Credit: The Kroger Co.
How do we prevent food waste? Make the food stronger.
Avocado fans know how delicious a perfectly ripe avocado can taste. But many times, people wait for the perfect ripeness and cut it open to find gross brown streaks throughout. Seeing that completely ruins whatever delicious meal was being planned.
Kroger is partnering with Apeel Sciences to develop a way to capitalize on strong avocados. Apeel Sciences has been innovating in the food industry for years; its technology has extended the life of perishable produce, reducing waste during transport, on shelves, or in people’s homes.
To accomplish the preservation of the avocados, a natural, plant-based protective coating is being developed that can be painted all over the skin of the avocado. Apeel Sciences promise that the product can double the fruit’s shelf life.
This invisible coating comes from plants and helps to keep moisture inside the produce while keeping the oxygen out. This process slows down the rate at which produce spoils. Food suppliers would spray the produce with this formula before it is sent to grocery stores. The coating is made of lipids and glycerolipids that naturally occur in peels, seeds, and pulp.
The coating has passed all of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations and is completely safe to eat. The lipids and glycerolipids are commonly found in foods, so they had no issue being designated as safe to eat.
This is a step in the right direction to putting an end to food waste. Many investors have gotten behind the product, including Bill Gates. Apeel Sciences has made it its mission to help reduce post-harvest food loss in developing countries. The startup company was founded in 2012 and continues to make tremendous gains in the food business.
This is another milestone in Kroger’s “Zero Hunger, Zero Waste” initiative, which hopes to eliminate waste within the company by 2025.
