1. Sustainability Issue (Waste):

Over 30% of produce harvested is never consumed and every year, almost $30 billion worth, or 25 billion pounds, of fruits and vegetables are wasted. This happens even though there are about 42 million people who don’t have enough to eat in just the U.S. alone. Wasted produce also means that all the time, energy, money, and water put into cultivating it is also wasted. However, it is hard to avoid this problem because there are so many steps between the growth and consumption of produce.

2. Summary of Technology (Hazel Technologies):

• FruitBrite and BerryBrite are essentially biodegradable and non-toxic packaging inserts that fit into fruit containers and emit ingredients to keep produce from spoiling without having to spray on any additional chemicals
• The inserts allow the produce to last longer, which also means that the produce can have a greater range of area where they can be transported to and sold in before spoiling
• FruitBrite is a time-release sachet that contains an ethylene blocker (ethylene is the gas given off by some fruits that speed up the ripening process)
• FruitBrite can extend produce’s lifespan by 2-3 weeks and has been tested on various produces including apples, asparagus, broccoli, cherries, tomatoes, etc.
• BerryBrite delivers controlled dose of a blend of natural essential oils that inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and molds in berries
• BerryBrite extends the shelf life of berries by up to 3x, reduces disease and rot by up to 90%, and improves post-harvest firmness by up to 2x

Sources:

• Company Website: https://www.hazeltechnologies.com/
• Chicago Business, This startup can keep fruit fresh for weeks longer, http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170713/ISSUE01/170719943/this-startup-can-keep-fruit-fresh-for-weeks-longer
• TechCrunch, How Hazel Technologies keeps fresh fruit and vegetables from spoiling, https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/06/how-hazel-technologies-keeps-fresh-fruit-and-vegetables-from-spoiling/

 

3. Stakeholders 

•  Farmers
• Supermarkets
• Produce transportation companies
• End consumers

 

4. Next Steps

• Work with large farms to incorporate FruitBrite and BerryBrite into their packaging product that can be used to store fruit and produce after picking
• After driving adoption by farmers, introduce to supermarkets to be used for backroom storage
• Once adopted by both farmers and supermarkets, introduce to transport companies as a way to provide farm to store consistency in packaging and storage

 

UNI – LC3291
Fall 2017 – Week 4