Stop Food Waste Day: Polish food-tech company champions sticker inside packaging

Today is Stop Food Waste Day, and Polish tech company Fresh Inset is spotlighting its Vidre+ technology, which it says is “transforming the battle against food waste” with a sticker inside the packaging that shields fresh produce from ethylene, the gas that hastens ripening and spoilage.

Initiated in 2017 by Compass Group, April 24 is now recognized globally to draw attention to the issues of food waste, engage with society and share practical, creative and impactful ways to drive behavioral change.

Packaging Insights speaks to Tim Malefyt, global director for R&D in international markets of Fresh Inset, to find out how packaging can play a role in minimizing food waste.

Vidre+ was designed to address the issue of spoilage in fresh produce by employing 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) technology in a user-friendly sticker format that can be stuck inside the packs. 1-MCP is a post-harvest regulator for counteracting undesirable effects of ethylene released by fruits and vegetables.

“Fresh Inset focuses on the stages along the supply chain and focuses our effort with Vidre+ to prevent waste,” explains Malefyt.

“Yet, since the topic is very close to us, we study other pain points adding to food waste. One of them is the misunderstanding of expiration labels. We support education and raise awareness within our channels, such as our blog, social media and [interviews] like this one.”