Impact of food manufacturing technologies on the environment

Packaging Practices

  Packaging provides:

  protection of the product

  convenience for the consumer

  marketing opportunity for the manufacturer

  The cost of making, handling, reusing, recycling and disposing of packaging materials is passed on to the consumer in the cost of the product

Discussion

  Do you think glass is environmentally friendly? Why / why not?

Glass

  Large amounts of energy required to shape the glass and handle their heavy weight

  Recycled glass must be extensively broken down and reshaped

  Carbon dioxide produced during manufacture and contributes to the greenhouse effect

  Glass containers need to be reused 10 times before they are as environmentally friendly as plastic items

Coke Bottles

  Change in packaging:

  response to environmental concerns

  Expensive to produce and handle

  Use of cans and PET bottles to remain competitive

National Packaging Covenant

  Created in 1999

  Aim: to encourage an environmentally sustainable approach to packaging issues by all levels of the supply chain

  Supported by federal, state and local government

  Created by the Environmental Protection & Heritage Council in consultation with the National Packaging Council of Australia

Positive Packaging Practices

Positive Practice Affect on the environment

Glass manufacturers recycle glass to make new products

Fewer raw materials used Reduction in landfill

Resealable plastic bags less plastic film used to rewrap products once they are opened

Lightweight plastic used in place of glass. E.g. honey & peanut butter

Plastic is recyclable Less energy used to make plastic

Tetra Pak ‘s can be recycled. Paper - pulped, plastic & aluminium returned

to supplier

Less energy used in the production, distribution & handling (lightweight)

Over Packaging

Over packaging

Negative Packaging Practices

Negative Practice Affect on the environment

Overpackaging Increased landfill

More resources used to produce extra layers of packaging

Prepackaged foods E.g. mushrooms in a styrofoam tray

and shrink wrapped Food wastage

Package too large for product it contains E.g. Corn chips have large

head space to protect contents

Wastage of packaging materials and resources used to create them

Production Techniques

  Food manufacturers use a large amount of water and energy in the production of their products and packaging

  Environmental cost analysis used to show how packaging uses energy

  Energy is required for:

  heating, cooling, freezing

  maintaining storage conditions

  moving products through the production process

  operating machines

  cleaning & maintenance

Energy

  amount of machinery

  size of machinery

  age of machinery

  poorly maintained machinery

  = more energy used in the form of electricity & gas

  Water can also be used as energy but must be treated properly before being released into waterways

Waste

  All products will generate waste in their production.

  Amount of waste created must be considered in terms of ecological sustainability

  Ideally, waste generated during production would become raw materials in another product. E.g. strawberries used for ice-cream and sauces

waste

  Food manufacturing industry sells its waste ingredients to other companies. If not carried out properly, this waste can only be used as animal feed

  E.g. Curly Fries

  What could the wastage be used for?

Waste Management Experiment

  At home, we discard skin, trimmings and other inedible portions of food in the garbage

  In the food manufacturing industry similar waste occurs but in larger volumes

  Waste gets used as animal feed.

  Oranges - juice - peel for cattle feed

  Corn - canned - husks for cattle feed

  Fish - filleted - heads for fish bait & pet food

  Chicken - frozen - heads & feet for gelatine & poultry feed

  Nuts - packaged - mulch for mushroom growing

Waste management

  Nature has its own waste management system

  Trouble occurs when we overload the natural system’s ecological balance

  Industry has developed biodegradable wastes that are not harmful to the environment in the long term

  The problem exists when a large amount of waste is discharged in a small area such as a tip

Waste Management

  There are 2 ways that nature can cope with the issue of excess waste:

  End of pipe waste treatment - waste such as water is treated before it is returned to waterways. (Diagram Pg 237)

  Recycle as much material as possible

Packaging Waste

  Packaging used today is designed to be used only once although many types of packaging are re-usable and recyclable

  Clean Up Australia Day 2006 (Pie chart Pg 238)

Sanitary Landfill

  Tip

  Filling natural depressions and quarries with successive layers of waste and soil

  This method converts mining pits and swamp lands into useful recreation areas for the local community once the tip is full

  Diagram (Pg 239)

Responsible disposal of waste

Review Questions

  Questions 1-4 Pg 235

  Questions 1-4 Pg 239