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.

The global almond industry is growing. Almonds are the most consumed tree nuts in the world, with 1.2 metric tons produced during 2017 – 2018.

Bright Light Agribusiness, one of the fastest growing private companies in the Australian almond industry, has selected TOMRA Food as its partner for an end-to-end almond sorting solution. A total of 15 sorters will be installed at the company’s state-of-the-art almond processing facility in Hattah/Victoria to achieve the processing objective of a “pack-to-grade” quality in a single pass.

Recently we announced the acquisition of BBC Technologies, a New Zealand-based company specializing in precision grading systems and filling solutions for blueberries and other small fruits. The Packer spoke with Mike Riley, Head of TOMRA Food Grading, to gain more insight on the reasons behind the acquisition and the value this move brings to the supply chain market.