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Sub-sector general characterization
of fruits and vegetables industry in region PACA (France)
SUMMARY
INDEX
REGIONAL CHARACTERIZATION SUMMARY .............................................................. 1
1. THE SUB-SECTOR IN THE REGION .......................................................................... 4
1.1. Regional outline ................................................................................................. 4
1.2. Sub-sector structure .......................................................................................... 4
2. THE PRODUCTION PROCESS .................................................................................. 5
2.1. The 1st gamma process ...................................................................................... 5
2.2. The 4th gamma process ..................................................................................... 6
2.3. The can process.................................................................................................. 7
3. MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES .............................................................................. 8
3.1. Energy consumption ........................................................................................... 8
3.2. Waste production ............................................................................................... 8
3.3. Wastewater discharge ....................................................................................... 8
3.4. Water consumption ............................................................................................ 8
3.5. Atmospheric emissions....................................................................................... 9
3.6. Social aspects ..................................................................................................... 9
4. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES AND GOOD PRACTICES IN USE .................. 9
4.1. Energy ................................................................................................................. 9
4.2. Waste .................................................................................................................. 9
4.3. Water .................................................................................................................. 9
5. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 10
1. The sub-sector in the region
1.1. Regional outline
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) is a region of geographical diversity, from mountains
areas, with the Alpes, to sea shore areas, on the Mediterranean cost. Located in the South East
of France, PACA is one of the main fruits and vegetables producers in France.
The food industry (apart from the wine sector) is a flagship PACA industry and a heavyweight
of its economic activity (6 billion euros turnover in 2006). Dynamic, job-creating sector, food
industry is the second industrial employer in PACA and represents over 36 000 jobs. With more
than 800 companies, the food industry sector is mainly made up of small and very small
companies (less than 10 people), very often family ones. In the PACA region, 68 % of food
companies employ less than 20 workers.
So food processing industries are well established in the region.
The region is suitable for innovation thanks to a strong network of innovation organisms
(Innovation Regional Network), for technical, financial or commercial aspects.
1.2. Sub-sector structure
As the fruits and vegetables sector represents a wide variety of products, it has been chosen to
focus on 3 kinds of products :
- The 1st gamma: fresh packaged fruits and vegetables
- The 4th gamma: fresh ready-prepared products
- Canned fruits and vegetables
These activities have been chosen because they are representative of the local situation for
the industry processing fruits and vegetables.
1st gamma companies can be very small, 2 people, or larger, 100 employee cooperatives,
because process is quite simple. Usually, the first ones have a lower technological level than
the latter. Some are single-product companies whereas other ones process several products.
4th gamma companies are less widespread than 1st gamma companies. In 4th gamma plants,
the size and the technological level are higher than for unprocessed food.
As well as for 1st gamma companies, the size of can industries varies from very small to large.
Production is made by batch when a few tonnes are produced annually, and continuously
when hundreds of tonnes are processed per annum. Small-scale companies rather
manufacture high added value products (like tapenade, mashed olives) whereas big industrial
organizations tend to be single-product and to manufacture basic, low added value products
(like tomato concentrate). The technological level is very heterogeneous, depending on the
companies.
2. The production process
Processes have been described for the 3 kinds of products considered: 1st gamma, 4th gamma
and canned products. To sum up, the 3 flow charts are presented.
2.1. The 1st gamma process
Key stages depend on the processes which can be very different. The refrigerated storage is a
common stage, and its impacts can be significant: energy consumption and release of
refrigerant fluids. In some cases, at many stages this process can produce important amounts
of organic wastes.
Flow chart of the 1st
gamma process
2.2. The 4th gamma process
Key steps are trimming and cleaning/rinsing. Trimming generates a lot of organic wastes.
Cleaning requires a lot of water.
Flow chart of the 4th
gamma process
2.3. The can process
Regarding energy and water consumption, sterilization is the key step for the can industry.
Flow chart of the can
process
3. Main environmental issues
It is difficult to compare different impacts, but the three main environmental issues in the
studied processes are: energy consumption, waste production and wastewater discharge.
3.1. Energy consumption
Energy is very important since it can represent 3 to 5% of the company turnover.
Electricity and natural gas are the main kinds of energy that food processing companies
consume. But for 1st and 4th gamma it is almost exclusively electricity.
Energy is mainly used for refrigerated storage, sterilization and to produce utilities such as
compressed air, cold water...
3.2. Waste production
Usually, companies using raw material, directly coming from farms, produce a lot of organic
wastes. As an example, in the 1st gamma industry, 48 tonnes of by-products per employee are
generated annually, which is very important. Industries working from elaborated products
produce less organic wastes but more packages’ wastes.
Recovery from waste is strongly linked with the amount produced by companies. Recovery can
be done through the animal feeding, composting or thermal recovery. Wastes that are not
recovered are often treated with common industrial wastes.
3.3. Wastewater discharge
In the can industry, the amount of dissolved pollution (BOD5, COD) is very high in the effluents.
As the discharge standards are stringent, wastewater is an important issue for this industry.
Effluents from vegetables washing are usually low dissolved pollution loaded. They mainly
contain suspended solids, quite easy to remove so this impact is not a big issue for the other
processes (1st gamma and 4th gamma).
3.4. Water consumption
Water is known as a major input in food processing companies. For the 1st and 4th gamma
processes, water is mainly used to clean products and to wash facilities. For instance, 1kg of
lettuce produced in the 4th gamma industry can require up to 40 litres of water.
On top of the cleaning and washing water, the can industry uses a lot of water to chill products
after blanching and sterilization. The amount of water can be significantly reduced thanks to
the use of an aero-refrigerating tower: 5 to 10 litres of water are used per kg of canned
vegetables.
3.5. Atmospheric emissions
Refrigerant fluids emissions have a high impact in terms of environmental effect but usually,
industrials are not aware of this.
Fossils fuels combustion also generates atmospheric pollutants, impacting human health and
greenhouse effect as well.
3.6. Social aspects
Implementation of actions to reduce environmental impacts of the company is usually agreed
by employees. They are aware of the necessity to act for the environment preservation.
Training and awareness campaigns are required to implement a new technology and/or an
environmentally-friendly practice.
4. Environmental technologies and good practices in use
4.1. Energy
As usual concerning energy management, the efforts are focused on energy saving rather than
alternative energies.
Energy saving starts with some very simple good practices (stopping machines out of the use
periods, closing the cold rooms’ doors...) and can go further with much more elaborated
technologies.
Heat recovery is a key point, as well as the adaptation of devices to the real needs thanks to
speed regulators for engines or variable high pressure for cold production. However, the
implementation of energy-saving technologies can be limited by the current facilities and
because it is not economically worthwhile to invest in costly systems. On the other side, some
energy savings can also reduce pressure on devices and extend their life-time.
4.2. Waste
Waste sorting is a commonly spread practice, but the level of valorisation are variable.
Organic waste combustion is a less usual technology. It is interesting for companies having big
amounts of stones. On top of decreasing waste treatment costs, this technology also enables
to use a renewable energy and reduce energy costs. This requires a specific boiler and to check
the regulation aspects that can be restrictive.
4.3. Water
The use of an aero-refrigerating tower reduces dramatically water consumption for chilling.
Nevertheless, water treatments are required, the implementation can be heavy and this
technology is under restrictive regulations.
To reduce the wastewater pollution load, a good practice consists in removing solid wastes in
order to avoid them to end up in the effluents. Waste treatment is then less costly and easier.
Information and sensitization of employees is also a good practice that can significantly reduce
water consumption.
5. Conclusion
Companies processing fruits and vegetables can be very different and face varied
environmental issues. Differences come from:
- The kind of final product (1st gamma, 4th gamma, cans)
- The size of the company
- The steps of the process which are not the same in all the company
Main environmental issues are energy consumption, waste and waste water.
Those impacts are sensed differently depending on the local situation of the company,
particularly for waste and waste water.
Some technologies and practices exist and are implemented in companies to reduce their
environmental impacts, such as aero-refrigerating tower or waste sorting. Employees’
involvement is a key point to be effective for the implementation of BAP and BET. To enhance
the spreading of these technologies or practices, the spreading of information is a key
element. It is difficult for the food companies to keep informed on the update solutions to
reduce their impacts. In this way, Agro-Environmed project help them for this first step.