Israeli startup developing a spray that preserves the shelf life of fruits and vegetables
Israeli startup developing a spray that preserves the shelf life of fruits and vegetables
Sufresca CEO Efrat Boker Ferri spoke at Calcalist and Shufersal’s Food Waste and Environment conference about how Sufresca is combating food waste
“Today about 50-60% of the world’s fruits and vegetables are thrown out on their journey from farm to table, typically due to expiration dates since fruits and vegetables go bad quickly. We’ve solved this issue,” said Efrat Boker Ferri, CEO of agritech startup Sufresca at Calcalist and Shufersal’s Food Waste and Environment conference.
Israeli startup Sufresca has developed an invisible edible spray that coats fruits and vegetables and not only maintains their freshness, and thus reduces food waste, but also eliminates the need for plastic. Ferri says that “[the spray] prevents water from evaporating but also allows the fruit or vegetable to breathe. You can't feel the coating - it has no smell or taste but preserves the freshness of the fruit and vegetable. You can wash off the coating if you want but it is also edible to consume.”
In addition to extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, and reducing food waste as a result, Sufresca’s spray has another benefit: it eliminates the need for plastic. Ferri says that this is “an extremely important advantage” since governments are increasingly looking to alternatives to plastic. For example, she notes that the European Union forbids plastic on fruit and vegetables, so distributors are forced to find alternatives.
“Last month the largest U.S. based distributor tested us against one body that offers an edible coating made of natural material, an American company worth billions of dollars. It's really a David vs. Goliath situation: a company worth billions is competing against us - against an Israeli company - and that is something to be proud of during these challenging times."
Founded by Boker Ferri and Prof. Amos Nussinovitch, Sufresca’s technology is based on research about edible, natural coatings developed at the Hebrew University. They have since received both FDA and EU approval due to their natural ingredients.
Ferri says that they are expecting to start production in Israel imminently and that the spray will be available on the market soon. In addition to U.S. and European markets, they also will produce their spray for African, Asian and Middle Eastern markets where Ferri says that this product will be particularly important. “This product is extremely significant especially in these days of high waste, in countries where the infrastructure is poor and the cultivation methods are less advanced,” says Ferri.
