StixFresh – stickers to extend the shelf-life of food
Country of development/application:
USA
Scope of innovation
☐ Office work
☒ Production / Service supply process
Sector-specific
☒ Yes / please, specify sector(s): Food & Agriculture, Packaging
☐ No (relevant for all sectors)
Description of the needs
Food loss and food waste are a global challenge. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one third of all food produced around the globe is lost or wasted at some point in the food supply chain, from farm to fork. In the EU, this amounts to around 87.6 million tons of food every year. And the USA in 2021 let a huge 38% of the 241 million tons in its food supply go unsold or uneaten. And while a very small portion of it is donated to those in need and more is recycled, the vast majority becomes food waste, which goes straight to landfill, incineration, or down the drain, or is simply left in the fields to rot. Overall, estimates show that 33% of all food in the U.S. – 80 million tons – goes to these waste destinations.
If food waste was a country, it would have the 3rd largest carbon footprint behind China and the U.S. According to the latest estimates, 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food that is lost and wasted. Food loss and waste impacts water and land resources and biodiversity. The overall economic result of food loss and waste is immense and even larger for the vulnerable populations as food becomes less available or prices are affected leading to food insecurity. Financial resources are used to produce huge quantities of food that are never consumed and would be enough to feed the population. Therefore, there is a strong business and food security case for addressing the food loss/waste challenge.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has quality standards for the safe and transparent trade of food and agricultural produce which ensure that the consumers in both rural and urban areas receive a constant supply of high-quality, healthy and nutritious food. UNECE has addressed the food loss challenge since 2013 – including in view of enhancing the circular economy in its member states. Through the constant review of its quality standards for agricultural produce traded internationally and nationally, UNECE ensures that the quality of the produce used and traded is maintained along the entire supply chain.
Though food loss is therefore prevented and reduced by policy instruments, still there is a lot to be done. Food loss occurs for many reasons, with some types of loss – such as spoilage – occurring at every stage of the production and supply chain. Between the farm gate and retail stages, food loss can arise from problems during drying, milling, transporting, or processing that expose food to damage by insects, rodents, birds, molds, and bacteria. At the retail level, equipment malfunction (such as faulty cold storage), over-ordering, and culling of blemished produce can result in food loss.
The American company Ryp Labs, Inc. partners with retailers, distributors, and growers to reduce food loss via all-natural and safe methods with minimal supply chain disruption. Having spent the last 10+ years taking technologies from concept through product development to commercialization in high-tech industries such as the medical device and biotech industries, the company’s founders decided to apply their technical knowhow, product development expertise and ability to commercialize a disruptive technology with a potential for major world impact.
Description of the solution
Plants develop secondary metabolites to defend themselves when exposed to external environmental elements that could be detrimental. For example, alkaloids, steroids, lipids, tannins, and sugars – all naturally occurring compounds – help plants fend off bothersome predators like insects, diseases, and occasionally even other invasive plant species. Several of these substances work to defend a sizable area by activating and moving through their vapour phase. Ryp Labs combined these materials to generate a formulation that is currently under patent.
Ryp Labs Inc. is an innovative postharvest solution company having a mission to put an end to food loss. To tackle this problem head-on, Ryp Labs developed a biomimicry solution that comprises a safe formulation, which can be applied to a variety of surfaces, including food-stickers, to increase the shelf-life of fresh produce – fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood and more. The solution provides an all-natural, safe and sustainable formulation on a simple sticker called StixFresh that can keep fruits and vegetables fresh up to 2-weeks longer.
StixFresh utilize a safe, patent-pending formulation that creates a protective layer around the fruit during the vapor phase to slow down over-ripening and spoilage. StixFresh stickers can be applied anywhere along the supply chain. They are customizable, so they can bear various branding or barcodes. Stickers have the size of a 50-cent coin, use 100% natural ingredients (sodium chloride and beeswax mixture) which replicate the antimicrobial compounds that plants use to protect themselves against post-harvest diseases. Once the sticker is attached to the fruit, the chemicals spread out to create a protective layer covering the surface of the fruit and slowing the ripening process.
StixFresh can greatly increase the freshness and shelf life of food. The chemicals start to spread as soon as the sticker is fixed to the fruit, forming a protective barrier that covers its surface. It limits bacterial development, which would slow overripening. Fruits that have been treated show greater flavour, hardness, and moisture retention.
Among the most stunning characteristics of the StixFresh innovation are:
• Simplicity: stickers are easily peeled and placed to work on fruits or its package.
• Effectiveness: through numerous comparative tests, StixFresh has shown to deliver incredible results.
• Safety: only food-grade ingredients to extend the shelf life of fresh produce are used.
The solution can be used at any point along the produce supply chain including post-harvest handling, storage, processing, packaging, distribution, retail and the end-consumer stage. All materials involved, including stickers, can be recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. The products have a high potential of experiencing mass-market adoption in both developed and developing markets.
Description of the effect
Environmental benefits:
• Can extend the shelf-life of fresh produce by up to 2-weeks.
• The technology has been shown to reduce losses by up to 83%.
• Has the potential to save 96.6 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables from ending up in landfills every year.
• Can eliminate 219 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
Financial benefits:
• Customers can see up to 440% returns on investment when using the Solution.
• Can save end-consumers over 200 euros per year of otherwise wasted fruits and vegetables.
Company/companies that developed/implemented/offer the innovation
Founded in 2017, Ryp Labs Inc. is a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and NSF (National Science Foundation) funded crop protection company developing and commercializing biomimicry solutions to combat global food waste, sustainably and safely.
Ryp Labs Inc.
Addresses
USA Head Office: 1112 8th Street, Kirkland, WA 98033, USA
Belgium Head Office: Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Phone: 1-833-793-7374
E-mail: info@ryplabs.com
Website: https://www.ryplabs.com/
Additional information
Video: StixFresh technology