Mission Produce, Inc., announced it will be talking innovation at PMA Fresh Summit by discussing its latest solution: a technology the company says extends the shelf-life of avocados and reduces food waste. This post-harvest product was designed by Hazel Technologies, Inc. Mission Produce and Hazel Technologies announced their partnership earlier this year.
“Hazel Technologies designed this solution for the avocado supply chain to ensure an unprecedented avocado quality extension and an unparalleled consumer eating experience,” said CEO of Hazel Technologies, Aidan Mouat. The technology is a quarter-sized, biodegradable packaging insert that reportedly slows down the avocado ripening process by conditioning the atmosphere in the box to slow the fruit’s respiration rate. This is not to be confused with an ethylene scrubber.
For the past year, Mission Produce said its R&D team has conducted testing on this product (dubbed AVOLAST) throughout its global supply chain. “By integrating AVOLAST into our business, customers across the world will notice an increase in the shelf-life and quality of their avocados. No other solution can do that,” said Sr. Director of Business Development Patrick Cortes, adding that What makes this technology so exceptional is its ease of use. “AVOLAST makes sense because the program can be tailored to fit any of our customer’s needs and infrastructure, much like our ripe program,” he said.
According to Mission Produce, not only will the technology benefit customers, but it also helps fight against global food waste. "Since 2018, we estimate that our technologies prevented about 130 million pounds of fresh produce from going to waste, which is equivalent to over 3,000 full truck loads,” said Mouat. "This directly translates to offsetting more than 100,000 metric tons of CO2E from food waste. As food waste and loss continues to rise, it is critical for companies like Mission Produce to play its part in reducing the amount of fruit that goes squandered.”
To learn more about this innovative, post-harvest solution, visit Mission Produce’s Booth #2075 or Hazel Technologies’ booth #4806 at PMA.
For more information:
Denise Junqueiro
Mission Produce, Inc.
Ph: +1 (805) 981-3650
djunqueiro@missionproduce.com
www.missionproduce.com