RAGO Group is one of the leading Italian producers of
washed, packaged and ready-to-eat (fourth range) salad, and
the second biggest exporter of rocket in Europe.
At RAGO’s, innovation goes hand in hand with continuous
investment in research and development, which takes up
4% of the company’s turnover. This belief in innovation and
technology was at the root of the company’s decision to
purchase five TOMRA Food sorting machines, which were
delivered in December 2019.
“We knew TOMRA and its cutting-edge
technology, so we decided to adopt its sorting
equipment.”
- Mariano Rago, Rago’s CEO
Gianluca Coloretti, Area Sales Manager Italy, TOMRA Food,
said: “In Italy, the salad sector has already reached a
good level of automation, but a focus on food safety from
increasingly demanding customers continues to grow. As a
consequence, producers and packagers are looking for more
and more sophisticated technologies to avoid complaints or
damage to their image, which they can’t afford. Our sorting
machines with combined laser/camera technology have set
a new standard in food safety in this type of product. That’s
why we perfectly meet RAGO’s needs.”
The five new TOMRA sorting machines have been positioned
on the line dedicated to salad preparation, washing and
drying. RAGO takes the greatest precautions to ensure the
visual and sensory qualities of its ready-to-eat products, and
eliminate all foreign bodies such as insects, plastic and wood
fragments that may have come from the fields. RAGO’s battle
against foreign bodies begins in the fields, where it takes a
host of precautions and processes to mitigate the issue. From
the field, the products go to the processing and packaging
house where the TOMRA machines take over and remove any
remaining foreign bodies.
“When a large mass of leaves is processed,
the danger can lay hidden among them. This
is where the sorter plays an important role,
ensuring continuous visual control using the
most sophisticated technology.”
- Mariano Rago, Rago’s CEO
The TOMRA sorting machines have been in operation for
several months, closely monitored by Gaetano Rago, who is in
charge of technological innovation at RAGO, and the company
is satisfied with the results: “From the controls, we carry out daily, we have been able to appreciate TOMRA’s contribution
to our achieving the highest quality of the finished product,
with no residues or foreign bodies – all to the benefit of our
brand and our customers.” The TOMRA sorter guarantees
a full inspection of every single baby leaf or rocket, taking
quality and food safety to unprecedented levels.
“Quality control is RAGO’s signature
benefit. We cannot afford any exceptions.
For this reason, all our products are
controlled by a specialized team of
agronomists and food technologists to
ensure only guaranteed and certified food
goes to the shelves and tables. TOMRA’s
sorting technology completes a control
chain that leads to excellent results.”
- Mariano Rago, Rago’s CEO
“Through continuous investments in R&D
(8% of the global turnover), TOMRA always
offers the customer the best technology
available and applicable to the specific
product. Another strong point of TOMRA
machines is the reliability and quality of the
components used, as well as a consulting
service supported by our Test Centers –
now also available remotely – and excellent
after-sales service.”
- Gianluca Coloretti, Area Sales Manager Italy, TOMRA Food
OPTICAL SORTING TECHNOLOGY REDUCES
WASTE AND DELIVERS HIGHER YIELDS
In addition to the quality of the finished product, another central
element in RAGO’s philosophy is the great attention to ecosustainability.
The company’s environmental impact is already
minimal and is further reduced by a green park covering about
15,000 m² to return oxygen to the atmosphere and balance the
CO2 produced by the company.
The company has set itself the challenge of making the full
production process eco-sustainable through constant and
numerous investments – in place and planned for the future – with
the ultimate goal of the intelligent exploitation of resources: water,
land and solar energy.
The decision to use TOMRA sorting machines is part of RAGO’s
initiatives aimed at ensuring a “green” approach. Under this point
of view, the issue of false rejects is particularly relevant: now,
thanks to the optical and laser selection accuracy of TOMRA’s
technology, false rejects are reduced to a minimum, thus
optimizing product yields and reducing waste. With a view to the
increasing global food requirements (it is estimated that to feed
the population, which is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, we
will have to produce 70% more food), decreasing what FAO defines
as ‘food loss’ (the loss of food that occurs in the early stages of
production, processing and transport) becomes fundamental.
Coloretti concluded: “It is worrying to think that the processing
industry loses between 35% and 50% of all the food it processes.
Clearly, this is unsustainable. With the same raw material, by
using TOMRA’s technologies, we will be able to better exploit the
resources available on our planet.”
