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Percentage contribution of electrical energy use processes in a hypermarket (source: Tassou et al., 2011)
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The food chain comprises agricultural production, manufacturing, distribution, retail and consumption. In the UK it involves approximately 300,000 enterprises, it employs 3ṡ3 million people and accounts for £188 billion in consumer expenditure. The food chain is also responsible for 18% of total UK energy use, 176 MtCO2e emissions and 15 Mt of food...
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... electrical energy consumption can vary widely from around 700 kWh/m 2 sales area per year in hypermarkets to over 2000 kWh/m 2 sales area per year in convenience stores ( Tassou et al., 2011). Research has been carried out for individual categories and Figure 4 shows diagrammatically the energy use by various processes and activities in a hypermarket. ...
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Citations
... Activities related to retailing and distribution via a network of supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants add to the carbon footprint [13]. Aside from that, some activities, such as food preservation and displaying perishable and non-perishable food products on shelves/counters for sale, contribute significantly to carbon footprints due to the extensive use of energy by heating and cooling equipment, ambient lighting, and so on [14]. It is estimated that the dynamics of the FSC contribute 31% of greenhouse gases to the environment and 50% of eutrophication [15]. ...
Nowadays, the demand for processed food items is surging. To fulfil the enhanced demand, a significant impact is laid on the environment, which enhances the carbon footprint being generated. Hence, to overcome this, the avenues of decarbonisation need to be explored. The presented work is aimed at promoting the decarbonisation of the existing practices within the processed food supply chains. It finds strong compliance with the sustainable development goal (SDG-12), focusing on responsible production-consumption mechanisms. For the same, key enactors of decarbonisation are identified and mapped with the practices at various stages of food supply chains, i.e. upstream, downstream, and other allied practices. Based upon these enactors, a relational, hierarchical framework is developed to provide a comprehensive perspective on complex intricacies. This framework is analysed with an innovative approach which comprises the fundamentals of Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Hesitant Fuzzy Set with the Entropy measures. It results in the outranking of the enactors relative to its importance in the decarbonisation of processed food supply chains. Furthermore, the empirical findings are validated by the sensitivity
analysis to felicitate robust decision-making. The outcomes of the presented work provide a roadmap and stepped approach to achieve the decarbonisation goals and make production consumption mechanisms sustainable. It finds implications in the development of the framework, policy formulation, and decisional attributes for the decarbonisation of food supply chains. It focuses on the adoption of strategies that align with global efforts to mitigate climate change and promote a sustainable future.
... However, a case study of a cement production facility showed that a 4% reduction was possible at that site (Summerbell et al., 2017), and better management of the HVAC system in supermarkets might yield a 4% reduction in electricity (Mylona et al., 2017). A wide range of savings has been identified throughout the entire food chain (Tassou et al., 2014). An important role is played by systematic energy auditing to identify opportunities for energy saving in industrial operations (Selim et al., 2021;Thollander et al., 2020). ...
Demand Reduction is a strategy with the potential to make a significant contribution to the energy supply/demand balance. Its two major themes are improving the energy efficiency of devices (appliances and processes) and changing people’s behaviour towards using less energy. In our analysis of a nation’s energy security, we treat Demand Reduction as an additional fuel which delivers ‘negafuel’, allowing a particular level of energy services to be met at a lower volume of supply than would be possible in its absence. In common with other fuels, negafuel is delivered by a supply chain with linked stages, all encountering risks of various types. A comprehensive survey of these risks in a case study of the UK shows that Demand Reduction belongs to a middle-ranking group of fuels in terms of overall risk. High-level risks encountered include the difficulty of assessing and delivering potential energy savings, the rate of building construction at the highest energy efficiency standards, optimism bias, changing policy and regulation, and operational failure (both of technology and policy). Assessing the risk of Demand Reduction as a supplied negafuel focuses attention on specific risks requiring mitigation, facilitating design of better policy, and more effective commercial products.
... Mylona et al., 2017). A wide range of savings has been identi ed throughout the entire food chain(Tassou et al., 2014). An important role is played by systematic energy auditing, to identify opportunities for energy saving in industrial operations(Selim et al., 2021; Thollander et al., 2020). ...
Demand Reduction is a strategy with the potential to make a significant contribution to the energy supply/demand balance. Its two major themes are improving the energy efficiency of devices (appliances and processes) and changing people’s behaviour towards using less energy. In our analysis of a nation’s energy security, we treat Demand Reduction as an additional fuel which delivers ‘negafuel’, allowing a particular level of energy services to be met at a lower volume of supply than would be possible in its absence. In common with other fuels, negafuel is delivered by a supply chain with linked stages, all encountering risks of various types. A comprehensive survey of these risks in a case study of the UK, shows that Demand Reduction belongs to a middle-ranking group of fuels in terms of overall risk. High-level risks encountered include the difficulty of assessing and delivering potential energy savings, the rate of building construction at the highest energy efficiency standards, optimism bias, changing policy and regulation, and operational failure (both of technology and policy). Assessing the risk of Demand Reduction as a supplied negafuel focuses attention on specific risks requiring mitigation, facilitating design of better policy and more effective commercial products.
... In the United Kingdom, the food processing industry is the largest single manufacturing sector (Ladha-Sabur et al., 2019). Also, in the United Kingdom, the food chain involves about 300,000 enterprises, employs 3.3 million people and generates 15 million tons of food each year (Tassou et al., 2014). Although substantial improvement has been achieved in occupational safety at workplaces, however, the rate of the occupational injuries, risks and accidents is still challenging to manage and control (Sousa et al., 2014). ...
Occupational health and safety management (OHSMS) systems are recognised internationally as highly flexible and can be tailored to all sizes and types of businesses to manage accidents, injuries, fatalities and health risks at workplaces. This study evaluated the effectiveness of OHSMS audits to occupational accidents mitigation in food and beverage industries at Delta Sparkling Beverages, Harare, Zimbabwe. The study was based on an analytical research using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques. In particular in-depth interviews, non-participatory observations and documentary records data search were utilised. 84 questionnaires were self-administered to Delta Sparkling Beverages, employees from different departments using a stratified random technique in 2020. The effectiveness of OHS audits were analysed in which purposive interviews were employed to solicit vital information from key experts in the field of study. The study also sought to highlight challenges faced in the operationalisation of OHSMS audits and the implementation of safety systems. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for quantitative data analysis. The results of chi-square (p > 0.05) indicated that there was no association between occurrence of accidents at Delta Sparkling Beverages to OHSMS audits. The research findings further revealed that non-adherence to safe operating procedures (unsafe acts) by employees is the major cause of accidents at the company. The study recommended intervention towards employee behaviour, safety proceduresand ways to improve safety culture within the company.
... In the United Kingdom (UK), the food processing industry consumes 68% of its energy in fuel-fired boilers and direct heating systems, 16% for electric motors, 8% for electric heating, and 6% for refrigeration and air compressors [41]. Natural gas is the major source of energy in the UK food processing industry, followed by electricity, oil and coal [79]. ...
... Global as well as region-specific market, infrastructural, geopolitical, and policy conditions will influence global actors preferred industrial decarbonization strategies. Our research suggests that industrial decarbonization has not been considered in the literature outside the contexts of Europe [35,66,125,147], the UK [41,148,149], Germany [150], Finland [107,108], Sweden [108,109], the US [131], India [50,51,118] and China [118,151], suggesting a large gap in geography-specific research pertaining to industrial decarbonization particularly in the developing world. ...
Natural gas is an important and highly flexible fuel across the industry sector globally. It provides fuel and energy services for both heat and power, and is also as a key feedstock in many industrial processes. Natural gas-based industrial technologies typically have lower capital costs, operating costs, and electricity consumption than coal-based technologies. These features make natural gas preferable for industrial use as compared to other fossil fuels. However, the future of natural gas remains uncertain, especially for industry planning to be net-zero or carbon neutral by mid-century. This review addresses the role that natural gas might play in global industrial decarbonization, and how it can help decarbonize industrial processes. We undertake a comprehensive and critical review of more than 400 studies on the topic of industrial decarbonization via natural gas. The review also provides evidence of critical barriers that range from financial and infrastructural to geopolitical and governance issues along with promising avenues for future research.
... The same review also remarks on the energy consumption associated to cleaning in dairy products [3], while energy consumption for cleaning in other food products has not been accounted for. Process optimisation, and technological and manufacturing behavioural changes have been proposed to decrease energy consumption in food manufacturing [4]. ...
... The analysed "farm-to-factory-gate" scenario corresponds to: (4). Large scale RF technology in the future in which the organic processing waste is landfilled or valorised to animal feed. ...
Thanks to food technology, the production of cold tomato soups such as salmorejo, a traditional Spanish dish, has become industrialised. Thermal treatments play an important role in ready-to-eat meals, prolonging their shelf-life. Radiofrequency (RF) heating is less energy-intensive than conventional heat exchangers and has been successfully used to pasteurise food; novel applications, however, provide results at laboratory or pilot scale, so conclusions might not be translatable to industry. In this study, a prospective Life-Cycle Assessment of salmorejo pasteurised using RF was performed to highlight the relevance of upscaling and to compare its environmental impacts with those of conventional pasteurisation. “Gate-to-gate” results show that the pilot has greater environmental impacts due to its greater energy consumption, as thermal energy is not recovered. The packing and landfill of organic waste exhibit the highest impacts at industrial scale. RF technology does not imply significant environmental improvements versus conventional pasteurisation. Potential changes in the energy background of future scenarios have relevant consequences in the environmental impacts. “Farm-to-factory-gate” analysis highlights ingredients and tomato valorisation as the most impacting stages. The prospective LCA of scaled up scenarios constitutes a tool for environmental screening in food ecodesign, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 12.
... The use of refrigeration systems in industries such as food production, pharmaceuticals and breweries is allowed for developments to be made in each respective field and are largely relied on daily operations. The UK food and drink industry accounts for £188 billion of consumer expenditure and counts on refrigeration systems for rapid cooling of meat, fruits and vegetables to extend their product life and to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria [1,2]. Refrigeration systems in the brewery industry are the largest single process consumers of electricity demanding 32% of the electricity provided to this sector [3][4][5]. ...
... Commercial food outlets in the UK are responsible for around 12 TWh of annual electrical consumption, about 3% of the UK total energy consumption and 1% of total green house gas (GHG) emissions [2]. Furthermore, the leakage of refrigerant from supermarkets is accountable for 2 Mt CO 2 emissions per year caused by the leakage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) [15]. ...
... Additionally, due to the food outlets in the UK operating on a small profit margin typically around 1-2%, the importance of energy savings is vital. A large potential for energy savings has been identified [2,16]; as the refrigeration system can use up to 60% of the total store energy, they have been identified as an area of particular interest [17]. Therefore, further research and investigations are necessary to determine a reliable engineering approach of energy saving for commercial refrigeration systems. ...
Commercial food outlets in the UK are responsible for 3% of the UK total energy consumption, with refrigeration systems account for 29% of this total. In this paper, a validated model that simulates a commercial refrigeration system installed over 2000 sq. ft to mimic a real express store installed at the Riseholme Refrigeration Research Centre at the University of Lincoln, UK, is presented. Investigations are conducted to examine the different failures of air conditioning (AC) systems and their impacts on the indoor store temperature, and hence on the refrigeration performance and energy consumption. Three different scenarios were examined: gradual increase in store temperature caused by an AC system with reduced performance, sudden increase in store temperature caused by a drastic AC failure and fluctuations in store temperature caused by a faulty AC system. The results of the investigation for different failure scenarios of the AC system during 3 h of continual operation showed an increase in the energy consumption of the refrigeration system by 17.4% as a result of gradual AC failure, 33.6% for the sudden failure and 5.3% for the intermittent failure. It is concluded that the AC failures caused the power drawn to increase due to spending a prolonged period of time at higher temperatures than during the normal AC operation. Also, the frequency which the compressors switch on and off increases the level of wear on the compressors. Both gradual and sudden failures of the AC system show a sustained increase in temperature that leads to a greater duty cycle for the expansion valve to increase the amount of refrigerant available. It is found that the sudden failure of the AC system had the greatest impact on the system, as the temperature of the store rises quickest, the display cases are exposed to higher temperatures for a longer time; this causes the greatest demand on the system and so lead to the largest power consumption. It is notable that for all three failure types that the product temperature experiences, there are no noticeable fluctuations and they remain comfortably within the temperature boundaries between 3 and 1 °C, as the system is able to provide an adequate cooling.
... • Retailers need to understand the scale of the carbon reductions required, which should include Scope 3 emissions and accounting for carbon emissions across the entire value chain. • The focus of the retail sector should be to drive down textile and food waste in retailing activities and customers' homes, as well as supporting low carbon choices 102,103 . Emissions factors for products could be reflected directly at the point of sale, thus increasing customers' awareness of the carbon intensity of the goods. ...
Research funded by Zurich UK
... There are several energy indicators of plant production systems such as (a) fossil energy input, (b) energy output, (c) net energy output (output-input), and (d) energy-use efficiency (output/input). These indicators can be used to examine the energy balance of different crop production systems, scaling from crop and crop rotation level [3,13,18] to farm, value chain (food production) [19], and process chain (bioenergy production) [10,12,20] levels. In order to conserve finite resources and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy consumptions and higher energy-use efficiencies are necessary in all agricultural systems. ...
The main objective of the cultivation of energy crops is the production of renewable energy, the substitution of fossil energy resources, and a substantial contribution to energy supply. Thus, energy yield and energy efficiency are the most important criteria for the assessment of energy crops and biomass-based renewable energy chains. Maize is the energy crop with the highest cultivation acreage in Germany because of its high energy yields, but is the subject of controversial debate because of possible detrimental effects on agro-ecosystems. This raises the question as to which energy crops and production systems could be used instead of maize, in order to increase crop diversity and lower environmental impacts. We examined yields, energy inputs, energy outputs, and energy efficiency of alternative energy crops (combinations of catch crops and main crops) compared to maize in four-year field experiments at three southern German sites by means of process analyses. Maize showed moderate energy inputs (11.3–13.2 GJ ha−1), with catch crops ranging from 6.2 to 10.7 GJ ha−1 and main crops ranging from 7.6 to 24.8 GJ ha−1. At all three sites, maize had the highest net energy output compared to the other crops (x¯ = 354–493 GJ ha−1), but was surpassed by combinations of catch and main crops at some sites (winter rye/maize: x¯ = 389–538 GJ ha−1). Although some combinations yielded higher net energy outputs than maize, no other crop or combination of crops outperformed maize regarding energy use efficiency (energy output/energy input: x¯ = 32–45).
... Moreover, the global food system is set to face unprecedented pressures over the coming decades, with challenges including competition for scarce land, water scarcity, mounting waste flows, drought, and declining crop yields and productivity due to climate change [19,20]. It is predicted that, by 2030, the growth in global population and the impacts of climate change will increase food production needs by up to 50% [21]. By 2030, the food and beverage industry will demand collectively 45% more energy and 30% more water for agriculture [22]. ...
... • The food and beverages industry, or FBI, most commonly refers to the combination of food and beverages manufacturing and their business supply chains [26]. • The food chain or food supply chain is similar to the notion of a system, as it comprises agricultural production, manufacturing, distribution, retail and consumption of food as well as waste disposal [21]. ...
... In the United Kingdom, the food processing industry is the largest single manufacturing sector [3], and the second largest industrial energy user, after chemicals [31]. In the United Kingdom, the food chain involves about 300,000 enterprises, employs 3.3 million people and generates 15 million tons of food each year [21]. This makes it larger than the automotive and aerospace industries combined [32]. ...
From farm to fork, food and beverage consumption can have significant negative impacts on energy consumption, water consumption, climate change, and other environmental subsystems. This paper presents a comprehensive, critical and systematic review of more than 350,000 sources of evidence, and a short list of 701 studies, on the topic of greenhouse gas emissions from the food and beverage industry. Utilizing a sociotechnical lens that examines food supply and agriculture, manufacturing, retail and distribution, and consumption and use, the review identifies the most carbon-intensive processes in the industry, as well as the corresponding energy and carbon “footprints”. It discusses multiple current and emerging options and practices for decarbonization, including 78 potentially transformative technologies. It examines the benefits to sector decarbonization—including energy and carbon savings, cost savings, and other co-benefits related to sustainability or health—as well as barriers across financial and economic, institutional and managerial, and behavioral and consumer dimensions. It lastly discusses how financing, business models, and policy can be harnessed to help overcome these barriers, and identifies a set of research gaps.
