Safeguard the Environment

While some product losses are necessary to ensure safety and quality, avoidable losses are also widespread in the industry. These losses not only have a financial implication, but an environmental one too. Whether it be poor performing equipment, inconsistent processes or lack of visibility, for too long these losses have been accepted as commonplace. CertusBio provides visibility so that this no longer needs to be the case.

  • Put simply, there are three processing streams in food production; inputs, products and waste. They make up a simple mass balance: Inputs = Products + Waste.

    In a process that is 100% efficient, all inputs are converted into useable product, meaning no waste is created. Unfortunately, this is very uncommon.

    The inputs which have not been able to be converted into product end up in the waste stream.

  • Excess product increases the biological loading of the wastewater. This means that increased resources are required for wastewater treatment.

    Depending on the method and efficiency of the wastewater treatment, organic product then ends up in the environment. This contributes to polluted waterways; increasing the biological oxygen demand, promoting sewage fungus growth, increasing water turbidity.

  • Land treatment is often used in the dairy industry, where wastewater is applied to soil to biologically treat the organic components. Microorganisms within the soil convert the organic matter into carbon dioxide and water. A by-product of this mechanism is the production of biological slime and additional bacteria.

    The higher the biological loading of the water, the more bacteria and slime will be produced. Depending on the soil type, biological slimes can inhibit drainage through the soil, leading to undesired consequences such as ponding.

  • Before the final product is created, a lot of resources have already been utilised in upstream processes such as water and electricity. Sending excess product to waste is effectively wasting the resources which have already been contributed to the process.

    In addition, this lost product is a wasted resource in itself, which could be used as a valuable food source.

 


Proudly supported by the Impact Enterprise Fund, New Zealand’s first domestically-focused impact investing fund.