by Kevin Payne | Nov 27, 2018 | Freshness Management
We have a problem with fresh food shelf-life. How do we know this? America wastes 40 percent of its food, according to the National Resource Defense Council’s 2017 Wasted report. That’s like buying five bags of groceries, leaving the store and throwing two of them into the dumpster and driving away. The report goes on to state that 12 percent of fruit and 10 percent of vegetables are wasted at the retailer. Even more is wasted by consumers, many of whom watch produce spoil prematurely at their home before they can consume it. No...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Nov 20, 2018 | Freshness Management
Shelf-life variability is something that you may experience every week but never think about. Look at it this way: How long do you expect your fresh produce to remain “fresh” after it’s purchased and brought home? Before joining Zest Labs, this question never really crossed my mind. I just expected it wouldn’t spoil before I consumed it. Chances are your grocer has a target amount of time for how long you should be able to store the produce you bought before it spoils or goes bad. After all, they want to be able to keep your...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Nov 13, 2018 | Freshness Management
Do produce shelf-life extenders actually prevent food waste? As produce suppliers and grocery store chains face increased competition and reduced margins, they turn their attention to finding ways to reduce fresh food waste. About 12 percent of fruits and 10 percent of vegetables are wasted at the retail store, according to the NRDC. If one out of 10 heads of lettuce or clam shells of strawberries are being tossed because they spoiled prematurely, that’s a lot of money going to waste that significantly impacts profitability. A...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Nov 6, 2018 | Freshness Management
Many of us have been told something like “Today you saved $12!” as the clerk hands us our receipt at the grocery store. It’s great to know that you saved money by essentially doing something you were already going to do anyway – shop for groceries. Recent advancements in cold supply chain temperature monitoring and management solutions, offer growers, shippers and retailers a similar benefit. Without significant changes in your cold chain processes, you can save money – money that positively impacts your bottom line beginning on...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 30, 2018 | Sustainability
ReFed is an organization worth knowing. Why? Each year, the United States wastes 63 million tons of food – that’s $218 billion of waste. Forty percent of the food that is produced goes uneaten. An average family throws away 25 percent of groceries they purchase. These are alarming statistics and, worse yet, one in seven Americans suffer from food insecurity, meaning that they don’t have consistent or reliable access to sufficiently affordable and nutritious food. This is a problem we need to solve. Eradicating food waste is widely...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 23, 2018 | Freshness Management
The PMA Fresh Summit did not disappoint! This year’s Produce Marketing Association’s annual conference had over 21,000 attendees and over 1.1 million square feet of trade show floor space housing 1,200 exhibitors spanning 55 rows from one end of the hall to the other. In addition to a plethora of produce – from apples to zucchini – there were a number of technology vendors exhibiting, some new and some who’ve been exhibiting for years. What’s Changed at the PMA Fresh Summit? Last week’s blog discussed my expectations for this year’s...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 16, 2018 | Freshness Management
This week is the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Conference and Expo – the largest fresh fruit, vegetable and floral show in the Americas. The event brings over 18,000 people from across the supply chain and around the world together to discuss ideas, network and experience the latest industry innovations. We’ve been planning for the PMA Fresh Summit for months and ready to go! Having attended more trade shows than I care to remember, I have to say that this is one of the most interesting events there is, if for...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 9, 2018 | Freshness Management
If you care about food, these statistics about applying artificial intelligence from a recent Progressive Grocer article Grocers Embrace AI to Optimize Supply Chain might alarm you: 43 percent of grocers are challenged by lack of real-time inventory visibility 48 percent of grocers rate their forecasting technology from very poor to average 43 percent of retail supply chain professionals say their technology can’t keep up with business demands These are flashing red lights – with the above data illustrating significant...Continue Reading...
by Kevin Payne | Oct 2, 2018 | Freshness Management
First principles thinking can set leaders apart. How? Well, what do Southwest Airlines, SpaceX and the newest approach to pitching in baseball, “bullpenning,” have in common? Each took a new approach to solving an existing problem: Southwest eliminated the hub-and-spoke model favored by other airlines, reduced turn times at airports and standardized on a single type of airplane (the Boeing 737) to reduce and simplify maintenance. The result was lower fares and cornering the market on inexpensive air travel. This sparked change in...Continue Reading...
by Peter Mehring | Sep 26, 2018 | Blockchain
The adoption of blockchain for food safety among growers and retailers is a positive development for all AgTech companies. It provides an opportunity for growers to embrace technology that can help organize their data and provide new insights for addressing pre- and post-harvest challenges. However, for the adoption of any technology to be successful, there must be proven value to the customer. If growers and retailers don’t benefit from a technology, such as blockchain, it likely won’t be embraced. Blockchain for use in the fresh...Continue Reading...
