Shipping broccoli on ice, without the ice

A new method to ship frozen foods is helping the North American broccoli industry.

An in-box sheet called HarvestHold Fresh from Verdant Technologies contains an ingredient that has been used in commodities like apples and flowers to extend freshness and shelf life. The sheet is placed in produce boxes immediately after harvest to slow ripening and maturation.

After fruits and vegetables are harvested, they release ethylene, a naturally occurring compound that accelerates the ripening process and eventually leads to over-ripening and spoilage. The active ingredient in the in-box sheet blocks ethylene.

The innovation eliminates the need for ice when transporting broccoli, which creates a more sustainable method of shelf-life preservation and makes transportation more efficient.

Empire Company Limited, parent company of Sobeys, was the first major grocery retailer in North America to adopt the ice-less tech and has been using it in bunch broccoli packing in Quebec and Ontario at Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, and FreshCo stores.

Sobeys and Verdant Technologies are looking to expand nationally with the ice-less tech.

“We are now working with growers across North America to expand the learnings to the entire broccoli supply chain, and what we learned was that we can realize the benefits of reduced water use, less spoilage, and fewer trucks needed for transporting produce, while improving freshness in the customer’s produce grocery basket,” said Myriam Tremblay, VP produce merchandise, sourcing and replenishment for Sobeys Inc.

By eliminating the traditional shipping approach, Verdant Technologies said growers and retailers can save up to 13,000 liters of water required per each truckload of broccoli. The tech also produces less waste and since not as many trucks are involved for delivery it produces less energy and carbon emissions.