelf life and they use that data as an estimated shelf life for their product. Other times the shelf life is determined based only on sensory perception i.e. after a month the product looks and tastes the same. The product may look and taste the same but may not be microbiologically safe after a month. The methods mentioned are not the ideal procedures to establish a product’s shelf life. One cannot depend on only one of these procedures. We offer examples of the methods one can use in order to come to a conclusion, but these methods are not scientifically reliable.  Sensory perception data together with microbiological data and an in depth analysis at the product development stage could help in extension of the shelf life of the product.

How can you achieve a quality product that has an extended shelf life?

Every product has to have quality built into it. Raw material used, manufacturing environment, processing equipment, packaging together with all the factors that come into play in the product development and manufacturing have an important role in achieving a quality product. Therefore it is of utmost importance that professionals with experience can evaluate and map this process in order to optimise.

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