FEATURE u Food & Beverage
Irish food manufacturers wage war on waste
Having committed to reduce food loss and waste, through the Food Waste Charter food safety and inspection champion Fortress Technology examines the changing attitudes towards food waste during lockdown, and how automation and lean manufacturing can bring greater order and transparency to the food chain
I
reland generates approximately one million tonnes of food waste per annum (not including wasted food from agriculture).
Representing a carbon footprint as high as 3.6MTCO2eq according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The importance of food supply chains has been spotlighted during COVID-19. Stockpiling created shortages in staple goods, including fresh produce, canned goods, pasta and baking ingredients. A knock-on effect of hoarding food saw prices rise, led by cereals, sugar, dairy and vegetable oils. Brexit red tape has further amplified the issue of food waste – especially at production level. Although a number of waste interventions
have been implemented and more than £300m in food (the equivalent of 180 tonnes) was diverted from waste last year, there’s still some work to go. The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which Ireland has committed to achieve by 2030, remains to reduce food loss and waste by 50%.
AUTOMATION So, what can Ireland’s food processors do to help? Equipment choices, robust quality control processes, traceability and staff training are all critical factors when it comes to reducing production food waste.
Reflecting on the pandemic, Fortress
Technology’s European Managing Director, Phil Brown, praises the speed of food manufacturers in reacting to changing consumer demands. The utilisation of automation tools and smart inspection machinery helped to ensure waste remained tightly controlled and there’s maintained food safety and production efficiency: “Most of today’s food metal detectors are smart and connected. This allows immediate and remote access, enabling food manufacturers to view the current equipment status, monitor rejects and maintain continuous, smooth production lines. Operational data can be compared and it gives production managers the ‘real time’ tools to spot trends and patterns, such as when and where the most rejects are occurring, which can equate to Euro 14,000 per food line each year.”
CHANGING OUR WAYS Demand for digital testing has accelerated. Regular checks that are carried out manually can be a drain on resources, particularly true when testing metal detectors is made difficult due to access, machine position, product flow and environmental conditions. Guaranteed to save food manufacturers time and money, Halo Digital Testing from Fortress
automatically and independently checks for all metal materials – ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel. The line will only halt if the metal detector or reject checks fail. In another first, Fortress recently unveiled a unique new conveyor design, part of the Raptor checkweighing series, yet another big labour, time and money saver, as well as being more hygienic.
TOO GOOD TO GIVE AWAY Overproduction and overfilling are other wasteful measures that contribute to food loss. Even a few grams surplus in every food pack can rapidly equate to thousands of Euros per month. The Raptor introduces high-end weight control technology to target these operational inefficiencies.
By instantaneously capturing sample readings of individual packs by the millisecond, the Raptor control system provides highly-accurate and consistent weighing results. “Using Raptor’s digital data capture
feature, manufacturers can pinpoint upstream operational deficiencies, including overfilling of packs, processing and packaging waste,” said Brown. Ireland, like many countries, is experiencing
retail food price inflation as a result of supply disruptions due to COVID-19, currency devaluations and other factors. Brexit has already started to impact Ireland’s availability and pricing, with an estimated 85% of EU food imports subject to tariffs. Processors importing raw ingredients will inevitably find their profit margins squeezed even harder. Bearing these additional costs is likely to mean retail prices will go up for Irish consumers and product choice and SKUs will most likely decline. Avoidable inefficiencies are where Ireland’s
food processors can make the biggest waste and financial savings and tackle this war on food waste.
Left: Ireland generates approximately one million tonnes of food waste per annum
Fortress Technology (Europe) Ltd
www.fortresstechnology.com
20 June 2021 Irish Manufacturing
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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