Apeel – A New Solution to Food Waste is another interesting alternative and method to help reduce the impact of food waste.
Apeel is the company behind edible invisible surfaces on fruits and vegetables. Founded in 2012 with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the company is a California-based food waste research company with funding from the World Bank and celebrity donors like Katy Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
“We can reduce waste and unlock value across the food system.”
Apeel founder James Rogers describes it as a food science startup that aims to reduce the amount of food waste in the world. Through innovative surface-coating preservative technology, his company has been working on developing new preservative coatings for perishable products such as avocados, lemons and apples, and is now being used alongside many other fruits and vegetables.
“The amount of food wasted around the world each year is enough to feed two billion people.”
Did you know that 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is wasted every year? Fruits and vegetables have the highest wastage rates (e.g. spoiled, thrown away, or left over after consumption). The amount of food wasted worldwide each year is approximately 1.3 billion tons, which represents an economic loss of approximately 1 trillion US dollars. To put it simply, that’s the same amount as feeding 2 billion people – more than double the number of undernourished people worldwide.
“870 million hungry people around the world may no longer face food insecurity.”
According to the UN report, if the world could save a quarter of the food lost globally, we could save 870 million people from going hungry. Reducing food waste is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations, with their goal of reducing global food waste by 50% and food losses throughout the food supply chain by 2030. That’s why Apeel wants to play its part in finding solutions to this global problem.
“Food preservation technology that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.”
Apeel’s vegetable and fruit coating solution comes in powder, dipping liquid and spray form. These solutions are made from plant fatty acid extracts, such as tomato peels and seeds. The solution creates a moisture seal around the desired vegetables and fruits, retaining moisture and adjusting the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to the right point. This means that consumers like us don’t have to worry about the greasy or slimy texture that will stick to our vegetables and fruits because this solution is all natural, invisible to the eye. It has no color, odor, taste and residue.
“What are the factors that keep them fresh that they are looking for?”
To find out the real results, Apeel started a test called “The Big Apple Apple Taste.” The test had over 500 New Yorkers taste apples without knowing which ones had Apeel on them and which ones didn’t. All the apples in the test came from the same batch, meaning they were all the same age. But after a lot of chewing and pureeing, there was a winner: Apeel won hands down.
“What consumers want from an apple is the texture, the color of the peel, the crispness.”
- 46% of testers said that just one or two small brown spots on an apple would put them off buying it.
- 50% of consumers said that even the slightest wrinkle would put them off buying.
In the Big Apple Apple Taste Test, testers expressed their desire for Apeel, saying that apples treated with Apeel had brighter colors, fewer brown spots, and retained their crispness as if they were freshly picked. “Overall, I would choose Apeel because it makes my apples taste better and last longer,” testers said, “Apeel stays fresh longer, has fewer brown spots, and feels fresher, crisper, and more juicy.”
“It’s worth paying a little more for Apeel.”
With the limitations that organic farmers face regarding the shelf life of their harvested produce, Apeel has emerged as an alternative and method for extending the shelf life of their produce. Consumers also feel safe eating fruits and vegetables that use Apeel. We often hear them say things like, “I feel comfortable eating it,” “I like that it’s plant-based,” or “Apeel makes me feel premium.” 89% of respondents agreed that they would pay a higher price for organic fruits and vegetables that stayed crisp and tasted fresher longer with Apeel.
“What Apeel really sells is time.”
What Apeel does is extend the freshness of vegetables and fruits. For example,
- Lemon Caviar normally has a shelf life of 5-7 days without Apeel and the shelf life becomes 25 days with Apeel.
- Avocados using Apeel have a shelf life of up to 50% longer.
Another interesting benefit of Apeel is that companies can eliminate the use of plastic wrap for fruits and vegetables. Apeel can slow down the rate of water loss by up to 50%, which means that plastic wrap is no longer necessary if it is used for this purpose.
“Apeel, a helper during the COVID-19 crisis”
The economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 have highlighted the benefits of products that can extend the shelf life of perishable fruits and vegetables. For produce sold in stores, the extended shelf life isn’t just a benefit to consumers, it’s also a benefit to retailers, who sometimes end up unsold. Apeel is already widely used in the U.S. by companies like Kroger and Harps, and is also expanding to Europe with Denmark’s Salling Group and Germany’s Edeka, as food insecurity continues to rise across the globe.
“The big goal is to reduce hunger and poverty around the world.”
Apeel also funds domestic farm projects, with the goal of reducing food loss for those without access to refrigeration in sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Apeel’s technology can help both small farms and large producers preserve their produce, playing a huge role in reducing food waste from storage spoilage and, of course, alleviating hunger and poverty around the world.
“Produce is a living, breathing thing, even after you pick it and put it in your basket. The trick is to keep it as moist as possible.”James Rogers
Conclusion
We waste a lot of food every year, and we face a global hunger crisis every year, especially when food waste depletes resources like land, water and energy. According to the World Health Organization, poverty amplifies the risk of malnutrition, which in turn increases healthcare costs and slows economic growth, leaving poor people with poor health and limited access to good food. Meanwhile, food waste is rampant around the world. It’s a strange irony that we never appreciate the value of the food we waste until we experience hunger ourselves.
“I hate to see food go to waste when so many people in the world are hungry. Apeel can extend the shelf life of fresh produce, which is important for our food supply and our planet.”
Oprah Winfrey
Source:
Food Waste Fighting Startup Apeel Bags $250M In Temasek-Led Round
Apeel: A New Startup’s Solution to Food Waste
https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2020/05/26/Apeel-Sciences-raises-250m-to-tackle-food-waste-with-invisible-plant-based-skin-with-help-from-Oprah-Katy-Perry
https://blog.apeelsciences.com/organic-apple-shoppers-choose-apeel Apeel & The Science of Sustainability
