In keeping with the citrus season, EDEKA is expanding its Apeel range with two more fruits. At the start of the year, grapefruits and lemons also receive the plant-based Apeel protective coating. These vitamin C wonders with their longer shelf life are now available nationwide at EDEKA, Marktkauf and Netto Marken-Discount. After avocados, oranges, clementines and mandarins, they are the newest members of the Apeel range.
The EDEKA group is thus expanding its commitment to increasingly sustainable product ranges and is once again setting an example in the fight against foodwaste. According to the Nutrition Report 2020 of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), twelve million tonnes in total or around 75 kilogrammes of food per person are disposed of in Germany every year.
Optimal microclimate
Whether strawberries, peaches or tomatoes - every fruit or vegetable has a skin or peel that protects it and keeps it fresh. The Apeel formula gives the surface of fresh produce a kind of second skin that acts like an additional protective coat. The Apeel protective layer ensures that less water evaporates from the inside through the actual shell and at the same time less oxygen can penetrate from the outside.
An optimal microclimate is created under the second skin: the fruit can continue to breathe while the ripening process is greatly slowed down. This way, Apeel products stay fresh longer - with an unchanged enjoyment experience, as neither the taste nor the smell of the food is affected. The shelf life of the products is significantly extended by Apeel - while maintaining the same high quality.
Already at the beginning of 2020, a pilot trial in 2,900 EDEKA shops and Netto branches over twelve weeks has shown: The amount of avocados that had to be sorted out in the store was reduced by 50 per cent thanks to Apeel, and at the same time customer demand in the participating stores increased significantly.
Natural components
Apeel is an innovative process developed by the US company Apeel. It uses vegetable fats - lipids and glycerolipids - found in the skins, seeds and pulp of all fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, the Apeel protective layer consists of components that are also regularly consumed as part of a normal diet. This makes Apeel fundamentally different from approaches in which a synthetically produced sugar derivative is applied.
Environmental protection 2.0
By extending the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables, the edible Apeel protective cover helps to reduce food waste along the entire supply chain, right into the home. In addition, plastic packaging is also saved during transport and in retail. Together, the EDEKA Group and Apeel are working on bringing more fruit and vegetable varieties with Apeel to market in Germany, thus contributing to the appreciation of food and the conservation of natural resources.
For more information:
www.edeka.de
www.apeel.com