The EDEKA Group is now making Apeel products available to consumers throughout Germany. A plant-based protective coating is designed to keep fruit and vegetables fresh for longer and prevent them from being thrown away.
It is to be the new trump card in the fight against food waste. The EDEKA Group has announced the nationwide market launch of the Apeel process. The idea: customers get avocados, for example, that retain their flavour and ripeness for longer. This is because Apeel slows down the natural ripening process by retaining moisture in the fruit and keeping oxygen out. Citrus fruits such as oranges and mandarins are now also available with the protective coating from EDEKA, Marktkauf and Netto Marken-Discount.
Cover made from vegetable fats
The Apeel casing consists of vegetable fats contained in the peel, seeds and flesh of all types of fruit and vegetables. The benefits are twofold: even more enjoyment is also an important contribution against food waste. The technology was developed by the US company Apeel Sciences, which was founded in 2012 as part of a donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce post-harvest food loss in developing countries without access to refrigeration facilities.
When we explain that we use plant-based substances to preserve food, the reaction is universally positive
James Rogers, CEO Apeel Sciences
A sloth becomes an advertising star
EDEKA calls the additional protective layer the „plant-based freshness safe“ and is advertising the nationwide market launch with a TV advert in which a sloth sits at the kitchen counter and reaches for an avocado with an almost painfully slow movement. But ... - well, just this much: thanks to Apeel, there is absolutely no need to rush.
