Impact of food processing on the environment—an overview

Abstract

Each step in the food industry system — food production, processing, transportation, storage, distribution and marketing — has some impact on the environment and there is much concern about environmental pollution. Due to the highly diversified nature of the food industry, various food processing, handling and packaging operations create wastes of different quality and quantity, which, if not treated, could lead to increasing disposal problems and severe pollution problems. Additionally, they represent a loss of valuable biomass and nutrients if not recovered by appropriate methods and technologies for upgrading, bioconversion or reutilization. Research should be intensified to improve efficiency in waste treatment, and to minimize waste in food processing and manufacturing operations through advanced manufacturing practices, and constructive utilization of what is unavoidable by bioconversion of by-products and waste into edible food, feed or industrial chemicals in order to decrease environmental loadings as a consequence of better integrated waste management. This review deals with the general characteristics and treatment operations of by-products, wastes and effluents from different categories of the food processing industry and their impact on the environment.