Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Automatic Food Preservation in the Retail Environment
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC22C0019Title: Automatic Food Preservation in the Retail Environment
Investigators: Roesner, Bruce
Small Business: GreenLifeTech Corporation
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 13, 2021 through June 12, 2022
Project Amount: $98,550
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
As the world's population continues to rise, agricultural production is being stretched farther towards a limit. In the United States alone, 30-40% of our food supply is never consumed. This wastes valuable and finite resources that are becoming ever more scarce. In response, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the US 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. The goal of this program is to reduce food wastage 50% by the year 2030. A reduction of this magnitude will drastically reduce the amount of wasted resources, having a dramatic impact on our environment and climate. Furthermore, an increase in fresh and available foods will have significant positive effects on the health and safety of the consumer public.
The patent pending GreenLifeTechTM system aims to reduce losses associated with fresh fruits and vegetables at all levels of the distribution chain. Our technique utilizes a novel method of oxygen reduction in various storage containers. The process is safe, environmentally friendly, and requires no specialty chemicals. An additional patent pending technique is employed to generate a small concentration of ozone within the storage container, reducing the risk of bacterial growth. When aligned in series, these two processes have shown the capacity to significantly increase the shelf life of numerous different varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. Specifically, funds from this EPA contract were used to investigate the suitability of these techniques to the retail market. As a result, GreenLifeTechTM developed the FreshDefendMarketTM smart produce retail system for consumer use to preserve selected fresh produce at the retail grocery store for transport and store in designated produce bags or reusable containers, to the household or on-the-go.
GreenLifeTechTM envisions deploying this new technology via the FreshDefendMarketTM product in a stand-alone kiosk at grocery retailers. Consumers will have the option of choosing between rigid plastic containers or a storage bag made of suitable material. These containers will be developed with an emphasis placed upon reusability and recyclability. Fresh produce will be placed inside the storage vessel and taken to the kiosk. A third patent application has been submitted for the bag sealing technology proposed for this deployment. An entirely automated process will form an air-tight seal, reduce the oxygen to an optimum concentration, introduce a small amount of ozone (optional), and seal the bag using a heat sealer. The consumer will then have a significantly increased amount of time to use their fresh fruits and vegetables before they begin to decay. These storage containers may also be stored at room temperature or in a refrigerator, based upon consumer preference.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Data was collected on two aspects of the project. First, emphasis was placed on the identification of a suitable bag material for integration with the FreshDefendMarketTM system. Bags from a number of different manufacturers and being made of polypropylene, polyethylene, an environmentally friendly composite material, and metalized plastic were examined. Each of these materials was formed into a usable storage vessel, cycled through our oxygen reducing system, and heat sealed. Though some of the products are marketed as "non-porous," testing showed that all of the bags allowed for some oxygen penetration from the outside environment. Data indicates that the most promising materials for a potential integration with the GreenLifeTechTM technology are metalized plastic and polypropylene bags, as they were the least porous and were best for maintaining the engineered environment.
A second phase of the testing conducted for this EPA contract consisted of examining the effects of the GreenLifeTechTM engineered environment on various varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. Each produce variety was divided into three testing groups. Groups include one that was exposed to a reduced oxygen environment, one that was exposed to reduced oxygen and approximately 5 PPM of ozone, and one control group. Overall results show that, when exposed to a reduced oxygen environment, the usable shelf life of fruits and vegetables can be extended. Avocados, when placed inside a sealed container, were kept edible for over 12 days, while a control group began to brown and decay after day 4. Strawberries were exposed to the same conditions and kept fresh and edible for 24 days, while the control group had decayed beyond an edible state after just 8 days.
Extensive research has been done to identify the microbial sanitation effects of ozone, which resulted in the approval of the substance for sanitation purposes by the EPA in 1999. When exposed to a low concentration of ozone, bacteria and molds present on the fruits and vegetables should be destroyed. However, several of the test groups examined in this study exhibited mold growth. It appears that there was no correlation between those groups which grew mold, and those that were exposed to ozone. This is likely a function of the half-life of ozone in normal atmospheric conditions, as the molecule decays quickly and can therefore not protect the food from mold for an extended period.
Conclusions:
Results from phase 1 of this project are favorable for the eventual market introduction of the FreshDefendMarketTM system using GreenLifeTechTM technology into the retail environment. Testing showed that, when not exposed to mold growth, the usable shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables can be extended considerably beyond those kept at normal atmospheric conditions. This technique works well with rigid storage containers but will require additional research to identify suitable bag materials which are also environmentally friendly. GreenLifeTechTM has contacted bag manufacturing partners and plans to conduct this research during phase 2. Additional research is also necessary to identify the usability of our ozone generating system within a sealed storage container.
GreenLifeTechTM has arranged a partnership with the College of Agriculture at Purdue University to conduct extensive research on our systems during phase 2 of this project. It is our plan that this initial data and design work, coupled with positive partnerships in the phase 2 stage, will allow for the introduction of the FreshDefendMarketTM product into the marketplace. Thus, reducing the amount of food that is wasted before consumption and helping to protect our limited and valuable environmental resources in the US.
GreenLifeTechTM has diligently and thoroughly prepared a commercialization plan for the FreshDefendMarketTM product using GreenLifeTechTM patent pending technology, to automatic food preservation in the retail environment. The completed activities and testing conducted during this EPA-sponsored Phase I grant provides supporting evidence that GreenLifeTech's proprietary innovative technology in sustainability materials management can aid consumers to reduce food waste in the acquisition, preparation, and storage of food. The primary consumer is the US retail grocery store, effectively the caretakers of the US food and produce system. They strongly influence what fresh produce shall travel from farms' harvest to their valuable grocery store space, and ultimately help to guide consumer shopping behavior, including a heightened awareness of the true value to reduce waste. This same industry is under great pressure to reduce their food waste footprint through commercial, social and government initiatives to drive waste reduction efforts. We are confident that retail grocery market leaders are highly motivated to deliver on their waste reduction objectives for not only their organization, but also to successfully reach waste-reduction goals for their target market through the application of the patented GreenLifeTechTM technology.
GreenLifeTechTM has done the research and understands that at the core of successful product acceptance in the marketplace is the ability to easily solve a problem. The GreenLifeTechTM Team will continue to leverage valuable feedback received to date through Voice-of-Customer (VOC) campaigns, social media, investors gained through equity crowdfunding, research, tribal knowledge and experience from core GreenLifeTechTM team members, and Enventys Partners' experience in the overall commercialization approach. GreenLifeTechTM has strategically formed a partnership with Enventys Partners specifically to assist with product design and development, as they have a proven, successful record of bringing more than 1,300 products to market over the last 20 years. Enventys Partners' experience is broad as a full-service, turnkey product launch agency specializing in product development, lead generation, marketing, social media management, e-commerce and crowdfunding. By engaging with Enventys Partners as a valued partner, GreenLifeTechTM can leverage their horizontal expertise to expedite the FreshDefendMarketTM commercial application to market.
The opinion of the target US retail grocery consumer is valued. Our VOC campaigns confirmed that GreenLifeTechTM has an identifiable, compelling use case: people absolutely hate waste. Consumers want the opportunity to provide healthy fresh foods for themselves, their significant others and children. They do not want to waste money on spoiled fruits and vegetables, which they typically purchase from a retail grocery store. That spoilage impacts the environment by wasting the limited agricultural water and land available for fresh produce production that is ultimately disposed of. GreenLifeTechTM will incorporate detailed insights and feedback obtained specifically from retail grocery store leadership engagements on goals for tangible produce waste reduction, data on retail grocery store consumer behavior, from piloting the FreshDefendMarketTM product to ultimately bringing it to market to solve a problem for the target consumer, the US retail grocery store owner.
Preparation for the FreshDefendMarketTM commercialization plan has factored in the specific commercial application of the research results and the problems it solves in the retail marketplace. Furthermore, technology and product ease of usage, advantage, cost, value proposition, performance, efficiency, intellectual property, and security has been clearly defined. The market opportunity has been thoroughly researched and identified as having no direct competitor or competitive products that operate similarly to our patented technology, for room temperature fresh produce preservation. Our new technology extends produce shelf life by 5x providing GreenLifeTechTM with a competitive advantage as it is not dependent on refrigeration, is completely safe, i.e., uses no chemicals and does not harm the environment as only oxygen is released back into the environment. Furthermore, it is also very cost-effective and the FreshDefendMarketTM product has been designed for an exceptional user experience including simple ease-of-use.
Research and VOC campaigns gave clarity on market size, need, and product adoption in the retail market. We believe our technology will offer a unique approach to reducing food waste, thus increasing margins and profitability for retailers with limited competitive options. We also believe that a strategic partnering approach to the market will impact the competitive landscape, increasing their barriers to entry. GreenLifeTechTM technology and FreshDefendMarketTM product will increase our addressable market size based on the benefits we will bring to food life extension and reduced produce waste in the retail grocery food sector, which will cascade benefits to the household consumer.
The GreenLifeTechTM founding team brings diverse experience, global leadership and genuine commitment to this technical innovation and company with 175 cumulative years of experience from 8 passionate team members. Their expertise and experience coupled with the Enventys Partners' partnership helped to drive a proven commercialization approach, outlining detailed manufacturing and production, marketing, and finance plans. In summary, these plans outline detailed tasks, outcomes, dependencies, ownership, contingency, and timelines to achieve commercial success. Notably, GreenLifeTechTM has raised investment to support research and development that aligns with the company's overall strategic roadmap, its IP, and product go-to-market plan, totaling $510.3K. GreenLifeTechTM will supplement the current investment raise by engaging in a product pre-sale crowdfunding campaign, including targeted marketing and associated timing of artifacts planned for strategic delivery over a 10-week schedule prior to the launch of a 40-day crowdfunding campaign.
In summary, GreenLifeTechTM anticipates its extensive preparation and planning to directly contribute to a successful commercial launch of the FreshDefendMarketTM retail product and GreenLifeTechTM innovation.
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.