Could it be that social distancing brings people and businesses closer together?

The two main goals of vegetable processing, food safety and product quality, are sacrosanct – but the goalposts keep moving. When a different batch of leafy greens comes rolling down the line, processors often have to recalibrate their machines to detect different types of defects and achieve different quality grades. This complicates the day-to-day business of processing, but there can be no excuses: no matter how much or how often circumstances change on the processing line, product imperfections have to be detected and ejected.

The two main goals of vegetable processing, food safety and product quality, are sacrosanct – but the goalposts keep moving.

Each incoming truck load of carrots might vary in quality. Due to slightly different weather, soil or growing conditions, there might be more or fewer discolorations, or a sudden influx of foreign material. And because carrots are sold in varying quality grades and differing forms, product specifications often also need changing. This complicates the day-to-day business of vegetable processing, but there can be no excuses: no matter how much or how often circumstances change on the processing line, product imperfections must be detected and ejected.  

The two main goals of vegetable processing, food safety and product quality, are sacrosanct – but the goalposts keep moving.

Every incoming truck load of green beans might vary in quality. Due to slightly different weather, soil or growing conditions, there might be more or fewer discolorations, or a sudden influx of weeds or even insects. And because beans can be sold in varying quality grades and differing forms, product specifications also need changing. This complicates the day-to-day business of processing, but there can be no excuses: no matter how much or how often circumstances change on the processing line, product imperfections must be detected and ejected. 

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 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.

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.

The need for speed at vegetable processing facilities can sometimes seem incompatible with their other operational and commercial objectives. Perishable produce must be sorted and packed quickly to maximize its shelf life, but the faster this is done, the less time there is for large volumes of produce to be sorted accurately for food safety and quality. And as an added complication, retailers and consumers increasingly expect food producers to adopt sustainable working practices.

With this year's season well and truly over, it’s time to assess your operational performance by asking the following questions: Did you reap the full benefit of your time, effort and energy? Could you have done anything differently? Is there anything you could look at improving to elevate your process and ensure next season’s success?