Industrial Food Manufacturing Waste - Essay Example

College: A Proposal on Industrial Food Manufacturing Waste Introduction It is important to that as manufacturing industries become more aware of the ecological effects that their industries have on the surrounding environment, their waste generation are increasingly becoming seen not as materials in need of disposal, but as resources that can be recycled, reused, or reprocessed into valuable goods. Take note that in the food processing sector there are various examples of value-added use of processing residues however majority of these focus mainly on reuse as livestock feed ingredients. In addition to livestock feed although many other resourceful avenues exist for food processing waste streams which include food grade and also industrial products. But the challenge to food processors is really conducting what is called the byproduct development work. To this end there is no clear delineation that exists which describes main components for an effective byproduct development program. This proposal looks at the best strategic methodology that could assist in filling this void. It looks into ways of quantifying, identifying, developing, characterizing, optimizing, analyzing and modeling the waste stream of interest (Dalzell, 2000). The approach to byproduct development gives an inclusive strategy that can be used to more effectively manage industrial food waste. Remember that this methodology is not only applicable to food processing operations, but any industrial or manufacturing firm could benefit from instituting the formal components to be recommended. Hence if the various methodologies are implemented by manufacturers, this would increase the probability of meeting the goals of industrial ecology which are the developing and operating sustainable systems. Justification It will be realized that cost cutting programs in the industry rely heavily on lowering labor costs but, any major category of spending provides an opportunities for cost savings in industry. One of the areas that are over-looked is the area waste management. It is a common knowledge that Waste removal costs are always rising landfills all across the world are nearing the end of their lifespan. Again take note that recycling is getting more complicated and expensive and note forgetting the rising fuel costs which aren't borne by the waste haulers but which are simply passed on to the customers (Dalzell, 2000). Universally there exist many different waste management solutions available for the food manufacturing industry but it is not good to wait for the waste hauling companies to discuss them because these commercial waste hauling and recycling firms have a direct financial disincentive towards assisting food manufacturers to reduce the volume of waste and the costs associated to disposal. Remember that waste disposal is at times seen as an uncomplicated process in that workers collect and sort trash from recycling and then run loads to the dumpster several number of times per day or shift. This waste is collected by a contracted waste hauler at scheduled times and hours. But, industry owners, maintenance, directors managers and operations personnel have knowledge. Hence according to them waste management can be a major nuisance which poses issues that impact on efficiency, safety, floor space available, and also employee morale when excess waste accumulates. Furthermore, the production demands keep on varying while pick up charges remain the constant whether the dumpster is full or not. Take note that research indicates that up to 80% of a full dumpster is air space which means that 80 cents of each dollar that is spent on waste collecting services is literally thrown away. However, there are ways to improve waste handling in the food manufacturing industry to the extent that it not only leads to reduced costs but also enhances operations. Those responsible for making the waste process more efficient and cost effective are familiar with the various options that have been available for the past few years. In his views Richard Danko who is a consultant to the banking industry is that only a few baking companies are considering industrial trash compactors. It is called Compaction at the Source and it is a proven way to minimize the costs and remove inefficiencies in solid waste management and removal. He continued by recommending to clients a commercial-grade waste compactor which is made to take up no more floor space than a standard pallet. This enables industries to compact the waste right at the source just close to the assembly line or at the beginning of the process when the 50 pound bags are opened. Take note that Companies which apply Compaction at the Source are in a position to remove the need for constant waste removal and this reduces the amount of labor required to monitor waste and empty waste containers. Again it reduces hauling costs by providing and more so improve employee morale with cleaner conditions and minimizes the risk for industrial accidents. Literature review The proposal relies on the literature that already exists in this area. Various scholars have compiled papers on the industrial food manufacturing wastes which provide a reach source of literature review to the study. It should be noted that the sectors of the food system include transformation which take the form of processing, labeling, packaging, production, distribution and here we have storage, wholesaling, transportation, access which entails retailing, institutional foodservice and the extreme end we have consumption which comprises preparation and health outcomes (Metcalf & Eddy). Take note that many of human and natural resources serves as the foundation of the food system and other factors like economics, socio-cultural trends, technology, policy, research and education all these affect how the system work. This is according to Woodhouse (2008) and report by the Allen Consulting Group (2004). Although Industrial food production produces an abundance of relatively less expensive food it should be realized that it incurs external costs that are as a result of natural resource depletion and degradation. This includes loss of topsoil that represents the largest of these external costs because of the use of excessive tilling and heavy equipment as argued by Woodhouse, 2008. Remember that foods are processed to come up with new products that give profits to stakeholders a part from farmers and producers. By being specific, the organic solid wastes i.e. food wastes have high in moisture and rich in carbon. It should be noted that handful of the wastes are directly incinerated with other combustible wastes and the resulting residual ash is thrown into landfills. But this intermediate treatment system has got various Problems which include that combustion energy loss is caused by high moisture content of food wastes and undesirable by products like dioxin related compounds are formed. This is embodied in work of Sakai (2001). Just in the recent times several organic wastes like food wastes sludge and livestock excreta have undergone recycling through conversion to compost or biogas. Take note that as much as these bioconversion processes have been effective for various wastes there is a need to evaluate the balance of supply and demand for recycled products. In his work Mishima, 2002 stated that the recycling system depending on compost production only was surely unfavorable from the when it comes to material balances of nitrogen and phosphate in agricultural soil. Again Agricultural products like potato, corn and wheat which contain large amounts of starchy substrate have been preferred as raw materials for fermentation and this argument is articulated to Hofvendahl and Hahn Hagerdal (1997). There are expectations that food wastes that are in constant supply at lower costs and are rich in carbohydrate may be suitable renewable resources in place of agricultural products. Take an example of Pakistan where a total output of agricultural wastes versus baggasse, rice, wheat bran, molasses, polishing, corncobs has been approximated to be over 50-60 million tons annually. Thus the wastes have great possibilities to be converted into value added food products that may be of economic importance in the country as outlined by Rajoka (1997). There he lactic acid can be produced from the wastes such as corn steep liquor and this is according to Luis 2003. Instead of throwing waste materials, in this country they are used effectively for the production of citric acid are molasses according to a paper by Garg and Sharma (1992). Another same argument is advanced by Park and Barathi (1991) and also the works by Pera and Callieri (1997). This review suggests how industrial wastes can be used in different food industrial wastes. More over, when we look at the fermentation and applied microbiology it is realized that it has contributed a large in industrial production of useful substances by microorganisms. There are many recent progresses with citation of typical achievements in applied enzymology, biotechnology, genetic engineering secondary metabolites and the screening of microbial diversity. It will be noted that by fermentation microorganisms which grow on carbon sources can produce valuable products like amino acids, vitamins and organic acids which can be added to food to increase its flavor or increase nutrients contents. This is according to Demain 1980. In addition, managing the wastes microorganisms produce a range of metabolites during food fermentation processes that can prevent the growth and survival of undesirable micro organisms in foods (Ross, 2002). These metabolites make foods more digestible and reduce toxicity of the substrate and this is as per Caplice and Fitzgerald (1999). More over, O’Sullivan 2002 points out that lactic acid bacteria has been used for many years in the fermentation of different dairy products and that the preservative ability of these organisms in foods is associated with production of anti-microbial metabolites like organic acids and bacteriocins. Question for research This proposal is intended to answer the following questions: 1. Are wastes from food processing industries adequately managed? 2. Do food processing industries have facilities to manage wastes? 3. Is industrial food processing waste of any commercial value? 4. What are the effects of food processing waste? Hypothesis Industrial food processing waste is efficiently managed. Objective The research is aimed at fulfilling the following objectives, 1. To try and determine the volume of food waste 2. To find out the category of food waste example packaging, raw food, processed waste, oils, water, etc 3. To determine whether the current methods of disposal which include sewer, municipal landfill, animal feed, composting are effective and an adequate measure 4. To consider the cost of disposal and evaluate whether there are other alternatives 5. To address the issue of onsite treatment in food processing industries 6. To set the required Waste volume management measures over five years 7. To evaluate and come up with other waste and sustainability practices 8. To consider any past efforts to study onsite power generation or alternate food waste disposal methods that are still in use. 9. To examine the extend of food waste energy potential scoping results 10. To bring to attention of the company the need for fostering sustainable business practices for their customers and their own goals Methodology One of the methods the research will employ is Population Sample. In this regard it is only food processors with at least 20 employees that will be considered assumption being that employment would show waste volume. Take note that contact information shall be provided through existing relationships whether through the study contractors or data bases. During the research at least 30 food processors will be interviewed. There shall also be a field study. This will involve market segmentation of the target population of food processors into groups may be four or five. Another primary method of collecting field data will be telephone and which will be conducted between the time the research starts and at its final time. The interviewers will make use of survey instrument designed to cover the study’s objectives and standardize responses. These telephone interviews will be supported by written requests for waste tracking data and selected site walkthroughs. The research will rely on both primary and secondary data including questionnaires that will be issued to respondents. In this proposal there is an assumption that industrial food waste can be divided into four main categories which are; raw Ingredient Waste meaning waste produced before processing , Fat, Oils, and Grease ,Processed Food Waste that is, waste produced after processing and finally wastewater meaning water indirectly involved in food processing example rinse water. The issue of Quality assurance for the telephone surveys will be attained by performing a series of in-person surveys during plant walkthroughs. The Data that would be previously collected in the telephone interviews shall be confirmed and additional qualitative data will be collected. Data analysis The analysis will be based on the data collected from interviews, site walkthroughs, and other records. These data will provide direct insights into volumes, waste types, and other operational activities. These Indirect insights will be inferred through tabulation comparisons of observations. Respondents will be asked whether they have ever conducted a waste stream evaluation in the past three years which will be a broad indicator of their propensity to manage and track waste streams provided their reports to this study. However, there was one processor that did closely track their waste (Healy, 2000). Conclusion It is important to note that many standard industrial waste treatment texts adequately address a few major technologies for conventional in-plant environmental control mechanisms in the food industry. Unfortunately none of these has explored the complete range of technologies with a focus on noval developments in design criteria, innovative and alternative technology, effluent standards, managerial decision methods and regional versus global environmental conservation that are specific to the food industry. Todate waste treatment in the Food Processing Industry provides threatening environmental pollution sources. There is need for control technologies, waste characteristics, management strategies, facility innovations, process alternatives and maintenance of effluent standards in future. This delineates technologies, methodologies, and the regional and global effects of essential pollution control practices. Of essential is the point to that as manufacturing industries become more aware of the ecological effects that their industries have on the surrounding environment, their waste generation are increasingly becoming seen not as materials in need of disposal, but as resources that can be recycled, reused, or reprocessed into valuable goods. It is worth knowing that in the food processing sector there are various examples of value-added use of processing residues however majority of these focus mainly on reuse as livestock feed ingredients. In addition to livestock feed although many other resourceful avenues exist for food processing waste streams which include food grade and also industrial products (Healy, 2000). References Creswell, J.W. 2003, Research Design. Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, 2nd Ed.,Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Michel, S. 2001, “Analyzing Service Failures and Recoveries: A Process Approach”, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 20-33 Michel, S. 2001, Analyzing Service Failures and Recoveries: A Process Approach”, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 20-33 Dalzell, J.M.2000 Food Industry and the Environment in the European Union – Practical Issues and Cost Implications, 2nd Ed., Aspen Publishers, Inc.: Gaithersburg, Maryland. Roulac J. Backyard Composting: Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings. 9th ed.White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing; 1997. Metcalf and Eddy 2002. Wastewater Engineering: Treatment Disposal Reuse, 4th Ed.; McGraw-Hill. Mulligan, T. Bakery sewage disposal. Proceedings of the 1967 Meeting of the American Society of Bakery Engineers, 1967; 254–263. Healy, M., Perry, C. 2000, Comprehensive Criteria to Judge Validity and Reliability of Qualitative Research within the Realism Paradigm, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 118-126. Read More