European Association of

Fruit and Vegetable Processors

Towards a Greener Europe:

how preserved fruit and
vegetables help to sustain
our food supply
PROFEL’S ROADMAP TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL GOALS
Table of
contents

Introduction

1
AG R I C U LT U R E
How the processed fruit and vegetable sector contributes
to the EU’s goals on Farm to Fork and Biodiversity

 A sustainable toolkit for agriculture allowing our farmers to

provide sufficient, good quality raw materials
Strong links with the farming sector
Goals set, and measures taken by the industry

2
PROCESSING
How the sector is reducing its carbon footprint

 Decoupling industrial activity from environmental impact

Goals set, and measures taken by the industry
Demands to policy makers

3
CONSUMPTION
How preserving fruit and vegetables positively contributes
to the EU’s Circular Economy and Healthy Nutrition Policy

 Preserved fruit and vegetables excel in retaining nutrients

 A sustainable choice
 Water use and re-use
Sustainable packaging

PROFEL’s ID card

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Introduction

The fruit and vegetable processing industry captures and

preserves the natural richness of fruit and vegetables. It
helps to minimize food waste through the timely processing
of seasonal agricultural products, and it provides food security
through storage and all-year-round delivery to consumers,
even in times of crises, such as geopolitical uncertainty or
pandemics. During the COVID-19 crisis, the sector demonstrated
its resilience by providing European consumers with safe and
nutritious foods throughout, and meeting a sharp increase in
demand for healthy long shelf-life products.

Undeniably, climate change is having profound effects on

our food systems. The recurring extreme weather patterns of
recent years have resulted in crop failures from drought, floods,
pests and diseases, all of which have resulted in increased raw
material prices that pose an existential threat to businesses.
Whilst the fruit and vegetable sector is heavily committed to
meeting sustainability targets and reducing CO2 emissions, it
recognises its own underlying need to adapt to the effects of
climate change. PROFEL businesses welcome the EU Green
Deal and rely on its balanced implementation to ensure the
continued prosperity of the fruit and vegetable processing
sector.

The availability of high-quality raw material in sufficient

quantities at reasonable cost is essential for the sector’s
integrated supply chains. Equipping farmers with a sufficiently
robust and innovative agricultural toolkit is the only way
of guaranteeing this. The application of science, with the
further development of robotics, New Breeding Techniques
(NBT), targeted use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) and
fertilizers, and a further push for the co-existence of organic
and conventional farming, are the pillars upon which PROFEL
believes that future policy should be built.

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Introduction

PROFEL and its members support the ambitions of the European Green Deal,
provided that these ambitions support the competitiveness of the industry’s supply
chain with a sense of realism and with full support for innovation. The industry calls
for in-depth impact assessments to evaluate the effect of proposed changes on
processors. Also, there needs to be coherence across policies and national borders,
as our sector relies on imports and exports of raw materials and final products alike.

The future also holds many opportunities. Changing eating habits and increasing
awareness of consumers about their health and the environment can be catered
for by our products in an ideal way. More than any other food category, preserved
fruit and vegetables are easy to prepare, as well as being of high nutritional value,
and their long shelf-life also helps to reduce food waste. A new focus on plant-based
diets could be an offshoot of the fruit and vegetable sector’s contribution to the EU’s
Farm to Fork, Biodiversity, Health, and Circular Economy policies.

Looking at the food chain in its entirety, the processed fruit and vegetable sector
is calling for the development of adequate and appropriate regulatory frameworks
and realistic targets to ensure its continued ability to offer high quality and healthy
products, accessible to all.

A zero pollution
Europe
Preserving Europe's Transition to a
natural capital Circular Economy

Sustainable
Transport
Farm to Fork

European
Achieving Climate
Neutrality
Green
Deal Towards a
Green CAP
Source: European Commission

Clean, Reliable and

Affordable energy

Take everyone along

Financing the transition
(Just Transition Mechanism)

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Introduction

Examples of how the production chain for

fruit and vegetables can contribute to the
EU Green Deal

SOLAR 3
PANELS

PRODUCTION PROCESS UF/RO

RA
TO FINISHED PRODUCT 5

IN
W
AT
E R

BYPASS
WASTE- PURIFIED
STEAMS UF/RO
WATER WASTE-
WATER
6 4

ANIMAL
FEED UF = ultra filtration
BIO 8 RO = reverse osmosis
GAS
WASTE * since 2016
WATERPLANT

Copyright D’Arta

ORGANIC
FERTILIZER

1 Fruit and vegetables are harvested at the 5 Rainwater is collected from the roofs and purified
peak of ripeness and directly delivered to with an ultra-filtration and reversed osmosis unit,
the factory. and reused in the production facility.

The fruit and vegetables are washed in The bypass streams of production are 100%
2 6
internally recycled water before being recycled as biogas or animal feed.
processed.
The residues from the wastewater plant are rich
7
Solar panels generate renewable energy in phosphate, nitrogen and potassium, and are
3
for the production process. the perfect ‘organic fertilizer’ for fields or other
crops.
Wastewater is treated to be reused as
4
water for washing, and even can be treated The wastewater plant creates “biogas”, which in
8
to bring it up to drinking water quality via turn generates energy for the wastewater plant.
ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis.

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 1
A G R I C U LT U R E

How the processed fruit and

vegetable sector contributes to
P R O F EL’S R OA D MA P O N C LI M AT E C H A N G E

the EU’s goals on Farm to Fork

How the processed fruit and
and Biodiversity
vegetables sector contributes
to the Farm to Fork and
Biodiversity goals
PAG E 6
1
A G R I C U LT U R E

A sustainable agricultural toolkit

which allows our farmers to provide
sufficient, good quality raw materials

Strong links with the farming sector

The starting point for providing high quality preserved fruit and vegetables is high-quality
raw materials, in sufficient quantities, at reasonable prices. Most raw material sourcing in the
sector is based on contract-farming, which shows how tight the integration is of growers and
processors.

To strengthen cooperation on technical subjects, PROFEL set up an industry-farmers' working

group in 2016. The aim of the group is to create good coordination at European level for topics
of concern to both farmers and the processing industry. Topics discussed include: minor use
and crop protection challenges, biological alternatives for crop protection, management of
toxic weeds, and smart weed applications/robotization. More recently, a subgroup was created
to work on seed coatings.

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A G R I C U LT U R E

Goals set, and measures taken by the industry

For both the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity Strategies, the European Commission is setting
clear targets, especially with regard to reductions in the use of plant protection products (PPPs)
and fertilizers. This is a process which PROFEL supports in general terms and has actively
contributed to over the years. For years, companies have supported farming communities in
deploying techniques that have a positive effect on biodiversity, such as precision agriculture.
PROGRESS MARGIN Also, farmers already apply Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques.
POTENTIAL

However, plant protection products and fertilizers cannot be omitted completely. Without
recourse to these tools, yields and crop quality would be reduced substantially. This in turn
would have devastating effects on the farming communities, the entire processing industry
and, finally, also the consumer.

Thus, combatting the effects of climate change on the ground requires a balanced approach
towards plant protection products and fertilizer use on the one hand, and the need to grow
sufficient quantities of raw materials on the other:

Most of the raw materials the industry processes are small acreage crops and the agricultural
toolkit for these types of crops is already quite limited. Any regulatory activity with regard
to PPPs must therefore be realistic and science-based. Quantitative targets may prove not
to be the most efficient tool as they often are unachievable, perhaps even misleading. For
example, PROFEL advocates the use of coated seeds to allow for a much more targeted
use of PPPs. This limits their use, while still tackling target organisms but having no or little
effect on non-target organisms.

Using soil analysis, expert advice and precision farming, growers are able to use fertilizers
in a sustainable way. An interesting technique is the use of coated fertilizer granules that
release nutrients very slowly, thus preventing leaking into ground water. This is a R&D based
innovation that is more effective than a simple across-the-board reduction of fertilizer use.

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A G R I C U LT U R E

Considerable investments with regard to robotics have generated very positive results,
notably for weed control and automatic harvesting, as well as in digital farming. It is crucial for
decision-makers to continue creating a framework that facilitates their use even further.

Strict legal interpretations prevent New Breeding Techniques from becoming mainstream in
PROGRESS MARGIN
POTENTIAL
the EU. This must be remedied as soon as possible, as existing plant breeding techniques allow
only minimal advances in drought resistance. Continued innovation will be key to meeting
society’s growing demand to further increase sustainability and respect for the environment.

Organic farming needs to be encouraged in order to meet society’s growing demand for
organic food. Conversion to organic has been fast in some cases (e.g. apples in France and
citrus fruit in Italy). Support for innovation and technological progress should enhance the
environmental benefit of conventional agriculture, making conventional and organic farming
complementary to each other.

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PROCESSING

How the sector is reducing

its carbon footprint
P R O FE L’S R OA D M A P O N C LIM AT E CH A N G E

How the processed fruit and

vegetables sector contributes
to the Farm to Fork and
Biodiversity goals
PAG E 1 0
2
PROCESSING

Decoupling industrial activity

from environmental impact

The EU has high expectations on further reducing carbon emissions, notably industrial ones.

Fruit and vegetable processors are continuously strivng to improve their processes through
energy savings, water reuse and optimised use of waste streams. Considerable investment
into such circular economy projects continue to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. After all,
becoming more sustainable by saving energy also saves money, so there is a double dividend
for the environment and businesses. The same goes for food waste. Accurate recording and
measuring are both essential for setting and achieving the ambitious goals that the sector has
set for itself.

Let’s look at some concrete data and examples that illustrate how this can be accomplished.
To continue down the road of further reductions whilst delivering high-quality products,
the industry needs a clear and realistic regulatory and financial framework that ensures fair
competition.

Studies1 show that the environmental footprint of

plant-sourced foods tends to be substantially smaller
than animal-sourced; especially in terms of land use,
GHG emissions, and water use. A shift in dietary
consumption toward predominantly plant-based diets
is likely to reduce the global food system's emissions.

Goals set, and measures taken by the industry

Heat and cold preservation techniques like canning and freezing are energy-intense processes.
The sector is continuously increasing its energy efficiency, and at the same time investing into
renewable energy sources – notably solar panels, wind energy and biomass production.

1
(PDF) Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers (researchgate.net) &
Figures from Environmental impacts of food production - Our World in Data

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PROCESSING

More energy-efficient freezer tunnels

GOOD PRACTICES
“Year after year, investments
into new, more energy efficient
technologies are being made at
our freezing sites. This state-of-
the-art freezing tunnel is capable
of freezing the same volume of
vegetables as the one it replaces
but uses 10% less energy for
cooling.”

More efficient processing solutions through investment in the latest technologies,

warehousing, intermodal transport and logistics have allowed considerable reduction in
energy use. For example:

Via new means of transportation, e.g. rail, overseas shipping, inland water transport, or a
mixture of transportation modes, limiting the CO2 emissions of our logistics;
Automation of various processes in our production chain;
Installing high-performance equipment, especially in cooling capacity and in lighting.

Energy efficiency: measures and projects GOOD PRACTICES

“We have been using five of our own combined heat and power plants (CHP) in our
fruit processing sites since 2016, because compared to conventional ones, their
efficiency is significantly higher. We already increased our own power generation
from 62% (2016) to 66% (2019), and were able to save 3,500 t of CO2 each year.

The generated heat is mainly used for hot water for cleaning production installations
and stainless-steel transport container. Any excess heat is used to heat one of our
buildings, and on production-free weekends to chill the cold storage facilities. In the
future, the utilization capacity of our CHPs will be further improved.”

Reducing means also measuring and monitoring. Our sector has put specific measuring and
monitoring systems in place to track energy consumption as well as water use. Production
sites are regularly audited and many companies are working with specialists to actively address
energy reduction and water consumption.

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PROCESSING

Measuring and monitoring

GOOD PRACTICES
“We are a European vegetable freezing
company. At one of our sites we called
in specialists to analyse our carbon
emissions. The investigation revealed
total emissions of 345 t of CO2. This
takes into account the site's scope I
emissions (fossil fuel combustion of
the site and the company vehicles
-58%) and scope III emissions (home-
work commute and waste processing).

This result is already a great achieve-

ment. Without the onsite BWE Biogas
facility, emissions would have been
more than four times higher. By producing our own green energy, we avoid the
emission of 1.000 t of CO2 per year. In addition, since the biogas facility converts
onsite collected organic waste into energy, it also avoids the transportation of
waste to external waste processing facilities, saving another 54 t of CO2.”

Producing steam from peach pits

GOOD PRACTICES
“Like all canneries, the peach canning sector depends on steam
production for its processes. We set out to find innovative interventions
in steam production processes so that by exploiting the biomass of
peach pits, we could reduce operating costs and contribute to solid
waste reduction. Thus, as the first in our sector, we proceeded to install
a biomass combustion system from peach pits to produce steam.

The creation of peach pit biomass is done by a special treatment of

cleaning the pit from the residues of peach flesh, in order to obtain
the purest form of biomass with the greatest calorific force. The pits
are driven directly from production in a pit concentration silo (storage
department), from where they are fed on to conveyor belts to the
biomass combustion complex for steam production.

The installation is environmentally

friendly, with lower emissions of
certain pollutants than conventional
fuel (like fuel oil). It does not smoke,
smell, contain toxic compounds
or heavy metals, and creates the
minimum amount of ash on the
bottom, which is collected and
disposed of in a licensed landfill.”

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PROCESSING

Demands to policy makers

PROFEL acknowledges that the EU has set ambitious targets for further CO2 reduction. Each
and every food business operator in the sector is making significant efforts towards reducing
our carbon footprint. A level playing field at the international level between the EU and third
countries is equally important. The Covid-19 crisis has shown that food chain resilience is
crucial, and also the necessity of keeping viable food production within the EU.

The carbon border adjustment mechanism could be crucial for the dried vegetable sector,
which relies on a high-energy process. This mechanism must also take into account the high
safety, social and environmental standards to which our operators work. EU importers should
face the same requirements in order to ensure a level playing field.

The carbon border adjustment mechanism could

be an important tool for energy-intense sectors
to ensure a fair level playing field between the EU
and third-country producers. Drying vegetables is
an energy intense process. Given the differences in
ambition between the EU and some of our trading-
partners to fight climate change, such a mechanism
would contribute to the reduction of global emissions.

Finally, access to the Just Transition Fund will be vital to the sector’s operators, employees and
the farming communities we are so close to, in order to make further investment in our supply
chain, and to go beyond excellence.

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PROCESSING

Solar energy

GOOD PRACTICES
“We are in the vegetable preserving
business and are taking concrete
measures to reduce our energy
consumption. We started in 2020
with replacing the roofs to install
solar panels, so that from 2022 we
will have a solar power station with
almost 7,000 solar panels operational.
In total it covers a surface area of
20,000 m2, with which we will meet
approximately 35 percent of the total
energy requirements of our factory,
warehouses and office.”

Carbon neutral plant

GOOD PRACTICES
“Since 2018, at one of our new
production facilities, we have been
processing peas grown by a local
growers cooperative, grouping 40
farmers. All the power and heat to run
the new facility is supplied by a Biogas
company, which in turn collects all
vegetable waste produced by the plant
to convert it into renewable energy
through anaerobic digestion. In this
way, we are producing an even greener
product with the lowest possible
carbon footprint and with the greatest
respect for nature.”

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CONSUMPTION

How preserving fruit

and vegetables positively
P R O F EL’S R OA D M A P O N C LI M ATE CH A N G E

contributes to the EU’s

How the processed
Circular Economy andfruitHealthy
and
vegetables sector contributes
Nutrition Policies
to the Farm to Fork and
Biodiversity goals
PAG E 1 6
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CONSUMPTION

Preserved fruit and vegetables

excel in retaining nutrients

Preserved fruit and vegetables make a valuable contribution to a healthy diet, with nutritional
values comparable to those of fresh products.

As a source of vitamins, antioxidants, dietary fibre and phenolic compounds, they help to
protect against a range of chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, heart disease and obesity)1.

In addition, the availability of processed fruit and vegetable products, regardless of season or
geography, facilitates healthy eating throughout the year.

A sustainable choice

Preserved fruit and vegetables are seasonably harvested and can be eaten throughout the year.

Furthermore, fruit and vegetable processors can often also make use of
misshapen and over or undersized fruits and vegetables, thus maximizing
a crop’s potential to reach the consumer’s plate.

The unwanted or inedible parts of the plant (e.g. cauliflower leaves,

pods of peas or carrot tops) are separated during harvest and
ploughed back into the field to increase soil organic matter.
This improves soil health and avoids unnecessary transport.
Other parts of the crop that are removed from the plant during
processing are collected for animal feed, or to generate energy
through bio-methanisation.

Preserved fruit and vegetables have a longer shelf-life than

fresh products. This reduces losses from product deterioration or
damage during transport. Handy portion sizes, ready-peeled and
prepared, allow consumers to plan their meals effectively and reduce
food waste.

1
Bibliographical Study on Nutritional Benefits of Processed Fruit & Vegetables - PROFEL (profel-europe.eu), Gent University
2008; AFFI Foundation Study “Nutrient Profiles of frozen fruit and vegetables”, 2013

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CONSUMPTION

Water use and re-use

Preserving fruit and vegetables requires considerable use of water, notably for washing but also
with respect to strict standards of hygiene. In order to reduce water consumption, substantial
investments have been made in advanced water treatment installations (e.g. purification to
drinking water quality). Water scarcity is a serious concern, and further investment into water
collectors (rainwater, roof-top water) would allow companies to re-use substantial amounts of
PROGRESS MARGIN water for their plants.
POTENTIAL

Operators have also developed sophisticated

techniques to measure exactly how much water
is used in each process. To measure is to know,
and this is the first step towards water re-use,
or simply reducing, water usage. Knowing how
precious water is and will be in future, these
efforts will be continued to generate even more
circularity.

Financial and regulatory support is necessary

for projects to further reduce water use or
allowing further water reuse; for example,
techniques guaranteeing adequate water
quality. Furthermore, our sector calls for a
coherent legislative framework on water quality
that allows firms to ensure the microbiological
safety of water sanitation.

Unique irrigation project

GOOD PRACTICES

“A cooperative has been set-up to treat waste

water from the factory for irrigation purposes.
The processed waste water will be stored in a
150,000m3 reservoir and distributed via 32km
of underground pipelines across approximately
500ha of land. As well as enabling the waste
water to be used more efficiently, the initiative
will allow the farmers to respond to future
droughts more effectively. An example of a win-
win irrigation…”

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CONSUMPTION

Key differentiators to achieve a

reduction in food waste:
• Trimmings and unwanted parts are either: left on the
field to deliver nutrients to the soil, go into animal
PROGRESS MARGIN
POTENTIAL feed, are returned to the field after composting, or
are increasingly used to create energy through a
biomethanisation plant
• Due to rapid processing after harvest, loss from
product deterioration is minimal
• By the time products reach consumers’ homes, all
unusable parts have been removed
• Products have a long shelf-life, and are ready-peeled
and cut
• They can be used as and when required, in easily
managed portions, to further reduce food waste at
home

Use of fruit and vegetable waste to

GOOD PRACTICES
produce energy and water
“Our company produces energy, CO2
and clean water from offcuts and waste
streams from the horticultural, food
and beverages industry. We specialise
in the fermentation of low dry matter
biomass. Our production business
uses state-of-the-art technology and
is expertly run 24/7. We convert any
biomass unsuitable for consumption
into electricity, natural gas and pure
CO2 (in liquid form for greenhouse
horticulture, the cleaning industry, and
dry ice for cooling foodstuff). These
products are all 100% green.

We process up to 400 t of wet biomass per day. There are three main components
in the production process: thermophilic fermentation, water purification and
upgrading the produced biogas into high-quality finished goods.”

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CONSUMPTION

Sustainable packaging

Glass and metal are among the most widely used packaging materials used by the fruit and
vegetable processing industry, and they have high recycling rates.

Whilst ensuring quality, food safety, freshness and shelf life of products, the sector is constantly
PROGRESS MARGIN reducing the environmental impact of packaging by:
POTENTIAL

adapting packaging to prevent food waste (e.g. smaller portions, resealable

packaging),
using less or thinner packaging, without compromising its strength and protective
capabilities,
reducing the amount of materials we use in our packaging (e.g. replacing multilayer
packaging with one recyclable layer)

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PROFEL's ID card

PROFEL is the European Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industries, representing
over 500 companies in 11 European countries through national associations or direct company
membership, producing approximately:

Canned Jams and fruit Puree and

deciduous fruit preserves compotes

525.000 t 513.000 t 503.000 t

Canned Frozen Dried

vegetables vegetables vegetables

1.800.000 t 3.900.000 t 55.000 t

estimated equivalent of
380,000 t raw material

PROFEL’s members employ over 80,000 people, and the sector's combined turnover amounts
to roughly 22 billion.

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Contact
PROFEL
Avenue des Nerviens 9-31
1040 Brussels
+32 2 500 87 59
[email protected]
www.profel-europe.eu