Fruit and vegetables are thrown away based on physical, misshapen appearance - TOMRA Sorting Food can help processors sort these products for other

Tomra Sorting Food, a leading manufacturer of sensor-based food sorting systems, has highlighted the ongoing problem of food waste and demonstrated how it is doing its bit to help cut waste from the supply chain.

According to the company, it is working closely with farmers, processors and retailers to achieve the objective of reducing food waste.

“The amount of food being left on the production line can add up significantly as it’s viewed as waste and not something that can be repurposed,' said the group's Steve Raskin. 'Therefore there is increased motivation for processors to reduce waste and, by doing so, reduce inefficiencies, lower overheads and increase profits.

“There are a number of factors that can contribute to food waste – it does not just start with the processor,' he continued. 'By initially looking at the farmer who plants the seed, and examining every stage of the food production process, you can attempt to eliminate food waste.'

Raskin emphasised that one of the ways to cut waste is to looks at sorting machinery, noting that a major focus should be on how much ‘good’ product is unnecessarily being removed from the processing line and how the food sorter can be optimised.

“Sensor-based sorting machines can determine that a product is 70 per cent good quality and, rather than consigning this to waste, the majority of the product can then be reworked until it is ready to be used,' he said. 'For example, when storing potatoes or blueberries, you must ensure healthy product doesn’t suffer from mold or rot to help lengthen the lifetime of the product.'

Raskin added that Tomra is continuing to develop sustainable solutions with its customers and many other companies.

“The discrepancy between demand and supply - a major cause of food wastage - ranges from farmers not finding a market for their products and leaving them to rot in the field, to supermarkets reducing product orders last minute, leaving producers with unsalable products,” he outlined. “There will always be areas for improvement. By identifying where waste occurs and treating it properly, we must ease the pressure on natural resources and reduce the amount of food produced worldwide which is never eaten.”