Waste not, want not: upcycling ‘imperfect’ fruit and vegetables
Food waste has become one of the biggest problems in the food and beverage industry, with a colossal 1.3 billion tonnes lost or wasted every year – accounting for one third of all the food produced in the world. It’s an issue understandably high on the agenda for many; especially food manufacturers, as we all want to build a more sustainable and resilient food system for the future, after all. But how can we come together to make this happen?
For us, it all starts with fruit and vegetable ingredients. Here, let’s dive into why we’re seeing red about the problem with tomatoes in particular, and the innovative way SVZ is tackling food waste by upcycling the produce nobody wants into sought-after tomato puree ingredients.
Championing circularity
One way to tackle food waste is to transition to a more ‘circular’ approach, by redefining what is valuable. At SVZ, we’re big believers in the age-old proverb, ‘One man’s rubbish may be another’s treasure’ when it comes to the fruit and vegetables that may traditionally be seen as imperfect or ‘ugly’. We’re more interested in their nutritional value and functional properties. By taking crops that would have otherwise been discarded, and turning them into delicious ingredients, we’re on a mission to reduce needless waste.
While most large-scale efforts to address food waste have focused on retail and consumers at home, there is plenty of opportunity to make a difference at farm level, too.
Perfectly imperfect tomatoes
Take the humble tomato, for example – a firm favourite among consumers. As with many crops, climate change is affecting the environment in which it ideally grows. Hotter temperatures are at odds with the tomato’s ideal growing conditions (18-25°C). Plus, a large portion of the current growing crop never makes it to consumers’ plates. Many are discarded before they can be sold as fresh produce, either due to their appearance or level of ripeness. But the good news is that their taste and inherent natural goodness is often just the same as the more perfect looking crop.
As part of our drive to reduce food waste. we save ‘imperfect’ tomato produce originally heading for landfill in Belgium and send them to our local Rijkevorsel processing facility, where we turn it into tomato puree – ideal for applications, from soups to sauces. It’s win-win for manufacturers too; by using this tasty ingredient in NPD, it contributes to upstream waste reduction and the stringent quality assurance, minimal transportation and processing that is synonymous with SVZ ingredients.
Leading the way
At SVZ, we firmly believe that implementing incremental, positive changes to our agricultural practices can make a big difference in the long term. Our new tomato puree ingredient is a step in the right direction as we work to create a greener food and beverage industry, as part of the c2030 initiative.
For more information on our pioneering approach to reducing food waste, including our new sustainable tomato puree ingredient, get in touch with the SVZ team.
