Losses in processes – reducing process waste in UHT milk production: The term TetraPak is one which is familiar to most consumers – it is the name you will see on the card cartons in which milk, juice and other liquid products are frequently packaged. The Tetra group offers a broader range of food processing solutions besides the TetraPak. For example, they offer a processing solution which can reduce the wastage in UHT milk production. UHT milk is processed from normal milk and, once processed, passed to a sterile filling machine. However, like most food processing equipment, both the milk processing equipment and the filling machine need to be cleaned regularly. If the filling machine requires cleaning, product loss can occur, increasing the overall process waste. Tetra’s solution to reducing the process waste is to install an aseptic holding tank between the processing equipment and the filling machine. This tank holds the milk temporarily in a sterile environment. This means that the filling machine or the UHT processing equipment can be cleaned without the process stopping, or without any loss or impairment of product.

a. Do you think waste which is regarded as ‘normal’ in a process should remain unchallenged? Justify your answer with suitable example.

b. How would you value waste in the UHT milk production described above? Explain with an example.