No time to waste: How can technology make our business greener?
Can we really reduce food waste? On the FRUIT LOGISTICA Podcast, TOMRA Food manager Kristof Franckx shares what is working now and what will come next.
In this episode, host Maura Maxwell speaks to Kristof Franckx, Global Product Manager at TOMRA Food, live from Berlin about concrete ways to reduce food waste from field to fork. Franck clearly frames the challenge: with the global population projected to rise by up to 20% over the next few decades, feeding more people on finite land means we must waste less of what we already grow. Currently, around 30% of food is lost before it reaches our plates. Even reducing that figure by 5% would save a significant amount of resources — "enough to cover the entire surface area of Turkey", as the host puts it.
Why it matters now
The conversation links sustainability targets with day-to-day operations. Reducing waste not only benefits the climate and land use, but also increases the proportion of produce that remains suitable for human consumption. Franckx stresses that TOMRA takes a systems-based approach to the problem, rather than focusing on individual machines. Results improve when equipment, data and people are linked end-to-end, enabling small, continuous optimisations to add up to meaningful reductions in loss.
Practical levers: more on the plate, less in the bin
TOMRA’s goal is simple: to keep more produce edible. A vivid example is blueberries. Rather than downgrading softer berries to juice or discarding them, operators can identify and pack them separately, then quickly move them to retail while they’re still fit for consumption. This small process tweak has a significant impact: more produce stays on plates and fewer resources are wasted. Apply this logic to different crops and seasons and you build resilience into the supply chain.
Recycling — and what it means in food
As a group, TOMRA covers reverse vending, plastics and e-waste recycling. However, when it comes to fresh produce, Franckx is unequivocal: prevention is better than recycling. Once food becomes waste, the best possible outcome is compost, which is useful but far less valuable than feeding people. The priority must be to prevent edible food from becoming waste in the first place, through better sensing and grading, and faster, better-informed decisions from harvest to retail.
The toughest obstacles
Technology alone isn’t enough. The biggest improvements come from optimising processes and linking systems so information isn’t lost between steps. Franckx notes that TOMRA’s machines are efficient, but real progress is made when data and workflows are aligned to 'get those small percentages out' — the marginal gains that compound across millions of packs and shipments.
Who needs to take action?
Policymakers can help by introducing smart legislation and providing targeted support. Businesses can integrate processes and data across the supply chain, while consumers can reduce waste through education and changing their everyday habits. Franckx illustrates this with a personal pledge: his family has set a goal to reduce its household food waste over the coming year. This serves as a reminder that progress is both systemic and personal.
What’s next? Closing the data chain.
Looking ahead, Franckx argues that today’s value chain still functions as separate entities. Each handover risks losing data, and with it quality and yield. The future, he says, is a digitally connected chain where upstream decisions are visible downstream (and vice versa), enabling earlier interventions and fewer loss points. TOMRA aims to play a linking role before and after processing, collaborating widely to spot and prevent waste wherever it emerges.
This podcast episode was created in partnership with Fruitnet Media International. Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome on our social media channels.