Measures, technologies, and incentives for cleaning the minimally processed fruits and vegetables supply chain in the Italian food industry

The minimally processed fresh fruits and vegetables industry has gained huge economic and political relevance because it is one of the leading manufacturing sectors in the European Union (EU). Previous studies on the processing components have shown increasing consumption of electrical and thermal energy from fossil fuels. This paper aims to present a feasibility study carried out in the Italian food industry about the measures and technologies of energy efficiency, savings, and agro-waste recycling that can be adopted by users to render a sustainable supply chain. An empirical methodology based on analyses of the energy fluxes and un-biodegradable materials within a case study was implemented by using questionnaires, consulting the existing literature, and considering policy implications. The results show that several technologies, both older and newer, together to suitable measures for reducing the end use of energy and agro-waste can be adopted into the firm against technologies requiring high fossil sources inputs for plant processing and high un-biodegradable materials outputs in the greenhouse and for packaging. The most important of these includes (i) the use of efficient engines and variable speed drive; insulation for machinery, chambers and buildings; cooling and heating machinery; compressed air systems; and lighting systems; (ii) the use of less-energy-demanding packaging for fresh produce and smart bio-based mulching and coating for crop production in greenhouses; (iii) the adoption of onsite recycling of agro-waste to produce compost into the firm; and (iv) the use of renewable sources for conditioning greenhouses. The integrated adoption of these technologies accompanied by economic incentives should be encouraged to reduce energy inputs and agro-waste amounts within the EU. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.