The Future of Food

..in the world of food manufacturing. Historically the primary purpose of food packaging has been to protect contents; ensure the food is safe to eat. Now, the aim is also to reduce the amount of packaging – and plastic in particular – whilst  maintaining the integrity of the pack and quality.  Products such as the newly launched GEA PowerPakPLUS and SmartPacker range deliver on promises including thinner films, better inspection processes and compatibility with sustainable packaging materials. In addition, OxyCheck is an in-line quality control system that checks the oxygen (O₂) content and seal integrity of every single Modified Atmosphere Package (MAP) in a non-invasive manner that ensures only selective rejection, thus minimal waste. 

With GEA technology food manufacturers could be sure that every single product which leaves their factory is checked and consumers will have the peace of mind that no waste was created in the name of food safety. 

The latest innovation in sustainable packaging, FoodTray is a solution manufactured out of the resources paperboard and plastic film. Corrugated paperboard is the most widespread packaging material worldwide. These packages consist almost completely out of natural or recycled materials. Plastic film is of outstanding importance for modern food packaging. The used corrugated cardboard box and plastic film are easy to separate and allow for separate disposal of material. 

Both materials are taken up by the appropriate disposal and recycling systems. Plastic content in conventional packaging can be vastly reduced when corrugated paperboard gets supplied to the recycling method.

Find out more here

The refrigeration sector is a massive energy consumer: an estimated 30% of power generated in the UK drives the refrigeration process. In a food storage environment up to 90% of its energy use is for refrigeration. And much of the heat produced as a by-product of cooling would have previously been wasted. GEA is helping the food industry to maximise its environmental credentials - reducing CO₂ emissions - and minimise energy use, not only by reverting to natural refrigerants such as ammonia, but also through the use of heat pump technology. A heat pump is a far more eco-friendly and profitable solution than traditional heating alternatives. Industry, local authorities and homeowners have been using them for heating applications for many years – and food factories are now starting to see the significant financial and environmental benefits of using heat pumps in production processes, especially those that require the application of heat during preparation and subsequent chilling.

Watch this video and let our expert Robert Unsworth explain.  GEA has installed heat pumps for some of the largest food manufacturers and retailers.They have reduced running costs and CO2 emissions from day one. If you’d like to talk to a GEA refrigeration specialist, enquire today.

Annually we see a rise in the tonnage of food waste coming from UK households and industry. Dealing with food waste usually means sending it to landfill where it could have been avoided. Storage and handling costs with this process could be reduced, greenhouse gas emissions contained, the nutrients extracted and potentially re-used as fertiliser on land. How? Separation by a centrifuge process makes it possible to manage the solid and liquid fractions individually. Primary separation of the raw food waste reduces storage space and transport costs while increasing the value of the potential product for renewable resource such as animal feed or anaerobic digestion. The concentrated solids and in turn the nutrients are easier to handle and can go to further processing, for instance, in anaerobic digestion (AD) where the gas yield per tonne sees a huge increase. The low solids liquid fraction is treated on site for discharge or reuse. The AD process has many benefits, but post primary separation the waste generated is in the form of digestate. This is still over 90% liquid due to break down of solids and other mixed in liquors and handling again can be a problem. Further separating by use of a highly efficient centrifuge gives control of the nutrient value in the solid or liquid fractions. With phosphorus (P) mainly bound to the solids, and Nitrogen (N) mainly soluble, the flexibility of the machine allows nutrient division to be controlled. This means a concentration of nutrients in solid form which can be stored easily or transport to nutrient deficient areas further away. The liquid fraction, if compliant, can be spread to farm land as an organic fertiliser in higher volumes while meeting consent of local legislations for Nitrogen and Phosphorus, reducing the environmental impact. Storage in tanks or lagoon also becomes easier due to no settleable solids. This all gives farmers more leeway in their spreading schedule to apply the necessary nutrients at the time when crops need them the most. 

Hear from our Environmental team about how efficient separation can deal with food waste and generate electricity for the national grid while providing farmers with organic fertiliser in higher volumes which could be spread on land.

If you have any questions, get in touch with GEA