World Peanut Magazine 05. 2022

ARGENTINA PEANUT CHAMBER

Nº 05

Where To Find Peanuts in 2023…

The war in Ukraine created a disruption in the trade of many commodities that changed the price ratio of different crops versus peanuts; the shift favored the other crops against peanuts. Corn, soybean, sunflower, and cotton – all have seen their prices increase significantly, while peanuts stayed rather stable, losing competitiveness at the farming stage.

In almost every peanut-producing country, farmers were making their planting decisions based on this scenario, thus reducing their peanut acreage.

Starting in the Northern Hemisphere, the USA is planting 9% less than the previous season; the situation in China is not very clear, but private sources report 10 to 20% less planting; India follows with 8% less, although it seems that high yields might compensate for the planted area reduction in this country.

Moving to the Southern Hemisphere, we are approaching the planting season in Argentina and Brazil. The Argentine Peanut Chamber has just released the first planting estimate with a 15% reduction compared to 2021, while in Brazil sources are reporting a planting intention 5 to 15% lower than last year.

All in all, it seems quite reasonable to assume that the world’s peanut production will be at least 2 million metric tons less in this farming cycle.

If the analysis is made with regards to the high-quality peanuts demanded by EU countries, the situation looks even worse, considering that the USA and Argentina will see a reduction of at least 400,000 metric tons of farmer stock, equivalent to 250,000 metric tons of edible peanuts!

Demand, of course, might not be the same due to the inflationary trend in most countries, but history tells us that during a crisis, peanuts are the least affected nut in view of their lower price.

Let’s see what the future brings. We need to cross our fingers for good crops and be prepared for a lower peanut supply until normalcy returns to our lives, hopefully sooner rather than later.

In this Issue of the World Peanut Magazine, we look back at the sea freight situation and future scenarios in an interview with Duncan Glass, from the Exolgan Terminal in Buenos Aires. The European Union is one of the world’s most important peanut markets, so we decided to present a picture of the peanut flows to and within this area in 2021, and we feature Alex Izmirlian’s take on current market trends. We continue our series about peanut industrial processing with a look at product separation after shelling and we feature contributions from important companies in the industry such as LMC, Tomra Food, and Bühler. Finally, we take an interesting look at some misconceptions about peanut allergies and the recommendations of health authorities on the subject.

Enjoy the World Peanut Magazine!

_ Market Trends

This section of the wpm deals with the dynamics of the demand and supply of peanuts in the international markets. We will try to keep track of the changes in peanut consumption in the main areas of the world, the factors that can affect production, and the price shifts of the various peanut products.

_ Industrial Processing

This area of the magazine focuses on shellers as well as companies transforming peanuts into consumer products. We will focus on current industry standards, quality issues, new technologies and the different industrial solutions adopted by producing countries. A special section will be dedicated to new products and tools for peanut processing developed by the best manufacturers.

_ Science and Technology

The activities of the universities and other research institutes engaged in scientific research on peanuts are of paramount importance for the future of the business. We will follow the main discoveries, from the latest issues concerning peanut genetics to the development of projects on pathogens or the impact of peanut con sumption on human health. The consequences of scientific research on the future of the industry are hard to overstate, so we will be putting them in perspective in order to try to understand where the sector is heading in the long term.

_ Laws and Regulations

The Laws and Regulations section of World Peanut Magazine analyses the impact of new legislation and regulations affecting the production and trade of peanuts. The main issues treated in this section are governmental measures directly affecting international trade (such as the introduction of tariffs or quotas), health safety issues (such as the establishment of Maximum Residue Limits for certain substances) but also legislation impacting distribution, packaging and sales.

_ Peanut as a Superfood

This section offers peanut professionals news and insights into the world of peanut consumption and all its aspects. Typical news is related to findings con cerning the nutritional values of peanuts, the impact of peanut consumption on human health, and the development of peanut-based food.

_ Peanut Farming

The primary production is where the peanut business starts, of course, so we will have a dedicated section for all events, activities, techniques and equipment related to growing peanuts in different parts of the world. The general idea is to bring farming in the producing countries closer to all peanut professionals so that they can have a better grasp of the business from a grower’s perspective and maybe on what the future of peanut farming may look like.

Imports and Exports of Peanuts in Europe

European countries are among the most important markets in the world for the peanut trade.

So we decided to present the data concerning the main flows of peanuts from outside the European Union and within the EU itself (in the latter case we included the UK, which, even if no longer a member of the union, is still very much economically integrated with the continent).

While the tables on the following pages display all the values of imports and exports to and from the main EU countries, in the infographic we feature only the flows which represent an exchange of 2,000 or more metric tons for the sake of clarity. All the data refers to 2021 and we consider separately the peanuts belonging to heading 1202 of the Harmonized System Classification (inshell and shelled peanuts) and those belonging to heading 2008 (prepared peanuts).

The source of the data is the Eurostat database (international trade in goods). In the last table we present the total imports and exports of peanuts for each of the 27 members of the EU; the balance represents the presumptive consumption in the country (in reality, part of the balance may also have been used to manufacture other products which were then exported under headings different from 1202 or 2008).

11.958

11.625

Alex, what is your take on the market situation in general?

In a few words: lower supply from all major peanut origins and uncertainty about demand. The US is looking at a much lower production than last year (potentially 12.5% lower), China is looking at a drop in production of at least 10 to 15%, Argentina had a slightly lower 2022 crop and the 2023 crop plantings should be down 10 to 15%, and Brazil is looking at a similar drop for their 2023 crop. On the demand side, we will have to see how the worldwide high inflation, the high US dollar and the China Zero-Covid policy impacts on peanut demand. Prices have been going up the past year-and-a-half and could continue their trend unless demand slows down. I am reasonably hopeful, though, that demand will be decent considering the price point of peanuts.

What more can you tell us about the US crop? Florida and the Carolinas have just been impacted by Hurricane Ian. It is unclear at this time if it had any negative consequences on the peanut crop.

What we are seeing, though, is lower yields and lower grades, which seems to be a direct consequence of the disease pressure many peanut plants were under combined with the dryness and heat of June and July. Moreover, a little rain would have been welcomed in the Southeast to help loosen up the soil for those peanuts that need to be harvested, and to help growth for the late planted peanuts. Unfortunately, there were no rains from the hurricane (in fact, the opposite happened, with the hurricane sucking all the moisture out of the Southeast) and the forecast looks dry for the next couple of weeks. The only savior at this time is that the temperatures are on the low end of the spectrum.

Alex Izmirlian gives us his views on the supply and demand outlooks at the end of 2022

At this point, I believe that yields in GA will be down (potentially 5%, and if the situation doesn’t improve, 10%). Alabama and Florida look to have slightly lower grades as well, but yields should be in between last year and this year’s USDA estimate. The good news, though, is that quality is looking good so far. All this should bring the total crop to 2.8 million farmer stock shorts tons (fst) at best.

I also have doubts about the yields in the VC being as good as last year. As to the Southwest, who knows? Most of us have never experienced a crop with such heat and lack of moisture. I think that for this one, the USDA estimate is as good as any. One has to wonder, though, about the quality of that crop.

So a crop of 2.8 million fst would bring next year’s carryover to around 1 million fst. Still plenty of peanuts, not as comfortable as this year, which will put more pressure on 2023 crop plantings. Now let us see what the final crop is, and how the domestic and export demands perform in this high inflation environment.

This lower crop potential has certainly solidified the market levels of high 50s for current crop and low 60s for new crop.

Manufacturers on the other hand continue to be well covered and are staying on the sidelines, still hoping for prices to come down before taking additional coverage. Inflation impacting demand is also a worry for the manufacturers.

On the export side, we are seeing more and more interest coming from China for mostly farmer stock. Unfortunately, considering that shellers are probably more interested in keeping their great quality 2021 crop for their own shelling and the uncertainty of the size and quality of the 2022 crop, I don’t see much availability of farmer stock inshells and, if there is any, it certainly won’t be at cheap prices.

It looks like there is a reduction of the planting area in Argentina… The quality of the 2022 crop remains very good, although there is less availability of jumbos and splits. But yes, new crop plantings will be under way very soon and expectations are for a drop of 13.23% according to the latest estimate from the Camara del Mani. Prices continue to be nominally at around US$ 1550 for raw wholes and US$ 1700 for blanched Cfr Rotterdam.

It is unclear at this time what prices will be for the 2023 crop as Argentine shellers are facing not only a lower volume, but also much higher costs.

The current market has seen some activity in Argentina for the 2022 crop, especially coming from China with very interesting freight rates enabling the Argentine shellers to sell some good volumes.

A similar situation in Brazil?

Plantings have started for the new crop with seemingly sufficient moisture. Expectations are still for a drop of 15% vs. last year. The decline in soybean prices helped alleviate a bigger decrease.

It looks as if there are still some farmers stock available in farmers hands, but obviously going down. Possibly 60 to 80,000 metric tons according to a source. Prices locally have increased 5 to 10% seemingly due to the interest from crushers.

Brazilian shellers seem to be out of the current market for the EU considering good sales and some aflatoxin issues with this past crop.

Brazil is starting to see some interest from China, but getting strong competition from Argentina.

A smaller crop in China as well?

Yes, but who knows by how much? At this point, I would still estimate a 10%, possibly 15% reduction.

But the problem lies in the demand as I said before. The continuing Zero-Covid policy of the Chinese government resulting in continuing lockdowns throughout the country has impacted demand dramatically, it seems. Thus, as much as a lower crop in China is usually a bullish element, I would say that at this time it is not and will not be as long as the Chinese government doesn’t change their policy towards Covid. Futures markets in China have recovered lately going as high as RMB 10,350 on Tuesday. But that price has since retraced back below RMB 10,000.

It looks to me as if crushers are trying to keep the market high while the traders are not convinced that those levels can be maintained.

Finally, tell us about India

The Agriculture Ministry reported the following sowing for the week ending September 22, 2022: 45.53 Lakh Ha. vs. 49.15 in 2021 and 51.16 for 2020. This represents a drop of 7.37%. Other reports that I have received are forecasting a drop in plantings that is much lower than that. Monsoons, though, seem to be adequate, and yields are predicted to be better than last year, which should make up for some of the planting losses.

One of my contacts, M Lakhamsi Industries, reports that, with a good monsoon once again, partly thanks to the La Nina effect, the peanut crop should be fairly similar in numbers to last season. We anticipate that Gujarat alone will have about 2.8–3.0 million metric tons of peanuts inshell. Rajasthan would be at about 1.2–1.4 million metric tons.

Combined with the other states/provinces, we estimate that India will have a total winter crop of about 6.2–6.5 million metric tons of inshell.

On the BULLS side we have:

The minimum support price remains unchanged from last year, hence there could always be government buying if prices drop significantly from current levels. Based on last year’s experience, we do not expect farmers to tender much cargo to the government.

Local demand for kernels continues to rise, so as exporters we need to compete with local consumers who often pay better prices. This removes any desperation to sell cargo in the export markets if prices drop.

Local demand for oil has also been stable. With the health benefits taking center stage post Covid, we expect a lot of material to disappear here.

Freight rates are correcting to 2020 levels gradually and some sectors are already 70% off their highs. This means room for price expansion for the product or cheaper product, hence better consumption.

While for the BEARS:

Palm oil markets are significantly lower than October 2021 and this would keep all the veg oils in check globally and hence oil seeds.

The bottom line seems to be that, with all origins planting less, we do not have much space for a crop failure…What do you think?

There is no room whatsoever for a crop failure in one of the major origins, especially in a high inflation period.

Of course, higher prices would be welcomed by the producers in those origins not affected, but the higher prices would result in much higher prices to consumers which in turn could impact peanut demand. And that is the last thing the peanut industry needs.

This interview was performed in the beginning of October

The Present and Future of Sea Freight

Prices are starting to decrease, but not for

just yet

In general, it looks like freight fees are going down a bit… At a global level, the rates are decreasing. At the beginning of this year, some routes’ freight rates reached their maximum levels but are now going down, in some cases by 50% compared to a year ago. Of course, we have to consider that freight rates have gone up a lot more since the Covid crisis started. Everything indicates that, while freight rates are going down, they will notget back to pre-pandemic levels. They will continue to be relatively high.

What is causing this reduction right now?

There are at least two factors that pressure freight rates down. For starters, there is a general reduction in demand; if you add this to the fact that next year we will get a significantly injection of additional ocean vessel capacity compared to now, we should see reduced ocean rates. Today we have about 28% of the current global container transport capacity, new container vessels, being constructed,which will be delivered between 2023 and 2024. So in the first half of 2023, there will be a significant injection of additional capacity.

We discussed the current situation and possible future scenarios with Duncan Glass, Executive of an important Container Terminal in Buenos Aires.

Ocean Freight rate increase has been a big disruption factor for the peanut trade in the last year-and-a-half.

Are we talking about new ships?

Yes, what is being built is ship capacity. This will go up, and demand will go down. Historically when these conditions are happen, ocean rates drop. In the past the priority of shipping companies was to maintain high vessel utilization, so they would often offer ocean rates at subsidized levels so as to keep the vessel load maximized. In the last 2 years, container shipping companies have savored extreme profitability scenario which they more than likely try and defend and should be reluctant to repeating the past “fill the ship” business model. For this to happen they have learnt to have discipling in controlling the balance between offer and demand. One of the ways in which they can control capacity is by blank sailings and or reduce number of services, to adjust capacity offer to the seasonal demands.

Blank sailings?

Blank sailings means basically that they cancel a vessels entire port rotation, or they skip a ports and or reduce sailing speeds to increase vessel rotation time. The net effect is to reduce the operational time of the ships.

Another aspect that could have an effect on ocean rates could begin as from 2023 when shipping lines must comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) sustainability and climate change regulations and targets, by which vessels must comply with Carbon Intensity Index (CII) by which vessels sailing speeds could be reduced, as this variable is one of the most significant in the CII. Additionally IMO 2030 and 2050 target by which vessels must reduce CII by 40% and 70% respectively, as well as reducing GHG emissions by 50% by 2050 is leading to exploring alternative fuels, such as green ammonia or hydrogen. Preliminary cost of this indicate current fuel cost could increase by a factor of 2.5 and 4. Who is going to pay for this? We are talking about trillions of dollars of extra costs…

Another issue related to sustainability is the existence of several older ships that do not comply with the new

environmental regulations, so they will be out of business, and this will reduce capacity to an extent.

Is there a significant quantity of these older ships? Probably somewhere between 4 and 6% of current vessels.

So what can we expect, how high will ocean freight rates stay?

No one really knows. The only sure thing is that before the pandemic the shipping companies worked with no margin. The EBITDA was like 2%, now it is 40%. In the last two years they have recovered many losses of the past. They paid their debts and are now financially healthy. Now shipping companies are also offering more services, like consolidation at the destination, land transportation, and customs clearance. Companies such as MSC, Maersk, and CMA are even entering the air freight business.

We are talking about ocean freight rates in general. But what about certain routes that may be more important to the peanut trade, like the Atlantic ones? Rates do not seem to be decreasing here… Yes, basically the Atlantic routes, from both North and South America, could take a little longer to go down. Port congestion remains very high, especially in Europe and on the US east coast. The truth is that ship congestion is still with us. However, we are seeing a reduction in ship use, so in the next few months, we should see a reduction. Here is an issue that may impact you. During the pandemic, besides building new ships, companies also started building more containers, and now, with the reduction of congestion and improving rotation and management, there is an excess of containers. These are empty containers in the ports that are contributing to the bottleneck which feeds congestions. All lines have a very high stock of containers, we see it here in Buenos Aires too.

Should we expect a difference between Brazil and Argentina in terms of fees?

What I hear is that Brazil keeps paying a premium. Because of this Brazil can have a preference from shipping companies.

What about the role of states? That is an interesting issue. After the huge ocean freight rate increases with the pandemic, many associations of freight forwarders, exporters, and other actors asked for state intervention, in many cases demanding the suspension of immunities from anti-trust laws that protected shipping companies in order to allow alliances. In the US, the Biden administration asked for a study by the Federal Maritime Commission. The findings, in short, were that while there have not been abuses or price fixing, there have been a lot of unjustified emergence detentions: additional fees for delays and storage. Shipping companies as result of the FMC arbitration required to settle agreements on some demurrage and detention charges they had invoice. Something similar is happening in the European Union.

Anti-trust is a big issue for shipping companies, I guess? Yes, but regulations can be tricky. In the 90s, there was something called the freight conferences, a system regulated by the state in the US, for example. When the conferences were canceled, ocean rates significantly dropped. So, if the state regulates the activity and rates again, as with the conference days, rates will more than likely be higher than if not regulated and controlled by the offer and demand.

tables

After shelling, kernels are still mixed with some foreign materials and unshelled peanuts. Different stages are needed to clean them as much as possible in preparation for color sorting.

There are various technologies available to help the industry find solutions, with densiometric machines the most commonly adopted in peanut-shelling plants. These are devices designed to separate products having the same particle size but different densities. An inclined perforated stepped screen deck, moved from an eccentric shaft system, vibrates while, from the bottom up to the deck and through the product, an airflow creates a fluid bed, moving the lower density product upward and placing the higher density product at the bottom.

We can classify this type of machine into two main categories: 1. gravity machines (  1), to be used when lower density product is to be removed, and 2. stoners (  2), deployed to eliminate the high-density product.

machines can be used for two main purposes.

A. To complement the shelling process

—

As described in the previous issue of WPM, proper shelling requires multiple steps in order to minimize the number of split kernels during the process.

As a complement to the shelling machines, gravity machines are needed to separate the shelled kernels from the unshelled ones from the previous stage. After the gravity process, the unshelled kernels are thus returned to a new shelling stage.

It is important to properly adjust the machine to avoid kernels returning to the shelling cylinders, as those kernels will certainly be subject to splitting

A top view of these machines will show 70–80% of the area covered with the higher density product, and the rest with the lower density one. It requires a continuous flow of both products leaving the machine to keep this separation line away from the two ends of the machine.

B. Foreign material removal

—

In addition to the first gravity machine, it is quite customary to see a second one at shelling plants. Its purpose is to perform a fine-tuning job, aiming to remove “foreign material pieces.” In this case, a top view of the machine will not show any visible separation between the two products, because the low-density product (foreign material) is present in a very low percentage. It is possible to observe the performance of the device by collecting the rejected product for a few minutes and finding the removed foreign material in the sample.

In the stoner machines, the light product is the main one, moved by air and the vibrations of the lower end of the deck, while the small portion of the heavy product is moved from the bottom toward the upper end of the deck.

A top view of the machines is more likely to be similar to the gravity machine employed as a complement to shelling, without a visible line between the heavy and light product.

This separation, though, is a rather simple one in view of the high difference in density between a peanut kernel and a stone, which makes the job of the machine much easier and efficient.

Keep the slotted screen very clean and do not allow the perforations through which the air passes to become obstructed.

Check the condition of the slotted screen frequently, since if the jump wears out, quality is lost in the process as well as production.

The air inlet filters to the machine must always be clean so that the machine provides airflow.

The density table must have an air suction hood on top to capture all the shell, skin, and dirt to prevent this from clogging the air intake filters.

Other equipment for foreign material removal before color sorting —

There are other options for removing foreign material, such as flat and rotative screens, aspirators, magnets, etc.

In the last few years, in Argentina, a stoner with a different functioning principle became more visible: the magnetic stoner separator, which does a very good job of removing clay balls coming from the fields.

It consists of a simple belt with a magnetic roller at the end which attracts the clay balls due to their iron content, thus achieving the separation from the main peanut flow in a simple and effective way (  3).

Here are a few recommendations to keep in mind for the maintenance of gravity separators  3

LMC Manufacturing, a tradition of the peanut industry

// Hello Lewis, can you explain briefly how your gravity separator works? A gravity separator makes its separation by removing a less dense product (i.e. unshelled peanut) from a more dense product (i.e. shelled peanut). Using an inclined and oscillating deck, the air is passed through the deck’s perforated screen covering. The dry, free-flowing product is fed to the deck for separation. In peanuts, almonds, edible beans and other large seeds, this bed of product is between 5cm to 12cm in depth on an LMC Marc Gravity Separator. With inclination, oscillation, and incoming air, the product bed be comes fluid. The surface of the product bed should look like a pot of water as it begins to boil with small bubbles bursting on the sur face. Do not boil, as boiling mixes the lighter material back into the heavier cleaned product. The separated products are then dis charged from the deck.

// Tell us a little bit of history about LMC and gravity machines: The Car ter family has been designing and manufacturing gravity sepa rators for over 80 years. The latest generation is named after the founder of our company, Marc Carter. The Marc 500 XL is the lat est and greatest of any gravity separator manufactured. It has been operating around the world with great success, cleaning different commodities for more than four years.

An interview with Lewis Carter from LMC regarding the new Marc 500 XL, the Georgia-based company’s latest release

// Can you give us some tips to better operate your gravity machines? There are three major requirements for a good separation:

1. An even airflow. The deck covering must be clean in order to provide air distribution.

2. Proper traction between the deck covering and the product being cleaned. The LMC Rippled Deck Screen creates this traction.

3. Constant speed to the eccentric shaft oscillation. The machine gets con fused and will not properly function with worn drive belts and sheaves.

// Any other attributes of the Marc Gravities? The Marc Gravities are typical LMC machines; sturdy and strongly built, quiet and energy efficient, per fectly balanced, and easy to operate. With their automatic discharge sys tem, the Marcs can sense the product flow rates and adjust accordingly.

The LMC Rippled Deck Screen covering is known around the world. The LMC Marc Gravities are the standard in peanuts and other large kernel products. The Marcs are manufactured to operate in a 24-hour-a-day envi ronment with minimum maintenance. The LMC Marc Gravity is designed to re move the light portion of a product from the incoming product. It will also re move insect damage, immature kernels, dead kernels, weed seeds, as well as weather damage.

// Any comment about the LMC Stoners? The LMC Marc Gravity has a co-worker, the LMC Roca Destoner that moves heavy foreign material from the incoming flow. While it is a very good machine to remove rocks, it is a very good machine to remove glass pieces also.

SPOTLIGHT ON SORTING: WHY THE FOOD INDUSTRY NEEDS TO THINK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

When businesses behave with sustainability, it’s not only society that benefits – this can also help bring in new business. Stefaan Kennis, Director of Strategy, Market Intelligence and Sustainability at TOMRA Food, explains whyand how technologies can make this easy.

Farmers, growers, food processors, packers, and retailers might not think sustainability has anything to do with them. That it matters only to large corporations, or that it’s merely a fashionable buzzword. But dis missing sustainability as irrelevant can be a costly mistake.

Far from being a fad, sustainability is here to stay and increasing in im portance, especially in industries which sell to consumers. Because con sumers are increasingly concerned about topics such as sustainabil ity, the environment, and fair treatment for workers, they expect food brands to handle these issues responsibly and ethically - and brands ex pect the same of their suppliers.

This might sound like an unwelcome burden to some businesses, but with responsibility comes rewards. Consumer-facing businesses can win customer loyalty and market share by taking corporate sustain ability seriously. And the food industry can compete more effectively for contracts from those consumer-facing businesses by understanding how their own behaviors can also incorporate sustainability.

So let’s see how, in addition to benefiting society, sustainability can be good for commerce. How it can be integrated into the food industry, and what business activities it can be applied to.

Customers expect it

More and more of today’s consumers think twice before making a pur chase, asking themselves if what they are about to buy was produced with a responsible approach to the environment and sustainability. Atti tudes vary across nations, generations, and industries, but as a brief over view, sustainability is rated as an important purchase criterion by 60% of consumers. This was one of the findings of the Global Sustainabil ity Study 2021 (conducted by global strategy and pricing consultancy Si mon-Kucher & Partners), which also found that more than a third of con sumers globally are willing to pay more for sustainability and in recent years 85% have become ‘greener’ in their purchasing.

This study, like others before it, identified that consumers below the age of 40 are more mindful of such issues than those who are older. The younger consumers are, the greater their awareness of how purchas ing decisions impact the world, and the more likely they are to buy from brands whose social causes they believe in. This is important now, and will be even more important in the near future: year by year, the younger generations (known by marketeers as Millennials and Gen Z) will repre sent an ever-greater share of the consumer demographic.

It’s not only public opinion or the dangers of climate change that propel sustainability up business agendas. Another significant factor is social media. Because online platforms give angry people the power to shout loudly and widely, commercial success today depends not only on win ning consumers’ hearts and minds, but also on not disappointing or of fending them. Any company that conspicuously fails to respect sustain ability issues - by being careless about the environment, perhaps, or by being wasteful of finite resources - can quickly fall out of favor with the buyers it depends on.

Making it easier for the food industry

The good news is that it’s easy for the food and agro-industry to take sus tainability seriously. This is made possible by the technologies offered by TOMRA Food, the world’s leading manufacturer of sensor-based sorting solutions and integrated post-harvest solutions for the food industry.

Because TOMRA’s sorters can detect and eject unwanted materials from manufacturing and processing lines according to their color, shape, size,

structure, and even their biological characteristics, they are famous for setting high standards in food safety and product quality. Less wellknown, however, is the fact that TOMRA’s solutions also help achieve eco-efficiency. What’s more, TOMRA’s solution platforms can be tailored to almost every kind of food: potatoes, vegetables, fresh and processed fruits, berries, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and grains, proteins, pet food, and confectionery.

Reducing food loss and waste is critical to reduce production costs and in crease the efficiency of the food system, improve food security and nu trition, and contribute to environmental sustainability. Food loss occurs along the food supply chain starting from post-harvest losses on the farm up to but not including the retail stage. Food waste refers to food that is discarded at the level of retailers, food service providers and consumers.

It is by reducing food loss that today’s sorting and grading solutions also enhance yields and profits. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Or ganization (FAO) warns that by 2050 global food demand will increase by about 50%, yet only 20% more land can be brought into productive use. This means existing resources must be used much more effectively. Sus tainability and survival are inextricably linked.

Again, answers can be found in technology. A recent European Parlia ment report - ‘Technology options for feeding 10 billion people’ - pointed out that sustainability can be improved in many ways by automating food manufacturing and processing lines. The benefits of automation, the report observed, include “optimizing product quality” and “reducing quality losses and defects.”

This is certainly true in TOMRA’s experience. TOMRA’s sorters and grad ers are designed and developed (and fine-tuned on site) to remove un wanted materials and imperfect products without throwing away good products. TOMRA’s solutions achieve an exceptionally low good-in-bad reject ratio - and if some good product is ejected from the line, it can often be recovered by running it through a sorter for a second time, or recuper ated for sale at a lower grade. As a result, TOMRA’s sorting and grading solutions increase the yield of produce, put a big tick in the box labeled ‘sustainability’, and give users a competitive advantage.

Further improvement is possible

Future reductions in food losses will be better still, not least because we are entering the era of digitalization. A good example is how all TOMRA’s sorting platforms are connectable to the TOMRA Insight data platform, which gathers data in near real-time and stores this securely in the cloud. Live data can be reacted to immediately (and remotely) to optimize machine settings; historical data can be processed into actionable information to unlock improvements in machine performance. Such data analysis will become increasingly valuable as we move into a digitized future, transforming sorting and grading from an operational process into a strategic management tool.

And making the effort to adopt sustainable business practices is not so different from investing in TOMRA solutions: as well as being good for the planet, it helps protect that most valuable of business assets, brand reputation.

About TOMRA Food

TOMRA Food designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest solutions for the food industry. We innovate the world’s most advanced analytical technology and apply it to grading, sorting, and peeling.

Over 12,800 units are installed at food growers, packers, and processors worldwide for confectionery, fruit, dried fruit, grains and seeds, potato products, proteins, nuts, and vegetables. The company’s mission is to enable its customers to improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, and ensure a safe food supply via innovative, useable technologies. To achieve this, TOMRA Food operates centers of excellence, regional offices, and manufacturing locations within the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

TOMRA Food is a member of the TOMRA Group that was founded on an innovation in 1972 that began with the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems that optimize resource recovery and minimize waste in the food, recycling and, mining industries and is committed to building a more sustainable future.

TOMRA has ~100,000 installations in over 80 markets worldwide and had total revenues of ~10.9 billion NOK in 2021. The Group employs ~4,600 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: TOM). For further information about TOMRA , please see www.tomra.com

MEDIA CONTACTS

Nuria Martí

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Marijke Bellemans

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The association between peanuts and allergies generated some amount of confusion in the past, so we decided to take a look at recent research on this subject and summarize the current status of the recommendations from doctors and health authorities.

Studies found that peanut consumption at a very early age may reduce the risk of allergy in babies

The Advantages of an Early Start

Allergies in general are caused by dysfunctions of the immune system triggered by things such as insects’ venom, food, paint, dust, and many other substances that may be found in the environment. Food allergies are rather concentrated in certain items, which account for about 90% of cases: tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and peanuts. These allergies are triggered by proteins in the food which cause a reaction of the immune system, usually generating unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous, symptoms. In most cases, allergies are not life-threatening, but the reactions can be quite unpredictable, and can occasionally cause a condition known as anaphylaxis, which involves serious problems with the skin and, in some cases, with the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Anaphylaxis can be highly dangerous.

It is estimated that about 1-2% of the US population has some level of peanut allergy. The allergy can last for a person’s life, however, according to the Peanut Institute, a US-based organization that funds and supports peanut-related research, in 20% of cases it can be outgrown.

Up to a few years ago, the recommendation from most doctors was to avoid the consumption of peanuts until the age of three.

As Dr. Edmond Chan and others explain in a recent article published in the National Library of Medicine, “In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended delaying the introduction of peanuts until 3 years of age. This advice was based on expert opinion rather than on prospective clinical trials… Although early clinical practice guidelines recommended delaying the introduction of peanut and other allergenic foods in children, this may have in fact contributed to the dramatic increase in the prevalence of food allergy in recent decades. In January 2017, new guidelines on peanut allergy prevention were released which represented a significant paradigm shift in early food introduction.” More recent research, in fact, strongly suggests that consumption of peanuts starting from the early age of 11 months may help prevent a future allergy. A landmark study was the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanuts) research. As the website of the Ngo FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) explains, the study “Funded in part by FARE… followed more than

600 children for more than four years to answer that question. Babies enrolled in the LEAP study were at high risk for developing peanut allergy because they already had severe eczema, egg allergy, or both.” It “transformed the guidance that pediatricians and allergists/immunologists give to parents about when to introduce peanut foods to children at high risk for food allergies. The LEAP study was inspired by the observation that, among children of Jewish heritage, peanut allergy was ten times more common in the UK, where peanut introduction was delayed, compared to Israel, where peanut-based puffs are a popular baby snack. Could eating peanuts early in life protect against peanut allergy?”

As FARE announces, “For babies at high risk for peanut allergy, eating peanut foods early and regularly reduced the risk of peanut allergy by more than 80 percent, compared to peanut avoidance…

Dr. Chan explains that “Given the surmounting evidence demonstrating the benefit of early allergenic food introduction— particularly the findings of the landmark LEAP study—the NIAID (the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) released addendum guidelines for the prevention of peanut allergy in January 2017 … The new guidelines recommend that the highest risk infants—those with severe eczema and/or egg allergy—be introduced to age-appropriate peanut-containing food as early as 4–6 months of age to reduce the risk of peanut allergy.“

Bühler’s SORTEX H boasts an impressive 50% yield increase for nut processors

The SORTEX H

SpectraVision: a nextlevel optical sorter designed to meet today’s demands for nut sorting

The Swiss Bühler Group has launched its latest optical sorter for a range of applications, including nuts: the SORTEX H SpectraVision. Powered by brand new MerlinAi sorting algorithms, the solution pushes optical sorting to the next level of usability, performance, and product traceability.

Using the best of British and Swiss engineering know-how, the SORTEX H SpectraVision is the result of Bühler’s 75 years of experience in optical sorting. It offers three key benefits for nut processors: unmatched ease of use, high performance, and enhanced connectivity, contributing to increased sustainability and now available with up to seven chutes.

Ease of use

Processors today must tackle an ever-increasing number of defects as a result of climate change and pesticide reduction. With its individual defect removal control, the SORTEX H enables processors to maintain sort quality with ease. “With a simplified and much more intuitive software navigation, the operator can adjust the machine exactly according to the requirements of their customers,” says Stefano Bonacina, Head of Market Segment Nuts & Dried Fruits at Bühler.

High performance

The SORTEX H also delivers up to 50% higher reject concentrations. “The return on investment for this new model has been drastically shortened, thanks to its high reject concentration and reduction of false rejects - along with an increase in the level of production per module,” Bonacina adds.

Supplying maximum yields is in line with Bühler’s goal to reduce energy, waste and water by 50% in its customers’ value chains by 2025 and to develop sustainable solutions to feed the world population of 10 billion by 2050.

Enhanced connectivity

Additionally, enhanced connectivity increases value for nut processors. Over 500 data points can be downloaded every second and sent to Bühler Insights to optimize and track performance. Processors can monitor and control their machine performance from anywhere in the world, in line with Industry 4.0 standards. Real-time tracking of sorting performance and emergency warnings are also possible thanks to the SORTEX Monitoring System.

MerlinAi: innovation, not magic

The SORTEX H SpectraVision, which is capable of handling a range of applications including: nuts, wheat, rye, oats, grains, coffee and pulses, is powered by brand new MerlinAi sorting algorithms. “MerlinAi is the new brain of Bühler’s SORTEX optical sorting machines,” says Melvyn Penna, Product Manager at Bühler. “Its advanced multi-layer sorting algorithms ensure a consistently higher yield for processors, as less good product is lost in the reject stream.”

Superior defect reduction means acceptable quality can be met even with input material of a lower quality. “These all-new calibration and product tracking algorithms ensure that machine performance remains steady and high, giving processors greater flexibility,” says Penna.

The new fully digital engine also delivers crucial data and reports regard ing processors’ products and any defects detected, allowing them to reply to the latest traceability demands of their end consumers.

Making its mark

Despite its recent introduction to the market since its launch, multiple customers have been enjoying the benefits of SORTEX H SpectraVision already. This highlights the machine’s improved efficiency, helping many processors to increase their productivity, not only thanks to its accuracy while removing the most complex defects, but also due to its stability: a direct result of Bühler’s all new calibration, product tracking and sorting algorithms (MerlinAi) ensuring that the machine performance will be consistent over time.

Bühler SORTEX will be sharing the success of this revolutionary release over the coming months. For now, the SORTEX H can be examined live at any of Bühler’s test centers worldwide; it is another strength of the company, having specialized offices around the world, especially in the main peanut producing and exporting countries, where it also offers highly trained after-sales service and spare-parts stock.

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