PMA: It'sFresh! is extending the life of fresh produce

What if there were a simple, non-invasive and effective method for extending the product quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables by up to three extra days? It’sFresh! has an answer. The company will showcase its shelf life-extending technology at the 2013 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo in New Orleans this week. Existing in the form of a paper-thin sheet that filters the air to remove the ripening hormone ethylene, the technology is proven to extend product quality by as many as three extra days in store and is currently rolling out with major retail groups in the United States and Europe, say company officials. “Three days is a very long time in the world of fresh produce,” says Greg Pavett, president of It’sFresh! “We are proud to offer a proven solution that extends fruit quality by 72 hours in store. The results are a reduction in damage, increase in sales and a consumer that gets to enjoy higher quality fruit at home.” The It’sFresh! sheets deliver advanced material science into an elegant form that works to extend quality throughout the supply chain, from the grower all the way into the home. This easy to use form is commercially proven across a wide range of produce categories, including berries, stone fruit, tomatoes, avocados and pears. “We’ve studied numerous new food preservation technologies that have failed to live up to their claims,” says Dr. Chris Bishop, a professor and researcher at University of Essex-affiliated Writtle College. “After 14 months of intense trialing and scrutiny with the most robust testing protocols, the It’sFresh! technology has consistently demonstrated the ability to extend product life, product quality and substantially reduce waste.” Additional commercial testing has been done by Plant Sciences, a premier agricultural research company in Watsonville, Calif. Plant Sciences found that It’sFresh! extends the shelf life of strawberries in clamshell packaging by as many as three days, say company officials. It’sFresh! is also announcing that now through the end of October, for every Twitter user to answer the question, “What would you do if you could have three extra days?” using the hashtag #3ExtraDays, it will donate $1 to a food-related relief organization with a maximum donation of $1,500.