If he is curious, he may also have learned that the consumption of processed food products represents 51% of the carbon impact of food.
It is clear that carbon footprint will soon become a differentiating factor in product selection, on par with, if not more so than, the type of packaging and its recycled content.
The agri-food sector must be able, very quickly, to explain why processed products have such a high carbon footprint and to show how it is working to significantly reduce its emissions. Otherwise, consumers will naturally tend to turn to raw products.
Geppia members, French manufacturers of processing and packaging machinery, have a role to play in reducing the carbon footprint of processed food products. With their automation specialist partners, they can improve flexibility, reduce water and energy consumption, and extend the lifespan of their equipment.
Above all, they can co-create, collectively with end-users and on a scientific basis, precise life cycle analyses to:
- accurately quantify the carbon impact, product by product,
- identify the most effective reduction strategies.
Eco-design of machinery is one of the major themes to be addressed by the Future Engineering Club, facilitated by Geppia. This forum, where tomorrow's production methods and equipment are invented, is open to any food processing industry professional who wishes to participate. They simply need to submit a request to Geppia.
* Source: General Commission for Sustainable Development – Breakdown of the carbon footprint of France's final demand by consumption category: transport, food, housing, equipment and services – Author: Manuel Baude – July 2022. 2017 figures
