Supermarket Perimeter - October 2021 - 65

INSIDER
SPOTLIGHT
Entrees
OPERATIONS
Energy
PEELERS
by Andy Nelson
CONSUMER DEMAND FOR
CONVENIENCE takes many
forms. When you combine that
impulse with an uptick in home
chefs looking to expand their
repertoires, one of the outcomes
is surging demand for fresh
peeled product at both the
commissary/central kitchen and
the retail level.
Manufacturers of peeling
equipment are stepping up their
games accordingly, with cuttingedge
technologies that increase
efficiencies, help their customers
reach their sustainability goals,
save labor and even provide
a little " wow " factor in fresh
perimeter departments.
People stuck at home during
the pandemic were desperate for
new things to try in the kitchen,
and one of the many segments
in the retail fresh food industry
that benefited was value-added
peeled vegetables, said Eamon
Cullen, market unit manager
for Asker, Norway-based steam
peeler producer Tomra.
" We've seen a lot of innovation
in eat-at-home foods, " he said.
" There were a lot more products
on shelves, and a lot more flavor. "
Potatoes, pumpkins, carrots,
sweet potatoes, squash and
parsnips are just a few of the
many vegetables that can be
peeled that surged during
COVID, Cullen said. And
customers are combining their
peeled vegetables in recipes in
new ways.
" Au gratin potatoes, slices with
sauce on them, mixed products,
different types of potatoes,
different skin types and flavors
- customers are combing raw
materials to create more unique
dishes. "
The increased demand has
challenged peeler makers like
Tomra to increase scalability, be
more efficient, reduce waste, be
more competitive and achieve
better price points, Cullen said.
Tomra's peelers use steam
technology to quickly and
efficiently remove the outer layer
supermarketperimeter.com
OCTOBER 2021 - 65
of vegetables and fruits. Each
vegetable consists of about 20%
solid matter and 80% water. The
layer of water directly below
the skin is heated by the steam
and then expands quickly and is
separated from the flesh.
With steam peelers, it's easier
to keep the contours of the
vegetable. The process allows
customers to separate the skin
from the flesh underneath
without leaving too much
good flesh underneath, thereby
reducing food waste.
Tomra peelers are used in
commissaries and other central
kitchens and by instore deli
suppliers like Albert Lea, Minn.based
Mrs. Gerry's Kitchen to
peel potatoes, beet root, carrots,
squash, pumpkins and other
vegetables.
" They may peel potatoes in
the morning and do some other
vegetables in the afternoon, "
Cullen said. " They're trying to
do ready meals that combine
different vegetables. "
Tomra is trying to keep up with
the increased demand for peeled
product by making it as easy
as possible for its customers to
reconfigure their Tomra peelers
to handle different vegetables.
" We have software on the
machine that you can adjust
depending on the commodity, "
Cullen said. " And we're trying to
make the interface a little more
flexible so it doesn't require a
highly skilled operator. "
At the producer level, new EPA
regulations governing how food
waste is handled
often limit
The demand for
fresh vegetables
steam-peeled by Tomra
equipment shot up
during COVID.
TOMRA
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - October 2021

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