SBIR-STTR Award

Food waste is a significant economic social and environmental problem globally amounting to~30% of total production with a market value of ~$936B/yr and associated GHG emissions of~4.4 GtCO2e/yr. The negative impacts disproportionately accrue in economically depressedareas and exacerbate food security concerns. This application proposes development of eco- efficient packaging to extend shelf-life of fresh agricultural produce and reduce postharvestlosses by cooling right from harvest without the use of external energy. Included in thisdevelopment proposal are key pillars of the related manufacturing technology needed to makethe end product affordable.The science around extending produce shelf-life is well established - cooling to appropriatelylow temperatures as quickly as possible and maintaining the cold chain from producer- distributor-retailer-consumer. But the two weak links that limit shelf-life are at harvest andduring transport transfers (rewarming) where produce loses water quickly when heated up in thesun. Our product addresses these two weaknesses without using added energy. They can becustomized to be drop-in replacements to fit in with existing food systems infrastructure.Our target performance is to maintain produce temperatures >5 deg C below ambient in daylightat an ROI of ~1 year for customers who include farmers distributors and retailers. At theexpected performance and market penetration level we will be able to add >$2B/yr in value tothe economy while also reducing GHG emissions by >500000 tCO2e/yr. Thus this qualifies asclimate-smart technology as reduced food waste with reduced energy burdens sustainablyincreases agricultural productivity significantly reduces GHG emissions and builds communityresilience.