GOLETA, CA - Quality in the produce department is what directly connects a consumer to a retailer. The sense of trust and shared values can be communicated in the fresh sector like no other, and how we choose to achieve this makes all the difference. Enter Apeel Sciences, a produce partner tackling fresh innovation with a commitment to quality, sustainability, and industry development.
“With the increasing pressure on our food system, it’s important to come together and leverage innovation as a way to address pressing challenges,” shares Jenny Du, Apeel’s Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Operations. “Innovation is needed in this sector to ensure continued or better access to fresh produce for more people.”
Even those outside our industry understand produce is a particularly perishable category. As Jenny illustrates, “roughly 45 percent of fresh produce is thrown away before it has had a chance to be eaten.”
“When there's pressure to feed a growing population, there's also quite a bit of sustainability stress on the planet. When you think about the energy, water, labor, and other resources that go into growing, packing, and shipping produce, it’s crazy to realize that same produce can be thrown away without having the chance to deliver its benefits,” Jenny explains. “This is why it’s important for us to develop technology in the postharvest space. While we have the benefit of reliance on refrigeration and extended cold supply chains from the field to retailer and into consumers’ homes, that is not true for a lot of markets around the world. At Apeel, we are also thinking about emerging markets where that infrastructure is either nonexistent or not as reliable.”
The functionality of Apeel’s postharvest coating stems from an exploration of the way plants naturally protect themselves. Through cutting-edge research and development, the company set out to answer the question: How do you use the materials found in the natural structures of plants we eat to reinforce the produce itself?
The result is a unique, edible peel that protects produce and helps it retain moisture, contributing to a longer shelf-life and enhanced quality.
“Today’s shopper wants to be able to have produce that's going to last from one shopping visit to the next. From a pure consumption perspective, it’s more appealing to purchase produce that is guaranteed to maintain its quality and freshness,” Jenny points out. “Then, you layer in the more practical benefits like cost savings, which ups the appeal even further.”
Apeel’s edible coating is currently used to protect a variety of produce categories, including avocados, citrus, and vine vegetables. The company is also exploring the solution’s ability to support the tropical fruit sector, which consists of several high-value, high-spoilage categories.
The ability to appeal to consumers’ demand for eco-friendly offerings is also provided by this postharvest innovation, as Apeel also has the ability to help mitigate several areas of high plastic use.
“We are extending shelf-life by retaining a product’s moisture, which led us to explore how we could offset the footprint of single-use plastic products also used to retain moisture,” Jenny adds. “In 2022, we saved 44 million pieces of produce from going to waste. That is a huge impact when you consider how that minimizes the greenhouse gasses that would otherwise be emitted (saving 7,000 mT CO2 equivalents or like planting 115,000 trees), or how much water is saved (1.7 billion liters of water, or 680 Olympic-sized swimming pools) by not having those products thrown away.”
Overall, the extended shelf-life, optimized quality, and promise of sustainability are a surefire way to ensure loyalty from consumers in the produce department.
“Retailers investing in better supply chains and technology are able to offer better produce, and consumers will shop based on the knowledge that every time they go to a certain store, they get the best, most reliable, or longest-lasting produce,” Jenny concludes. “In a way, it becomes a reflection of the retailer's produce aisle.”
With Apeel's latest advancements, it has become easier than ever for produce suppliers to collaborate. Apeel’s new application process seamlessly integrates into existing operations without the need for facility modifications, and technology enhancements have minimized the operational impact, making the partnership not just beneficial but also effortless.
Apeel continues to harness innovation as a method for tackling industry challenges. Another example of this is the provider’s new digital and software platform, RipeTrack, which measures a product’s ripeness without damaging the fruit, addressing the food waste caused by more destructive techniques used to measure produce quality.
As the company continues to push the needle forward on postharvest innovation, ANUK will be here with the latest updates.
