Efficiency will keep firms out of deep water

By Sarah Britton

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Sheffield Sheffield hallam university

Manufacturers must improve their water efficiency as they are set to bear the brunt of costs when the price of water soars, an expert has...

Manufacturers must improve their water efficiency as they are set to bear the brunt of costs when the price of water soars, an expert has warned.

“We could end up in a situation where the price of water is as volatile as oil,” said Dr Wayne Martindale, a research fellow in food innovation at Sheffield Hallam University. He stated that the UK was set to experience a more Mediterranean climate, which would have a negative financial impact on food manufacturers. “Water will get very expensive to use and my gut feeling is that the manufacturers will have to take on board the price - not the consumers.”

He claimed that manufacturers needed to take the same approach with water they took with energy management. “We’ll definitely see manufacturers measuring their water footprints - it’s already happened in the academic world.

“In the future, the basics, such as knowing where water leaks are, will not be enough. Manufacturers are already looking at drainage plans because of pollution and HACCP [hazard analysis critical control points], but now they need to look at it in order to monitor water management.”

Unlike energy, where the majority is consumed before ingredients reach the farm gate, the bulk of water in the food supply chain is used in processing, explained Martindale. He said that four or five litres of water were required to produce the ingredients for a slice of bread, but that turning those ingredients into bread required 40l of water. “The 36l of water utilised from farm to fork will be increasingly visible in terms of cost and regulation,” he claimed.

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