REcycLING & wASTE MANAGEMENT DEVELOPING HEALTHIER FOOD LOSS HABITS
The rising cost of healthy diets, an ever growing market in weight management products, hikes in prices for food staples combined with better waste management strategies is encouraging more food production facilities towards precision checkweighing and 100 per cent reliable weight control. Charlie Graham, European sales manager at Sparc Systems examines the importance of accuracy on the scales and why weight uniformity is so critical, especially in the expanding health and wellness sector.
T
he global market outlook for automated checkweighing remains strong. Industry reports predict further rapid growth, with
industry reports suggesting 4.6 per cent cAGR each year between 2019 and 2027. The projected expansion of this sector is likely to be propelled by a number of factors. For many FMcG manufacturers, price hikes, squeezes on profit margins, the explosion in lifestyle-led single serve and ready-to-go food packs as well as strict regulatory mandates and productivity driven investments is swinging the scale towards advanced and accurate precision checkweighing.
GET A GRIP ON GIVEAWAY currently, there remains plenty of untapped potential for the utilisation of automation and data collection in all weighing food production processes. Giveaway has been a long accepted practice in food factories. Many are notorious at overcompensating in the filling phases to avoid falling foul of international and domestic weight legislations. To ensure food production facilities do not
deviate from set weights for product units, many of today’s checkweighing technologies have refined the process to deliver real time feedback data needed for quality control and interfacing with other machinery to adjust autonomously. Used efficiently, upfront checkweighing machine costs can rapidly provide a return on investment. Sophisticated software adds full transparency
to packing processes tracking each unit weight meets the set parameters as each passes over the checkweigher. Besides reducing false rejects and product
waste, the use of modern network technologies allow for automatic data transmission. with integrated data collection software, everything from trends, pack rates and live OEE data is instantly reported. Production and QA personnel can then utilise the information to monitor and fine-tune production line performance, even prior to the weight check process. Upstream weighing systems are especially beneficial in bakery and meat processing facilities. For example, Sparc’s automated Hestia Dough checkweigher can save bakers thousands of pounds every day. connected to an automated upstream dough dividing line, if a piece of dough is under or overweight by as little as 0.5 grams, the Hestia Dough checkweigher automatically rejects it. Simultaneously, the machine’s advanced fibre optic controlled software communicates back to the dough divider in real time to adjust the position of the blade for the next batch. Similarly, if a meat manufacturer finds
inconsistencies in the size of meatballs, this provides a clear indicator that processing machinery is not running accurately. Beyond highlighting this fault, precision systems, such as the Raptor checkweigher launched at Foodex 2021, provide a controlled feedback signal to
wEIGHT cONTROL:
upstream automation equipment used to portion food products. This signal specifies when to increase or decrease the fill quantity accordingly, eliminating the need for human intervention. Deviating from a recipe also affects the value of
products, notes charlie Graham citing ‘free from’ and ‘dietary’ ranges as classic scenarios where formulation conformity is critical. He expands: “Free-from ingredients can cost over 150 per cent more than conventional products. For instance, there is often 20 or more ingredients within a free- from bread recipe. Placing even greater emphasis on tightly controlling waste.”
MAINTAINING VALUE IN MAINSTAY FOODS Global food prices are going up. Having already encountered the pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, another surge in prices for essential commodities, ranging from grains to sugar, soybeans to corn is anticipated. It is expected to affect retailer pricing strategies for all types of products, including baked goods, ready meals and even pet food. At the start of 2021, global food prices hit a six
year high. Absorbing these additional inflation costs will in time pass down the consumer chain. Brexit and subsequent trade complications already being encountered are likely to add to the woes for British food manufacturers. The Food and Drink Federation has estimated that red tape and new border checks could add three-billion pounds in costs per year for food importers. Shrinking pack sizes has been a common
practice in recent years to counteract price rises. Manufacturers firmly lay the blame on rising raw material costs for resizing packs. Applied to chocolate bars, coffee, fruit juice, sausages, beers and even chips, the Office of National Statistics found that in just five years,
56 SEPTEMBER 2021 | FAcTORy&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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