So much depends on vegetable processors. Not least, product quality to protect retailers’ brand reputations and food safety to safeguard consumers’ health. But processing vegetables is rife with threats invisible to the human eye. Potentially harmful and sub-standard produce has to be identified and rejected from the processing line, yet defect-detection can be extraordinarily difficult.

New Johannesburg premises spotlight the technologies needed to improve food productivity

We must change how we handle our resources. A rapidly growing population, increased demand for produce and the threat of climate change bring with them risks to the food supply chain, and new approaches must be looked at to enable a sustainable future.

This guest article is a expert opinion piece from Axel Breuer from the Clipper Magazine.  

What does the future hold for the nut industry? Things have been mostly great for a long time. In recent interviews with the Clipper Magazine Richard Waycott, President and CEO of the Almond Board of California and Phil Zadro, mastermind of the Australian and South African macadamia industry confirmed that nut demand is continuously growing faster than supply. Hazelnuts and peanut consumption might see another boost due to the breakthroughs in allergy treatment.

Helena Dreisig has been appointed as Head of People & Organisation TOMRA Group and TOMRA Food in January 2020. She joins TOMRA from the Global Minerals and lime producer Lhoist Group, where she spent 13 years in various international HR roles, most recently as VP HR Europe.

She was born in Denmark from Danish parents. During her youth she lived in the US, before moving to Belgium where she has kept her base.

The world – particularly the world of food – is changing faster than ever before, with technological advancements and innovation fueling a whole new set of business requirements and consumer behaviors. With consumers already living in a digital world, the food processing industry is looking towards smart food processing and the ‘digital transformation’ required to digitalize their processes, enhance production, optimize efficiency and, generally, increase the overall quality and speed of their entire operation.

The world is currently wasting 1.3bn tons of the food produced for human consumption every year, which amounts to a third of all food produced for that purpose. From farm to fork, the issue of food waste is rife across all aspects of the supply chain and all corners of the globe. There isn’t just one solution to help reduce the impacts of food waste, however actionable steps can be taken to lessen the amount of food wasted. We are in the midst of a food waste crisis, and the world must respond now to reverse its impact before it is too late.

 TOMRA’s three food sorting and grading brands exhibit industry-leading solutions at Fruit Logistica Berlin.

The new plant in Funes (Navarre), which produces ready-made Spanish Omelettes, is an ambitious project which will significantly increase production capacity at BS Cocinados, S.L. Cutting-edge technology is necessary to achieve the desired quality standards, which is why the company has purchased a second TOMRA 5B unit with the latest chassis developments.

With the demand for fresh, convenient and healthy food growing among consumers, leafy greens are the order of the day. From fresh cut to pre-washed and pre-packaged products, this is a rapidly growing market with significant potential.