With the help of Apeel Sciences, Westmoreland Topline Farms will begin shipping greenhouse-grown cucumbers without the plastic covering to retailers in the U.S. and Canada starting this month.
Apeel and Westmoreland joined forces in 2021 and are launching commercial volumes of English cucumbers free from single-use plastic for the first time in 35 years.
Greenhouse-grown cucumbers without the plastic covering will begin shipping to retailers in the U.S. and Canada starting this month.
Using materials that exist in peels, seeds, and the pulp of all fruit and vegetables, Apeel created a protective seal that keeps moisture in and oxygen out. This delays rot and maintains the cucumber's color and firmness, and eliminates the need for single-use plastics.
"Consumers will have a unique opportunity to bring home the refreshing flavor of English cucumbers without the need for single-use plastics, which would end up in a landfill, or even the oceans," said Dino DiLaudo, vice-president of sales and marketing at Westmoreland-Topline. "Our retail partners continually challenge us to develop more sustainable packaging for our fresh, greenhouse-grown English cucumber, and Apeel Sciences has the solution that allows consumers to move away from single-use plastic-covered English cucumbers without the loss of flavor, quality, or shelf life."
Apeel's protective seal keeps moisture in and oxygen out, delaying rot and maintaining the cucumber's color and firmness while eliminating the need for single-use plastics.
Working closely with Bandall Canada, Westmoreland developed a 100 percent recyclable paper replacement for the triple-wrapped English cucumber value pack. This will negate the need for a second plastic over-wrap and allow the retailer to preserve their value pack items.
"We're excited to bring these cucumbers to more consumers through our partnership with Westmoreland-Topline," said Apeel's vice-president of new products, Ravi Jolly. "With consumers looking for simple ways to shop more sustainably, removing single-use plastics in the produce department makes sense."
For more information:
Westmoreland Topline Farms
sales@westmorelandsales.com
https://www.toplinefarms.com