Tetra Pak, a food processing and packaging solutions company, has announced initiatives to reduce loss in food production, from raw material to water usage and waste disposal, thereby boosting efficiency for food and beverage producers.
This, according to the firm, is to address part of a broader problem facing food supply chain, which is food loss during production. Across the globe, approximately 14 per cent of the world’s food, valued at $400 billion, is lost yearly between harvest, production, and retail market. Food loss also means loss of water. The World Resources Institute notes that, inside 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted every year worldwide is approximately 45 trillion gallons of water.
It also said last week’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security by the Federal Government, occasioned by observed food inflation, calls for sustainable food packaging, as this is essential in driving access to food for all.
In addition to retaining benefits of processing and extending shelf life, sustainable packaging also allows food to travel from the producer to the consumer, while keeping its nutritious value intact.
Tetra Pak is working closely with customers and suppliers to provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that, each day, meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries. With over 25,000 employees around the world, Tetra Pak believes in responsible industry leadership and a sustainable approach to business.
Roberto Franchitti, Executive Vice President (Services), at Tetra Pak, said: “We all have a part to play. We are stepping up our efforts to help tackle loss in food manufacturing, for instance improving performance of machines, minimising failures that could result in production stopping and a consequent loss of food, focusing on refurbishing existing equipment, upgrading, and reselling used machines to ensure that nothing goes to waste. This, ultimately, contributes towards responsible production and circular economy.
“Tetra Pak’s suite of waste reduction solutions includes consumables, plant components and upgrades, such as water filtration solutions and consumables for wastewater reduction at various areas in a customer plant. Meanwhile, its asset management solutions for equipment incorporate customised outcome-based solutions, maintenance units and remote support. Ultimately, this increases the uptime of the equipment, reduces response time alongside repairs and reuse to prolong equipment lifetime.”
