The Importance of Weighing For Fresh Food Processing

We consume more fresh food than ever before, in a more diverse range of forms. Whether it’s fresh fruit and veg, meat or fish, food processing faces a challenge to meet a heightened demand for fresh produce. The reasons for this increased demand are multitudinous, for example people are much more aware of the importance of eating healthy, fresh food and food sellers are better prepared than ever to sell fresh produce at relatively low prices.

Food processing needs to meet various challenges. Not least, it needs to ensure that fresh produce is portioned out accurately, and this is done by ensuring that products are produced to a uniform weight. You might assume that weighing products during processing is a relatively simple thing to do, when in fact it must overcome a range of issues.

Fresh produce is not typically in uniform shape. Salads or fresh slices of fruit are also more likely to be “sticky” when compared to manufactured or processed foods. Weighing machines need to be capable of dealing with fresh produce that may cling or stick to machinery.

Fresh produce tends to be more fragile and vulnerable to damage. Therefore whilst machinery needs to be fast and efficient it should also be gentle with products, again to avoid damage to fresh produce.

The actual filling of packages needs to be accurate and efficient. Inaccurate pack-size may not meet current regulations. Automatic weighing machines can ensure uniformity of pack size, and generally improve end-of-line efficiency.