One-fifth of food and drink manufacturing projects cancelled due to water constraints

(by Karma Loveday)

Nearly two-thirds of food and drink manufacturers are feeling a squeeze from water supply and effluent discharge constraints in the form of higher costs and planning delays.

That’s according to a survey by water treatment and services specialist Alpheus of its customers and members of the Food and Drink Federation, which include some of the UK’s biggest food and beverage manufacturers. Among the findings were: 

• 61% had experienced increased development costs related to either water supply, effluent discharge limitation, or both.

• 27% had made major changes to their original project scope due to these limitations.

• 22% had cancelled projects entirely as a result of water supply or effluent discharge limitations.

• No respondents believed the impact of water infrastructure constraints are well understood in the UK’s national economic and planning policy. 65% felt these constraints were poorly or very poorly understood.

• 94% said a consistent water supply is critical to their day-to-day operations, but 61% did not have a water supply contingency plan in place for their UK sites.

Chris Deadman, managing director at Alpheus, said: “Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, and it’s also one of the most exposed industries to increasing water scarcity disruptions. As a nation we can’t afford to ignore issues around water scarcity or we will begin to see this restrict growth in one of our most important sectors.

“There are a number of things food and drink companies can do to reduce their reliance on fresh water supply, and reduce the amount of wastewater they release. Introducing closed-loop systems, where water used in industrial processes is treated and reused on-site, allows companies to cut its water usage. By recycling water internally, companies improve their ability grow, reduce the impact of periods of drought, and release less waste.”