Frozen food sector in new carbon savings drive

12-Nov-2008 - Last updated on 12-Nov-2008 at 14:39 GMT

The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) is aiming to raise the maximum frozen food storage temperature in an attempt to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.

As one of the major energy users, the food industry is coming under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint.

The BFFF claims that a higher temperature for storage would greatly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The frozen food business representative body said that it is collaborating with the UK Carbon Trust on a project to reduce the carbon footprint of the sector.

It said that the joint project will offer best practice guidance for frozen food companies on how to improve temperature efficiency in their processes, storage facilities and supply chains, and a seminar, scheduled in early 2009, will deliver the results of the scheme.

High safety margins

The BFFF claims that many frozen food companies may have built in safety margins within their supply chain temperature controls well over the requirements.

European legislation requires companies to label frozen foods as quick frozen if they are maintained at a temperature of -18ºC or below but the BFFF argues that there is not a strong scientific reason for this:

“Microbiological growth is stopped at temperatures of -5ºC to -6ºC and quality (other than ice cream) generally is maintained from around -10ºC to -12ºC. Ice cream needs to be kept at -15ºC to be certain of maintaining quality.

“We believe there may be a major energy saving opportunity to move the industry to a target of say -15ºC. The 3ºC saving would represent an enormous energy saving,” claims the BFFF.

The initiative, according to the federation, involves eight of its members including Bernard Matthews, Headland Foods, Lyons Seafoods, R&R Ice Cream, Lockwoods and Schwan’s Consumers Brands UK.

Sustainability programmes

The federation said that it is committed to working with its members and the Carbon Trust in meeting the sustainability challenge, and has been involved with other schemes in this regard:

In October last year, it joined forces with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to hold a member seminar on ways to reduce packaging. The idea was to inform members about what other companies are doing (retailers, producers and design experts) and to give a push to initiatives to reduce packaging.

The BFFF said that it is also working with the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) to address waste streams, such as finding new avenues for waste disposal, cheaper options or receiving better value for the sale of waste.

The UK frozen food market is now worth over £4.8bn (€5.83bn) and is growing at five per cent per annum, according to the BFFF.