Sustainability is without doubt one of the, if not the most, critical aspects concerning food producers in the UK today. Depending on one’s role in the food production chain from farmer to processor to shop to consumer the actual aspect of interest in sustainability will vary.

However, all aspects of sustainability are critical if we are to continue to enjoy a supply of high quality, affordable food into the future. Within the Jenton Group of companies, the area that concerns us, and hence the area which we believe that we can affect, is the reduction of food waste primarily in the food processing industry, but to a lesser extent in the retail sector as well.
WRAP, in their 2015 report “Reducing Food Waste by Extending Product Shelf Life, determined that by extending the use by date by just one day up to £600 million could be saved each year. JenACT, a subsidiary of Jenton International, working in partnership with Marine Products (Scotland) Ltd have developed a system for extending the shelf life of salmon fillets by exposing them to ultra violet light. The team developed a suitable UVC conveyor and conducted several rounds of microbiological testing together with shelf-life testing. The result was that it could be clearly demonstrated that the shelf-life of the salmon fillets increased from 10 to 20 days – far more than the one day discussed in the WRAP report. Whilst the JenACT approach to reduce, or preferably, remove the contamination is an excellent one, it is still possible that food produce may contain organisms, such as bacteria or spores on fruit, that will increase the possibility of an early trip to landfill – but more about that later.
