SUSTAINABLE PROCESSING In the business of fruit and vegetable processing, there are three drivers that impact performance and delivery of value to our customers. They are product yield, production efficiency and quality. ZERO FOOD WASTE Our Prepared Produce plant’s overall average yielding currently sits around 80%. It is tracked and monitored weekly. The current average input is 75 tonnes of raw product a week, so we produce 15 tonnes (20%) of “food waste”. The first stop for this waste, where possible, is further processing, utilising all parts of raw materials by collecting off-cuts from various produce and processing them further by dicing, slicing or adding to blends; for example, off cuts left after processing carrot batons are used in carrot diced. We collect, sort and blend peelings/off-cuts then sell to other food manufacturers; for example, pet food manufacturers who further process them. On average weekly we sell 1,200kg (8%) of our food waste through this channel. Whatever cannot be further processed is repurposed and collected. All food waste that we cannot further process is collected by our partner Eco Stock. Eco Stock collects, sorts and repurposes our waste stream to stock feed and fertiliser and have recently started a new initiative with Auckland Council, where they use food waste to generate energy by anaerobic digestion. New Zealand households throw away 157,389 tonnes of food a year. That is equivalent to 271 jumbo jets of food that has to go somewhere to rot, instead of being eaten. All of this food is worth about $1.17 billion each year. At Prepared Produce we are 100% focused on waste reduction and repurposing and are proud of the fact that 0% of any waste from our processing activities goes to landfill. PACKAGING Having a sustainable approach to packaging is a challenging and topical subject which we are continuously working on and refining to meet our sustainability goals as a business. The vast majority of inwards goods are received in reusable containers. Either plastic crates/bins from agencies such as Chep and Loscam or wooden bins direct from the growers. All of which are returned for reuse. This represents zero single use bulk packaging to the business and the environment as crates are utilised by packing orders out to our branches. As it can’t be avoided on some products, any cardboard received is recycled. Prepared Produce is aligned with the government’s 2023 goal to phase out hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics in New Zealand. This proves a significant challenge to the industry. Prepared Produce barrier bags, used to pack our further processed products for distribution to our customers, are currently unable to be repurposed in New Zealand due to a lack of commercial facilities. This is something we are committed to overcoming and are engaged with film manufacturers both local and international around the creation and implementation of further sustainable films and bags. The current technology utilised in our films is very good and allows the product to respire, which provides significant longevity to the shelf life, allowing us to distribute the product safely around the country. This technology also reduces food waste through the products retaining its freshness. Last year we partnered with New Zealand recycling company Flight Plastics to supply RPET packaging for our products going into the retail sector. Flight Plastics produces their products using 100% recycled PET, also known as RPET, plastics. Collected around New Zealand, using their recycling process, the plastics Flight produces can be recycled an unlimited number of times. ENERGY Energy usage is minimised by turning off anything not required, which includes using the factory cooling system only when shifts are operating and through ongoing staff training. Efficiency of the refrigeration system has come from continuous staff training regarding open doors and identifying all potential temperature leaks. We are in the process of changing over our entire refrigeration to a glycol system. At the moment half of all our fridges have been converted. The glycol-based system offers enhanced performance and significantly reduced energy consumption. Also, glycol refrigeration systems are one of the most environmentally-friendly refrigeration systems, as glycol itself is a completely food-safe, non-hazardous liquid with no health risks to users or installers. Water usage is monitored and minimised by utilising tanks for washing and further processing wherever possible. Running water is stringently managed and only used in our largest machine while it is operating. EFFICIENCY Prepared Produce invests heavily in ongoing staff training around best practice and increasing efficiencies throughout the business to deliver 40 | BIDFRESH
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