Sustainability
Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables can be purchased in convenient portions, ready-peeled and prepared, and because they have a long shelf-life, consumers are able to plan their meals effectively and minimize food waste.
Agriculture and Processing
As crop production schedules are designed to match daily processing facility capacities rather than projected sales volumes, the processed fruit and vegetables sector avoids field losses or subsequent supply chain losses that occur in the fresh sector, when actual sales orders fall below the projected sales or product deteriorates during storage. Furthermore, fruit and vegetable processors are usually able to create saleable goods from misshapen and over or undersized fruits and vegetables, thus maximizing a crop’s potential to reach the consumer’s plate.
In crops grown for processing, the unwanted or inedible parts of the plant, such as cauliflower leaves and core, the pods of peas or carrot tops, are separated during harvest and ploughed back into the field to increase soil organic matter, improving soil health and avoiding unnecessary transport. Other parts of the crop that are removed from the plant during processing, such as carrot peels or the ends of green beans, are collected for animal feed, or to create energy through bio-methanisation.
Distribution
Preserved fruit and vegetables have a longer shelf-life than fresh products, which enables retailers to plan better and results in fewer losses from product deterioration or damage during transport.
Consumers
Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables are easy and convenient to use. They have a long shelf life, can be purchased in handy portion sizes and come ready-peeled and prepared. These benefits enable consumers to plan their meals effectively and reduce food waste, because they can prepare only the quantity needed and store the remainder.
PROFEL’S ROADMAP TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL GOALS: Towards a Greener Europe: how preserved fruit and vegetables help to sustain our food supply
Link to Climate Change Brochure
PROFEL brochure "Sustainable Production of Healthy Food, Available to All, Affordable by All"
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