Purpose: This work was undertaked to conduct an in-depth analysis of processing techniques and process flows for ready-meal food products, in terms of waste production, processing efficiency, and recommendations for waste minimisation and cost savings.
Methods: A detailed, quantitative audit was undertaken for multiple product-lines in two ready-meal sector businesses to evaluate in-use process flows of five product lines and review/identify processing waste volumes and associated costs during raw material weighing, cooking of components, final assembly, and packing. Collated data was compared with company product specifications.
Results: Overall, detailed data capture and review from the production processes of ready-meal products indicated slight ‘waste giveaway’ values of up to 1.8% above target product weights; with one product packed 0.4% below the target weight. Auditing a marinated chicken production process revealed up to 16Kg of marinade/1,060Kg was wasted due to direct drip loss from the belt as the chicken entered the travel oven. Reduction of the chicken marinade would reduce the amount of marinade lost during pre-processing. Reducing the batch size, by up to 20%, could save up to £80,000 annually, based on the volume of chicken processed with no impairment of product quality.
Significance: Data analysis indicated that processing, in the reviewed ready-meal food products, accrued minimal product waste giveaway; thus, closely achieving target weights. However, analysis, also, revealed that substantial financial savings could be achieved by improving processing efficiency methods; thus, potentially improving business profitability and sustainability.