Hate mealy apples and soggy french fries? Science can help.
“This has suddenly become a big interest,” said Elizabeth Mitchum, director of the Postharvest Technology Center at the University of California, Davis, who has worked in the field for three decades. “Even companies that have been around for a while are now talking about what they do through that lens.”
SavrPak was founded in 2020 by Bill Birgen, an aerospace engineer who was tired of the soggy food in his lunchbox. He developed a plant-based packet - made with food-safe materials approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - that can fit inside a takeout container and absorb condensation, helping keep the food inside hotter and crispier.
But cost can still be a barrier for some companies and consumers. Kroger, the nation's largest grocery chain, ended its multiyear partnership with Goleta, California-based Apeel Sciences this year because it found consumers weren't willing to pay more for produce brushed or sprayed with Apeel's edible coating to keep moisture in and oxygen out, thus extending the time that produce stays fresh.
“There is no one major change that can improve the situation,” said Randy Beaudry, a professor in the horticulture department at Michigan State University's school of agriculture.
l prefer dumpster diving at KFC .
Hey we have a population crisis. Response: Let's be 10% more efficient with food usage!!
So basically eat the food you have before it goes bad… or use “spray on chemicals”. we don’t need science we need to stop buying/producing food and not eating it.