Potato Review

NEWS www. tongengineering .com e: sales@tongengineering.com t: +44 (0)1790 752771 > Gentle Handling > Advanced Design > Intelligent Control INNOVATIVE DESIGN FROM FARM TO PACK TURNKEY PROCESSING SOLUTIONS OPTICAL SORTING IN-FIELD & ON-FARM UNRIVALLEDCLEANING&GRADING ADVANCED BOX HANDLING WASHING & POLISHING THE COMPLETE SOLUTION Designed with you in mind 10 POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 Wonky potatoes: A challenge for packers and processors WHILE British consumers are being urged to accept smaller, non-conformist potatoes, following recent drought impacts, packers and processors will need to ensure their production lines are equipped to handle the smaller tubers, it has been claimed. Processors and packers may need to check their machinery lines are able to cope with greater variability, according to Paul Wilson, Managing Director at Scorpion Vision, a UK- based provider of machine vision automation systems. He said processing systems guided by classic machine vision do not have the intelligence to handle non-uniform produce - the only way of maintaining line e‰ciencies in the face of variability is by implementing processing and inspection systems that combine AI with 3D vision. Traditional systems for sorting, grading and inspecting use classic 3D vision to look for features in the product image. This can only look for features that conform to a pattern or shape that is expected. However, wonky vegetables don’t come in a fixed size, shape or colour, and this inherent variability translates to compromised processing performance. Paul said AI-powered vision tech, an option that has only become commercially viable and available in the last few years, is one way of tackling this and helping to avoid unnecessary waste. It has the ability to look at and analyse each individual vegetable before making a decision on how to process it. The machine simply needs to be shown some examples in a variety of conditions and it will learn what to look for, enabling it to formulate its own conclusion about what it is seeing. Lidl lowers tuber expectations in support of growers LIDL GB has announced its support for potato suppliers across Great Britain, helping them tackle the challenge of a growing quantity of stunted crop owing to the hot, dry weather. The retailer recently wrote to all its British fresh produce suppliers to o”er support and look for ways to ensure crops do not go to waste. The supermarket will work closely with suppliers to identify key crop challenges, and where possible work to accommodate these products within its existing lines. Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell said the value chain will help to prevent perfectly good, quality produce from going to waste because of variations in specifications. He said: “Whilst some supermarkets have chosen to create a separate ‘wonky veg’ label for items that don’t quite fit a certain specification, we don’t believe in a creating a false market. Instead, we have always strived to work collaboratively with our suppliers to ensure that we are flexible with variations in specifications at di”erent times of the year. However, now, more than ever, it’s critical that we and the rest of the sector get behind our suppliers.”