May 7, 2024

 

CP Foods highlights efforts to cut food waste

 

Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has continuously reduced food loss thoughout its operations and repurposed food waste and by-products into valuable resources such as animal feed, fertiliser and alternative energy, the company said.

 

This initiative aligns with CP Foods' commitment to transition towards a low-carbon business while upholding sustainable food security.

 

Kobboon Srichai, head of corporate affairs and investor relations at CP Foods, stated the company's commitment to conducting business with a focus on delivering positive environmental impacts. This commitment is demonstrated by embracing the principles of the circular economy across its value chain. This involves utilising resources efficiently, optimising production processes for maximum benefits and productivity, creating value-added products from waste, and managing food loss and waste to achieve zero food waste from operation to landfill by 2030.

 

CP Foods has implemented various actions to reduce food loss by enhancing the efficiency of machinery and equipment across its manufacturing plants. For example, at its egg and bread processing plant, the implementation of air expulsion in damaged egg pipes has reduced waste by over 45 tonnes annually.

 

Additionally, improvements made to a spiral conveyor in a ready-to-eat plant have decreased product drop by 1.25 tonnes each year.

 

As for CP Foods' aquaculture business, the company utilises technology to improve the value of by-products and recycle inedible waste, saving 9,100 tonnes annually from landfill disposal.

 

The company's aquafeed technology team has also increased by-products (for example, blood, meat scraps and feathers) as it recycles inedible waste. In this development, the team has collaborated with a fishmeal supplier, converting by-products (fish soluble) into novel feed raw materials.

 

CP Foods' poultry business is dedicated to improving efficiency throughout production and strictly adhering to animal welfare principles, the company added. Automated conveyor systems have been installed within barns to minimise egg damage during transportation. Leftover chicken parts from the trimming process are repurposed to create pet treats, adding further value. Inedible parts such as chicken carcasses, feathers and damaged eggs, are recycled for use in animal feed production.

 

Srichai pointed to CP Foods' Food Waste policy, highlighting its ongoing collaboration with the SOS Foundation in Thailand to execute the "Circular Meal: This Meal Change the World" project for its fourth consecutive year. This initiative involves turning food surplus from CP Foods' distribution centers into ready-to-eat meals, which are then delivered to vulnerable groups in Bangkok.

 

In 2023, over 79,000 meals were delivered, helping reduce food waste by over 18 tonnes, thus decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 47 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to CP Foods.

 

"CP Foods places significant emphasis on food loss and waste management across our value chain," Srichai said. "We leverage technology and innovation to prevent and reduce food loss and to transform waste into valuable resources. In 2023, we effectively managed food loss during production processes and minimised food waste, reclaiming nearly 80% for reuse."

 

- CP Foods