The most recent research shared by food waste prevention experts WRAP reveals that over half of the food waste generated by the UK manufacturing and retail sector is avoidable. Good news is, the figures appear to be falling. Phil Brown, European Managing Director, Fortress Technology explains how faster high performance metal detector systems play a part in reducing the volume of false rejects and subsequently avoidable food waste.
Total food waste – avoidable and unavoidable – across the UK supply chain in 2015 was an estimated 1.7 million tonnes, with surplus and waste in manufacturing representing the equivalent of 4.2% of UK production (around 58 million tonnes).[i]Retailers and manufacturers are already doing a lot to ensure suitable food surplus is being made available for redistribution, and under the UK Courtauld 2025 Commitment, three signatories reported a 74% increase in the amounts being redistributed between 2012 and 2014 reports WRAP.
Equipment choices, robust quality control processes and staff training are all critical factors when it comes to reducing factory food waste states Phil. However, putting all these waste reducing mechanisms in place doesn’t mean compromising on line speed. “If anything, production lines today need to be faster, accommodate quicker product changeovers, recalibrate at the touch of a button and provide suppliers with assurance that contaminants haven’t slipped through the net,”says Phil.
