Entrepreneurship Development in Food Processing

Food industry and engineering—Quo vadis?

Since the 1980s power distribution in agrofood networks has changed in many countries in Africa, Latin-America, South Asia, and the postsocialist countries in Europe and Asia. In the course of economic liberalization, retail and wholesale trade as well as the food processing and agroscience sector were opened up to foreign investment. Within the frame of such liberalization many states gradually refrained from directly governing this sector and reregulated the trade in a way that gave private companies the possibility to implement new power structures. We analyze the so-called ‘Food Chain Partnership’ (FCP) program implemented by the transnational company Bayer in India as an example for private governance in agrofood networks. Bayer is advancing and coordinating relations between the food processing and retailing industry and farmers. We explore whether such private activity can substitute for the activities of state institutions in governing agrofood networks. As the case study will show, the FCP model is highly selective in terms of farmers, who can participate (criteria include minimum farm size, irrigation facility, literacy, agricultural practices, and mobile phones), the crops that are covered, and the information passed on to the farmers. This limits the potential of market-driven instruments like the FCP to replace the traditional trade system as they concentrate only on those regions and products which are promising most profit to the companies. The global production network approach builds the analytical framework of this paper.

Modern agriculture and the food industry have a chance to apply modern technologies related to Industry 4.0. In this context, the review discusses the benefits that the food industry can have from incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) into its production processes and control system. The application of IoT will enable companies to more easily and efficiently achieve the set goals of the organization, produce high-quality and safe food and demand and expectations of consumers. This paper presents the latest knowledge about the potential application of IoT and its importance in the food production and processing sector, primarily in the food industry. In addition, the paper describes some barriers that obstruct the application of IoT in the food processing sector. Finally, the future trends of IoT research and application in this sector are listed. The Internet of Things has the potential to contribute to the improvement of the food industry and the food sector as a whole. This potential refers to: the overall practice of sustainability of the sector, improvement of working conditions, reduction of production costs, more efficient use of raw materials, reduction of energy consumption, reduction of the amount of waste and creation of environmentally friendly products.

The entrepreneurship development approach in the agri business sector summarised in this paper presents an “ideal” approach towards selection of potential start-up candidates, their training, capacity building and guidance over preparation of a bankable business plan as well as on 1 subsequent monitoring . Other than tracing the approach and methodology of the intervention, this paper also presents case studies on successful start-ups facilitated using a related intervention frame-work in Maharashtra reflecting the rationale for start-up, entrepreneur profile, basic project parameters and demand conditions vis-a-vis the project. The cases considered present a mix in terms of entrepreneurs who have received a preliminary “Letter of Intent” (LoI) from financial institutions (virtually an in-principle sanction of loan facility), to those who also have recently been sanctioned loans as well as those who have commenced operations sustainably. This mix provides a flavour of diverse circumstances in these important stages of an enterprise start-up. The cases cover entrepreneurship in the agri business sector. Apparently,the agro and food processing industry has experienced consistent growth in demand over the last five years till 2016, as economies across the globe continued to consume processed fruits, vegetable and other food products in ever growing degree with ever increasing consumer spend. Notably, demand for processed food products has grown faster in the developing economies as industrial and economic growth has translated into greater levels of urbanisation, higher per capita incomes and expansion in the size of the middle-class. As the global “middle-class” segment has grown, it demands larger quantities of higher quality and more-diverse processed food. Despite the potential, the agro and food processing or agri business sector confronts a scenario of inadequate investment in post-harvest facilities, primary as well as secondary processing leading to losses ranging from 5 to30 per cent in different sub-sectors of the sector which is virtually a national loss. There is apparently a need for dedicated entrepreneurship development and start-up focused interventions to link entrepreneurs with sector potential for valueaddition as well as employment generation. Notably, interventions along these lines are presently being undertaken successfully under the World Bank assisted Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP) by the Agri Business Promotion Facility (ABPF) operated by the Grant Thornton India LLP. About 660 start-ups are being catalysed and incubated to provide employment to at least 6,000 persons directly and indirectly. The start-ups are largely agro processing enterprises typically with investment in terms of project cost ranging from 15 lakh to 40 lakh. A few have also entailed investment of over 1 crore.In addition, over 240 Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) start-ups are also being facilitated. The 900 to 1000 plus start-ups are being facilitated within a period of barely one year. This paper presents case illustrations of a few successful interventions catalysed in this perhaps very significant intervention in the developing world. Essentially, the paper validates an intervention approach that could efficiently complement the start-up initiative of the Government of India. It could also serve as a model for replication by related practitioners and institutions across the globe.

Food processing sector acts as an essential bridge between the agriculture and industrial sector, which is requisite for overall development of an economy. India has a diverse climatic condition which is capable of providing a raw material base for food processing companies. Despite of being one of the largest producers of raw material for the Food Processing Industry (FPI) in the world, the FP industry is not fully developed. It calls for considerable capital investments. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can be one of the best alternatives for this investment. The government is trying to attract FDI in this sector by providing transparent and investment friendly climate. The government has started a “Make in India” initiative which seeks to club the demand and supply advantages within India. Government is dynamically promoting the concept of Mega Food Parks (MFPs) to attract FDI. But still major constraints in expanding the food processing sector are investment and lack of adequate infrastructure facilities. The objective of this paper is to analyze the importance of FDI inflow in the food processing sector by using time series data and government policy response over the time to strengthen the industry.

The agriculture and food processing sectors are essential, meeting the fundamental needs of global populations. However, it is crucial to adopt sustainable practices that fulfill these needs while minimizing environmental impact. Climate change, once a theoretical concern, is now an urgent and tangible challenge, requiring immediate action to mitigate its effects. As such, all human activities, particularly those in resource-intensive sectors like agriculture, must be reevaluated. This study explores and reviews the potential of applying waterjet systems and their evolution in agricultural and food processes to improve efficiency and minimize resource consumption; while the use of pure waterjet technology for soft foods has emerged as an established practice, its extension to agricultural applications and the use of abrasive waterjet in this field are still in the research and experimentation phase. This work presents preliminary results, discussing the key waterjet components, their economical modeling, and food safety. Three main categories of applications—cutting of soft, plant-based products, cutting of animal products, and in-field agricultural applications—are reviewed, with detailed use cases on strawberry de-calyxing, meat–bone cutting and sugarcane harvesting, respectively. These applications are analyzed by highlighting waterjet main advantages in terms of cutting performance, as well as food quality and preservation.. At the end, future directions are delineated, suggesting potential advancements that could allow us to replace traditional methods with more innovative and sustainable alternatives. A specific focus is given to abrasive ice waterjets.

1 - Waste minimization, management and co-product recovery in food processing: an introduction

Food processing sector is the transformation of raw agricultural products into food or one form of food into other forms. Food processing comprises many forms of processing foods starting from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex industrial methods of food processing and it is used to make convenience foods. The Indian Food and Beverage Industry is evolving as a high-profit sector and contributes about 3 % of India's GDP with the value of two-thirds of the total retail market in India. The projected revenue in the food and beverage business segment is estimated to show a CAGR growth rate of 14.2 percent from the year 2020 to 2024. The study was carried out in June 2022 with the objective is to analyze the constraints faced by startups in the food processing industries, for this study 30 key informants were selected from each start-up food processing industry in three districts namely Trichy, Dindugal, and Coimbatore and all the three districts, the Key Informants was asked collectively to list the constraints faced by the start-up food processing industry through the participatory method. The Rank Based Quotient (RBQ) value for the insufficient connection between production and processing is 84.67 and ranked first among the infrastructure constraint which implies that lack of infrastructure godowns for storage and linkages with the traders. The delay in sanction of loans was the major constraint with RBQ of 76.67 and ranked first among the policy constraint. The delay in sanction of loans makes the new startups innovate the new products in the market, which bags their product diversification in the market. The tedious channels for financial transactions with an RBQ value of 59.33 and a high rate of interest for loans with an RBQ of 57.33. The lack of knowledge on Post-harvest technologies with an RBQ value of 70.67, shows the lack of training on the handling of new and improved post-harvest equipment for product diversification. In the marketing constraint, the challenges in identifying the specific market for the product was ranked first among the marketing constraint with an RBQ value of 77.33. The hindrance in the identification of specific market for their produce bags their profit, they forced to sale their produce in markets in which they will not able to get better remunerative for their produce. The Policy would seek to create a favorable environment for the Agri-preneurs to start Food Processing sectors through fiscal initiatives/interventions, which will facilitate the establishment of low-cost pre-cooling and cold chain units proximal to the agricultural farms. It also facilitates the establishment of cold storage units and sorting grading, and hi-tech packing facilities to reduce post-harvest wastages and improve the quality of products and the shelf life.

In 2019, a staggering 931 million tons of food went to waste, which is equal to about 17% of all the food available in stores. Dealing with this waste and managing wastewater from various industries will be among the world’s top challenges soon. This is because the global population is expected to grow to around 9 billion people by 2050. Food processing effluent is characterized by valuable material in considerable concentrations, including proteins and lipids with low concentrations of heavy metals and toxicants. Developing an integrated management system for food-processing wastewater should focus on recovering abundant resources, improving the economic value of the process, and mitigating the organic contaminant in the food-processing effluent. This state-of-the-art will review the wastewater management processes of the food processing industry. The latest wastewater treatment processes in different food processing sectors will be reviewed. This review will encompass various physicochemical treatment and recovery techniques, such as precipitation, membrane technology, solvent extraction, foam fractionation, adsorption, and aqueous two-phase systems. Additionally, it will delve into bio-treatment processes that leverage microorganisms and/or enzymes to utilize nutrients found in food-processing wastewater as cost-effective substrates for the production of valuable products. This includes a detailed examination of microalga biomass production within wastewater treatment systems. Finally, the review will put forward future research directions aimed at integrating the principles of the circular economy and developing comprehensive food-processing wastewater management systems.

In ensuring growth and development collaborative State-Business relations (SBRs) matters, and with economic growth comes increasing levels of employment, options for poverty reduction and hence more equitable development. Whereas it is known that SBR matters at a macro-economic level, the concept of SBR has also been employed in a more or less all-encompassing way in the literature. Accordingly, while it is clear that SBRs work, there is lack knowledge about which dimensions of SBRs are the most important. Due to the continued importance of agriculture in many developing countries, processing of the food produced in the sector is a key manufacturing activity of high economic importance to many economies. Ensuring collaborative SBRs in the food processing industry is therefore of interest to growth and development, particularly as it is a sector about which little is known about the role of SBRs. The paper attempts to examine how and why SBRs matter to and influence the growth and performance of local owned firms in the food processing sub-sector in Zambia. In particular, the paper analyses the roles and influence of government regulations and policies compared to those of business associations for the performance of the food processing sector in Zambia. The paper draws on primary data from a survey of firms in the food processing sector which was conducted between 2013 and 2014. It is shown that while the majority of the Zambian food processing firms experienced growth over the last five years, with increased employment and in a number of cases growing earnings, this seems to have happened in spite of a business environment which is not particularly supportive. The firms’ experience is that the SBRs mainly constitute institutional barriers to the performance of firms and highlight that formal government institutions and polices are incapable of assisting the firms and in most cases government institutions formulate and enact insufficient support schemes.

With regard to mounting global environmental challenges and urgent demand for sustainable practices, there exists a struggle for food processing firms to adopt green innovation, given the sectors’ substantial contribution towards food waste and institutional challenges. Addressing this gap, the current study aims to examine the influence of green strategic orientation (GSO), green innovation (GI), and government support (GS) on the sustainable performance (SP) of the food processing sector in India, drawing on NRBV and Stakeholder theory. The present study considers the collective influence of green entrepreneurial orientation and green market orientation as key dimensions of green strategic orientation. Using stratified random sampling, the study collected data from 541 respondents during the period of March to June 2025 through a survey method. To enhance methodological rigor, the study employed structural equation modelling using SMART PLS along with discriminant analysis. The findings from discriminant analysis identifies effectiveness of each government support factor to distinguish varying levels of green innovation in the food processing sector. As per PLS-SEM observations, both dimensions exhibit significant influence on GI ( R 2 = 72.5%), while government support emerges as a strong predictor for SP, explaining 85.8% of its variance. These outcomes highlight the strategic importance of GEO, GMO, GI, and government support in transforming intangible resources into tangible sustainability outcomes, by offering actionable thoughts for policymakers and industry leaders to strengthen environmental resilience and long-term sustainability in the food sector.

This study aims to empirically test a comprehensive interrelationship between green supply chain management (GSCM), green technology innovation (GTI), waste management (WM), big data analytics capability powered by artificial intelligence (BDAC-AI), and their collective impact on sustainable performance (SP) in organizational contexts. This study was conducted in Pakistan's food processing sector. The respondents included 495 managers working in the food processing industry. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach is used to examine direct and indirect relationships between the variables. The originality of this study lies in integration of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and dynamic capability theory (DCT) to understand sustainable practices in the context of the provided model. This study highlights that GSCM, GTI, WM, and BDAC-AI have positive, strong, and direct impacts on SP. Furthermore, GTI and WM only partially mediate the link between GSCM and SP, whereas the two moderate the link. In addition, BDAC-AI had a moderating effect on the relationship between GTI and SP. This study has managerial implications, including strategies that involve the use of theoretical frameworks for technological acceptance and dynamic capabilities to support sustainable initiatives. However, it is worth noting that the findings provide a practical contingency for managers and businesses interested in implementing green studies effectively, improving technologies, and strengthening sustainable performance capabilities. The study extends the literature by establishing a model for operationalizing GSCM in the food processing sector. Furthermore, it adds value in that it first integrates TAM and DCT to explain sustainable operations and their impact on organizations. Furthermore, it extends the existing literature by establishing a relationship between GSCM and SC. It offers a model through which GSCM can be operationalized in the context of the FS sector.

This study targets to discover the drivers of the food processing sector in Assam, which is one of the seven states in the North Eastern Region of India. In the earlier section of the study, it tends to discover the significance, challenges and constraints of the sector through various studies to find how important human resources and skills are in developing the sector. It, then, displays the overall performance and the status of North Eastern Region’s food processing sector whereby Assam is found to be the leading state in terms of output and productivity. With the discovery of Assam’s outstanding performance, this study analyzes the status of the region’s human resources and skills development and finally, proves that Assam’s food processing industry is better off due to its relatively advanced human resource.

Cold plasma is being used in numerous fields, including food processing. The applications of cold plasma in food processing include germination, disinfestation, disinfection, property modification, pesticide reduction, allergen reduction, and toxicity reduction. However, there are a few crucial challenges in applying cold plasma to food materials that must be tackled to commercialize this technology in the food processing sector. Thus, the chapter was aimed at addressing the challenges faced and the expertise to handle the challenges encountered. This chapter covers the advanced applications of cold plasma in food processing, the challenges faced, and possible avenues for eliminating the challenges.

Industrial food processing plays a crucial role in the global food supply but faces significant sustainability challenges, including high energy consumption, excessive waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. This study used a literature review, analyzing 32 articles between 2010 - 2024. This study explores sustainable food processing practices that can enhance efficiency while mitigating environmental impacts. It highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions, such as renewable energy integration, energy recovery systems, and non-thermal preservation methods, which can reduce resource consumption and improve food safety. It also addresses the importance of waste reduction strategies and eco-friendly packaging to minimize plastic pollution. The role of advanced technologies, including IoT and AI, is emphasized for optimizing operations and reducing energy use. Moreover, regulatory frameworks and policies, such as the Paris Agreement, are vital in promoting sustainable practices within the food industry. However, barriers to adopting new technologies, such as high initial costs and consumer resistance, must be addressed through government incentives and educational initiatives. The food processing sector can achieve a more sustainable future by fostering stakeholder collaboration and increasing consumer awareness. This review aims to contribute valuable insights and recommendations for future research, emphasizing the collective responsibility of industry and academia in achieving sustainability in food systems.