Play smart with tech
Sir, I read with great interest ‘Is the smart money on smart tech?’ (2 July, p28). The rise in omnichannel retailing and new smart technology is driving retailers to make key investments that help manage demand and fulfil customer expectations.
However, while new in-store technology can aid customer service and reduce long-term costs, retailers can’t simply plug and play most solutions. It’s vital they are fully supported and integrated into their operations to provide valuable insights that enable them to improve sales and customer satisfaction. Those that go the extra mile to integrate people and processes will be the ones that succeed in today’s tough retail environment.
Neville Payne, VP, Checkpoint UK
Waste opportunities
Sir, At Pukka Pies wherever there is waste, there is an opportunity to continuously improve a process and save money, as well as do our bit for the environment. Redesigning processes and machinery to assist in the control and reduction of waste is always supported, both financially and practically. We have invested not only in modern machinery and process design, but also in our employees’ knowledge of waste and waste reduction. Over the last two years we have invested heavily in automation, which in turn has reduced the handling of products, resulting in fewer pies wasted by damage. In the future we will continue to work closely with existing and new suppliers to avoid waste through rejection of raw materials, and we will continuously invest in initiatives to reduce the waste we generate. We will track and record waste in order to design and implement control measures, and where waste is unavoidable we will look to rework it through process operations, energy reclamation, or through third-party operations such as renewable energy initiatives via anaerobic digestion. We have extended our activity with charitable organisations such as FareShare and local charities such as Helping Hands.
Stephen Ward, new products and process development officer, Pukka Pies
Dairy UK backs campaign
Sir, Dairy UK strongly supports The Grocer’s Waste Not Want Not campaign to reduce food waste. Our organisation has a strong track record in terms of waste reduction.
The 2015 Dairy Roadmap and our 2015 Environmental Benchmarking report highlighted that the proportion of landfill waste out of total waste has decreased by 25% since 2008, with an 18% increase in waste recovered or recycled. Several dairy processing sites have also been working with food banks and companies such as FareShare.
We’re also proud to be a signatory of Courtauld 2025. In partnership with Wrap we have set up a specific dairy working group, which will involve dairy stakeholders, retailers, and Wrap experts in tackling some of the main issues around food waste in the sector.
The Waste Not Want Not campaign is a sterling initiative and we hope that the food and drink supply chain will step up to the plate.
Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive, Dairy UK
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