International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste: Galdi’s Contribution in the Fight Against Food Waste

Today, 29 September 2022, we celebrate "International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste".

The initiative, now in its third year, has been promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, to encourage both public and private efforts to combat food waste.

We are proud to contribute to this ambitious goal!

The following is an overview of design choices, actions and solutions implemented by Galdi in the fight against food waste.

PRE-FILL SYSTEM

At the beginning of a production run, the system pre-fills the dosing chamber so that cartons are of the correct weight from the very start.Designed specifically to reduce the number of rejected packs, our packaging machines only generate 2 rejected cartons as compared to 15-30 with flow-meter dosing device solutions.

ADVANCED DDF DOSING DEVICE

In Galdi filling machines equipped with a DDF dosing device, product waste is further reduced in two stages of the process:

Dosing phase: thanks to its extreme accuracy, the dosing device fills cartons to a constant level, so that the number of rejects is very low.

Production end: as the product level in the dosing device tank decreases, pressure drops too, so some packages are discarded due to unsuitable weight/volume. For flow-meter filling machines, we designed a solution to make up for this difference in pressure, reducing product waste to about 15 litres. In machines equipped with a DDF volumetric dosing device, volume remains constant, so that product waste is reduced to approximately 10 litres.

PRODUCTION WASTE RECOVERY

Galdi packaging machines have a very low waste rate, below 0.5%, when considering the whole packaging cycle.

During milk processing in particular, waste generated during the packaging process (considering both the filling machine and the production line) is reused for UHT milk production, provided that the product is qualitatively acceptable. Alternatively, it is used for animal feed purposes and other non-food uses.

To make recovery as easy as possible, Galdi packaging machines come with two outlets, for retrieval and "waste" products respectively.

COOLING OF THE DOSING TANK

The dosing tank is designed to cool automatically in the case of downtime or if the packaging line stops.

This reduces the number of cartons that would otherwise be discarded for being too hot once production restarts.

The first filled cartons are usually recovered anyway and used as samples for bacteriological testing.

HYGIENIC PERFORMANCE

All Galdi machines are designed according to the principles of Hygienic Design, in order to minimise the risk of re-contamination during the packaging process, which would lead to considerable product waste.

Thanks to research and technological innovations, Galdi systems are conceived to:

• Guarantee constant efficiency and consistent performance of both the packaging machines and the hygienic systems, so as to avoid downtime and contamination.
• Extend product shelf life, thus reducing waste in the distribution and consumption phases. A longer shelf life also allows for a wider distribution range.

In our next-generation packaging machine - the RG280 - the latest model in Galdi's product portfolio, these two objectives were achieved by combining solutions that ensure superior and consistent hygienic performance. These include advanced carton disinfection, auto-adaptive airflow management, HEPA filters and a fully automated cleaning system with recirculating caustic soda.

The automation level we have achieved helps guarantee repeatable performance over time and also reduce human intervention, avoiding product waste due to contamination and/or downtime.

OPTIMISED SEALS

When it comes to the sealing process, the goal is to avoid re-contamination and retain the product's organoleptic properties until consumption.

A poorly sealed carton may cause the withdrawal and waste of entire batches, also posing a health hazard to consumers.

For this reason, Galdi has developed an even more robust and better performing sealing system that offers accuracy and reliability over time, leading in turn to a reduction of rejects.

FOOD SAFETY TRAINING

Machine downtime due to contamination and/or improper machine use causes significant product waste.

Thanks to FILL good, our in-house start-up, we expanded our training offer for Galdi machine operators to include lessons on food safety and best hygiene practices.

Knowledgeable operators are critical to predict and minimize downtime due to human error or incorrect procedures, and also to avoid unnecessary product waste!

If you are new to Gable Top packaging or need advice on specific projects, FILL good can provide specialised consulting services to assist your technicians in drafting protocols and the most adequate procedures to make sure that your production line is contamination- and waste-proof.

Needless to say, our commitment doesn't end today.

Our battle against Food Waste continues, with new solutions and even less waste!