How AI can cut food processing waste - Fraunhofer Institute A €10m project to slash food processing waste using artificial intelligence (AI) has been launched in Germany, focusing on meat, bakery and dairy production.
A study conducted by the Thünen Institute in 2019 revealed that about 30% of food waste occur in food production and processing.
The REIF project has 30 partners working on a long-term solution. The primary focus is designing an AI ecosystem, which includes participants at every step of the value chain. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to the tune of €10m.
Cutting and slicing feature: Energy and space saving advancements With the world marching towards a future led by automation in smaller and smaller operating areas, we explore how this industry 4.0 trend is influencing cutting and slicing at factory level.
From machinery offering output that matches the quality of hand-made products to developments in cutting technology to reduce energy use, equipment suppliers are moving swiftly to meet food and drink processors’ needs.
In the wider food and drink space, automated technologies – and in some cases the use of digitalisation – have allowed manufacturers with traditional production processes to enter the 21
st century while maintaining product quality.
Me & My Team: Princes Long Sutton canning factory
By Rob James Princes Foods canning plant manager Rob James tells Rod Addy about developments at its Long Sutton site.
I have been working on the foods side of Princes since 2013, initially with responsibility for our Wisbech sites and then early 2018, I took over dual responsibility for the Long Sutton and Wisbech sites.
Prior to that, I was best part of five years at our drinks site in Cardiff. I joined Princes back in June 2008.
Factory Location
Capacity
Size
Major retailers, convenience stores, foodservice business and wholesalers
Back in 2017 a plan was conceived for a significant investment in this site under the umbrella of Canning Excellence - an investment that has totalled close to £80m. We moved to build a new raw materials warehouse.
Diageo leads way for women in leadership in food processing Diageo has the best female board and leadership representation of any FTSE 100 company, according to a recently published review, with other firms and groups reporting progress on the issue this International Women s Day.
According to the Hampton-Alexander Review, which charts the board level gender balance in FTSE companies, Diageo has 37.4% female representation at executive committee or direct report level. A total of 60% of its 10-strong board are women.
Unilever came 25th in the FTSE 100 ranking, the next highest food manufacturer, with just over a third of executive committee members or direct reports and five out of 12 board members being women.
Universal Meat Company launches expansion drive Northern Ireland-based Universal Meat Company has launched a recruitment campaign in a bid to expand its presence on the UK mainland.
Universal said the move to create new jobs in Britain would help the business handle greater demand from consumers and other industry pressures.
David Simpson, Universal Meat managing director, said the business had 15 years of service in the GB market. It had now reached the stage where a greater awareness and presence was required to enable it to streamline its service and provide ‘essential back up support’.
‘Job opportunities’
“This is a huge investment for our company creating not only job opportunities but also a fleet of vehicles to cater for the needs of our ever-growing market,” he continued.