Birds Eye UK, a part of Nomad Foods, takes pride in the quality of its sweet and tender tasting peas, which it attributes to its “just in time” operation. A blind taste test of five different brands of prepared peas, including supermarket own-label and Birds Eye, confirmed that Birds Eye had the sweetest and most tender peas. During the harvest season, Birds Eye can produce 48 tonnes of frozen peas per hour. The company works with farmer cooperative The Green Pea Company and GXO Logistics to pick and freeze the peas within a 150-minute timeframe. Picking the peas at the optimum time is crucial to maintaining their quality. Birds Eye and TPC use a combination of traditional and modern farming methods, starting with selecting and sowing seeds in March. The peas are then harvested using GPS-powered viners and transported to the factory for processing. Birds Eye operates a condensed growing season and harvest operation, with a 53-day harvest that usually occurs eight weeks after planting. Adverse weather conditions can affect the schedule, but the company is exploring strategies to build climate resilience into its operations. Nomad is also focused on decarbonizing Birds Eye’s pea operations and has set a target to reduce emissions by 25% by 2050. Birds Eye is committed to sustainability initiatives, including the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. The company is also considering regenerative agriculture practices like cover cropping.
Frozen in 150 Minutes: The Picking Process
