Mass balance study into waste arisings from the food and drink processing industries
OrganisationC-Tech Environmental Group
Project Aim
The aim of the project is to carry out a mass balance study for the food and drink processing sector and to publicise the results to stakeholders and policy makers through generation of a high quality report and websites.
Project Report
Food and Drink ProcessingWebsite: www.ctechinnovation.com
Download summary diagram of resource flows through food and drink processing sector (word document)
Detailed Description:
- The Food and Drink processing sector is the major consumer of UK agricultural output, and sales of its products are an important contributor to the United Kingdom’s GDP and trade balance. Food and Drink processing contributes about £70 billion of sales (15% of manufacturing activity) and just under £19 billion of gross added value (2.6% of GDP) to the UK economy. Exports in 2001 were £8.5bn of which 60.6% went to EU members.
- The industry remains an important one for the UK economy, providing employment for 455,000 people (1.7% of total employment, over 12% of manufacturing employment) in nearly 8,000 businesses. Overall the industry is extremely dependent on small and medium sized enterprises. Although the sector is led by a fairly small group of large players who own most well-known high street brands, at an operational level these organisations tend to function in a fairly decentralised manner In 2003 57% of local units (as opposed to companies) were run by 1-9 employees, and only 4% had more than 250 employees.
- Most regions of the country have a significant food and/or drink industry, often with strong regional identity, often reflecting regional agricultural outputs. The sector is particularly important to Scotland, the North-West, Yorkshire, Humberside and the East of England in general.
- Although overall the industry is fairly stable and mature, there are developing trends, new products and markets. Strong growth has occurred for quality chilled convenience meals, which realise added value by meeting the lifestyle needs of busy consumers with disposable income, but little time to spend in the kitchen. Regional speciality and ethnic foods are also increasingly popular, as the British public becomes more diverse in its make-up and cosmopolitan in its tastes. At the level of the individual operating unit, change is also a constant feature, as product development demands frequent launches and product variants to maintain customer interest and boost added value.
- The sector produces around a tenth of the country’s industrial and commercial waste. Land filled waste from food production, much of which is organic matter is, if nothing else, a potential source of energy, and may also provide useful materials for other applications. Most of this value is currently written off as unrecoverable, and paying landfill disposal charges compounds the write-off. As new legislation bites, landfill taxes increase and landfill availability decreases, old disposal practices will no longer be an option for food processors.