Symphony Environmental Technologies has announced the launch of a new product, the SYM Fresh reusable press n’ seal fruit and vegetable bag, that has been developed to keep climacteric fruit and vegetables fresh for longer.
Climacteric fruit and vegetables release ethylene gas which causes them to continue to ripen after they have been picked. This maturation can alter the colour and texture of the produce, effectively shortening its shelf life.
Symphony’s new solution has been made with the company's d2p ethylene adsorber technology, which reportedly reduces the spoilage of climacteric fruit and vegetables. The bags have a microporous structure that adsorbs and traps the ethylene inside the film, delaying ripening and regulating moisture, to slow down the drying out process.
To highlight the issue of food waste, the company points to figures produced by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), which report that an estimated one-third of all food produced globally goes to waste. The UK alone apparently wastes approximately 6.6 million tonnes of food annually, with households accounting for 70% of this figure, and 34% of this wastage consisting of fruit and vegetables.
In a release issued yesterday, the company said: “Food waste is a humanitarian tragedy, but it is also an environmental problem. Rotting food generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, more potent than carbon dioxide, and 11% of methane emissions come from food.
“The principal reason cited for throwing food away (41% by weight) is that it was ‘not used in time'. Climacteric fruit and vegetables don’t last very long before they begin to spoil, which is why SYM Fresh reusable fruit and vegetable bags are an essential addition to any shopping basket. Saving produce, saving money, and quite possibly the planet too.”
