Tesco ItsFresh tomatoes

It’sFresh!, a company delivering solutions to enhance food freshness and reduce food waste, has announced a new sustainability goal – the diversion of 10m lbs of fruit from the waste-stream by 2015 as a result of its technology.

The group made the announcement at the Walmart Sustainability Product Expo in Rogers, Arkansaw, this month.

“Day after day, fruit is being discarded that sadly should be consumed and enjoyed,” said Greg Pavett, president of It’sFresh! “We wanted to put a meaningful and measurable stake in the ground when it comes to our technology’s impact curbing this waste epidemic.

'We have to start taking better care of our precious resources,' he added. 'It’sFresh! helps by extending the quality of fruit by 1-3 days during the ‘last mile’ where most of the waste occurs.”

It’sFresh! is a paper-thin, food-grade sheet developed to trap ethylene, the natural ripening hormone that greatly contributes to premature spoilage. Used by select, major retailers throughout the world, It’sFresh! has proven to extend the shelf life of berries, stonefruit, tomatoes, avocados and other fruit.

A recent study completed by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization found that global food waste amounts to 1.3bn tonnes annually and results in an estimated US$750bn in economic losses.

It’sFresh! is part of the Food Freshness Technology group, a high tech innovations company focused on delivering comprehensive solutions for food freshness.