PHILADELPHIA, PA – It is hard to have a conversation about fresh produce these days without one topic inevitably coming to the forefront—food waste. With the United Nations estimating that one-third of the world’s food—approximately 1.3 billion tons—gets lost or wasted, it’s no wonder that the industry has continued to look for answers to this ever-growing problem. 

One such company leading the charge to combat food waste is AgroFresh Solutions Inc. Currently in use for bananas, with more categories being added on the horizon, the company’s RipeLock™ Quality System provides unmatched control over the ripening process. It helps bananas retain their freshness throughout the supply chain all the way to the kitchen counter, and therefore reduces the need to toss out bananas based on freshness. No one likes to throw fruit away, but according to a recent survey by the NPD Group, 27 percent of respondents compost two and a half bananas on average per week and 34 percent throw away two bananas on average per week.

“We are excited to introduce RipeLock to the world, as it not only reduces food loss and waste, but also brings a better eating experience to consumers, and can benefit retailers with increased sales and improved operational efficiency. We call it ‘Smarter Freshness’,” said Kevin Frye, RipeLock North America Sales Manager. “The color, freshness, and extended shelf-life of quality bananas creates a ripple effect that includes a variety of benefits to consumers, retailers, and the planet.”

AgroFresh is wholly committed to extending the freshness and quality of produce to reduce food loss and waste, Kevin tells me as we discuss the company’s environmental mission, leveraging an unprecedented integration of some of the most advanced industry intelligence, insights, and innovations on the market. By extending the freshness of bananas up to 4-6 days longer than traditional bananas, RipeLock allows for less waste by retailers and consumers alike, along with addressing the challenges of the entire produce value chain.

Per the NPD survey, stocking good-looking bananas is the most important factor in driving banana purchases. The ripeness of at-home bananas drives purchases for more than half of buyers.

“Increasing produce sales is all about optimizing the consumer experience,” Kevin continues. “Bananas are not only the number one planned produce purchase, but also ranked as the number one supermarket impulse buy. The preferred yellow color of RipeLock bananas turns shoppers into buyers, so stores that display fresher looking RipeLock bananas can experience higher sales.”

Beyond making for an eye-catching purchase in store, Kevin tells me that consumers typically purchase the number of bananas they think they can eat before they go bad, which is often less than the number of bananas they truly want. By extending the optimal color and taste of bananas and providing an excellent in-home experience between shopping trips, RipeLock can encourage consumers to purchase more bananas each time they visit the store. 

All-in-all, the RipeLock goal is to provide retailers with more consistent quality and a longer shelf-life for their bananas, tackling key produce industry challenges such as increasing consumer loyalty, reducing waste, and driving sales overall.

Want to learn more how you can use RipeLock in your business to limit food waste? Check out AgroFresh’s website here.

*Study conducted on behalf of AgroFresh by the NPD Group, Inc.

AgroFresh RipeLock