Member News: FPS Food Process Solutions Celebrates World Food Day 2020

Vancouver, BC – The Covid-19 global health crisis is a time for us to reflect on what we truly cherish and our most basic need – food. FPS celebrates World Food Day on October 16, 2020 by calling on sustainable food systems to reduce food waste.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the world has made significant progress in improving food systems however food waste still remains an issue. In fact, 1.3 billion tonnes of food production is wasted every year. As an industrial freezer manufacturer, FPS contributes to the reduction of food waste through innovative freezing technology. Frozen foods have always been around, where consumers buy and consume only what they need, thereby reducing the amount of food wasted. Freezing reduces food waste by prolonging the products’ shelf life, as well as reducing chemical reactions and microbial growth. In fact, by focusing on eliminating contamination during the freezing process, the resulting product maintains quality, taste and nutritional value.

Our FPS Food Heroes

At FPS, employees from all walks of life from around the world have one thing in common – passion for the food industry. To help celebrate World Food Day, FPS is proud to participate by recognizing some of our heroes through their stories.

Meet Jodie Zhao, Sales and Marketing, Canada, a recent food science graduate from the University of British Columbia. Jodie’s philosophy in food is akin to her love of music – “I started playing piano as a young girl and this same passion to explore my creative side, gives me the same drive to explore food concepts to the fullest.” While studying and living in Canada, she was particularly surprised in the abundance of food available in the country as well as the amount of food wasted. Not only is consumer consumption behaviour a major challenge in combating efforts to reduce food waste, but poor preservation techniques have also contributed to additional costs to the consumer, not to mention to the detriment of the environment. “I learned from my grandparents their love of food and how important it is to family. If I can take what I have learned and do something about it, I can help others.”

Marcos Nardin, Project Management, Canada, studied mechanical engineering and design in both Brazil and Canada. Passionate about food safety and hygiene, Marcus spent 12 years in the food processing industry, learning different approaches to hygiene standards throughout the food chain. “When I first came to Canada, I was amazed at how diverse the people were and their openness to others. I had heard of FPS when I was living in Brazil and saw this as an opportunity to bring my experience in project management in the food processing industry to this country.” So why food? “Why not?” says Marcos, “The world needs good quality food.”

Richard Quelo, Sales Manager, France and Southern Europe, reminisces of his days growing up in the family’s bakery business as a young boy. “I remember helping my father, cleaning the shop and smelling fresh baked bread and croissants. Born in Nantes in Western France, Richard started his career in the food industry as a sales representative at a Dutch brewery. In fact, Western France represents ¼ of France’s agro-related jobs including food processing industries. Reflecting on his network of long-term grocery, retail and food distribution contacts, Richard knows that the quality of the equipment used to process food plays a huge role in consumer confidence. Says Richard, “Food is in my genes. I am passionate about working in one of the best industries. People deserve high quality food.”

Rianne Jansen van Rosendaal, Project Manager, Netherlands, emphasizes the importance of good food leads to good health. As a personal trainer and nutritionist, Rianne quickly utilized her skills in educating her customers in the importance of food safety and hygiene, especially in reducing food waste through freezing. “People think frozen food has a negative connotation. In fact, by freezing food and storing food the right way, it still retains its nutritional value, not to mention the life span of the food product. In Europe, we eat healthy meals but everyone should be aware of what you buy. By only buying what you need, you don’t need to throw away food. It’s better for our planet.”

Jack Zhang, Project Manager, China, has a long history developing his career in the industrial machinery sector. Starting with his first job out of college, Jack made a point to learn everything he could about the company but always knew he could go on to bigger and better things. “Food hygiene standards affects everyone. I want to do my small part to help communities that do not have access to good, quality food a better chance,” says Jack. When he first joined FPS earlier this year, he felt emboldened by the company’s mission to set a very high standard in food hygiene. “Customers in China are quite keen in advances in technology that can help their industry. By focusing on the domestic market, I feel quite honoured to make a contribution to China’s food industry and in turn, help make an impact in reducing food waste.”

#WorldFoodDay #FoodHeroes