The fruit and veg sector is in danger of losing to the food industry, Raffaele Benedetti of Unitec argued at the Global Berry Congress last week. Where the food industry is able to deliver consistency in products, fresh producers have too much quality differences in one package. When it comes to packagings, shelf life and sorting, a lot of ground can still be covered.
Raffaele Benedetti (Unitec): "Sorting on different parameters can be an added value."
"The fruit consumption in Italy is declining, Raffaele says. "That is due to the inconsistency in the quality of products." A fruit tree has fruit in 30 different qualities hanging from it. That inconsistency in product quality gives the food industry a head start, Raffaele argues. Where the quality and taste of fruit varies, the food industry always delivers a consistent product. The solution has to be looked for in the sorting of fruit. "Consumers have different demands when it comes to size and ripeness, for instance. Sorting on different parameters can be an added value for the sector." Unitec is one of the manufacturers of optical sorting machines for soft fruit. "With our technology, we can measure the quality of blueberries. What's unique is that we can look at every berry from all sides."
Mauro Stipa talks about the 100% recycled packagings the company makes.
When it comes to packagings, ILIP has a scoop, the company is allowed to make packagings from exclusively recycled materials. The Italian packaging company sees three trends in sustainability: lighter packagings, recycled packagings and bio-plastics. ILIP mainly focuses on recycling, and is able to turn a PET bottle into a punnet. ILIP is a leader in this development. While the recycled plastic would normally need to be encapsulated in a new layer of plastic, ILIP has bought a machine with which the recycled plastic does meet the requirements. With it, the company is allowed to make packaging materials from 100% recycled plastic, while other packagings are comprised of 80% recycled plastic.
Andrew Sharp of Perfotec talks about increased shelf life of products.
To increase the shelf life of fruit, Perfotec and McAirlaids presented their solutions. Perfotec increases shelf life by adjusting the amount of oxygen in the packaging. To do that, breathing is measured per product. Based on this information, the perforation is determined. Thanks to this packaging, a product's shelf life increases significantly. An apple's shelf life, for instance, can be increased by ten days.
Filip Tintchev of McAirlaids talks about the Fruitpad 2.0 and Fresh Guard HC.
Filip Tintchev of McAirlaids talks about the Fruitpad 2.0 and Fresh Guard HC, two products that are best described as a pad at the bottom of a punnet. These pads protect soft fruit and absorb moisture. This way, the amount of mould decreases, and the humidity in the packaging is reduced.