Wakefern Food Corp. and Apeel Bring Longer Lasting Produce to Supermarket Shelves
Keasbey, NJ and Santa Barbara, CA (July 1, 2020) — Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative in the U.S., and Apeel, a company fighting the global food waste crisis with its sustainable approach to keeping produce fresh longer, today announced that Apeel’s longer-lasting limes will debut this month at stores across Wakefern’s banner brands, including ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market stores. Apeel produce stays fresher up to three times longer than other fruits and vegetables and dramatically reduces food waste.
Derived from plants, Apeel’s edible coating can double to triple the shelf life of fresh produce by slowing the rate of water loss and oxidation — the main factors that lead to spoilage. Made of materials found in the peels, seeds, and pulp of fruits and vegetables, Apeel’s coating helps maintain just-harvested quality, flavor and freshness longer than produce without Apeel. Longer-lasting produce saves shoppers money and time — important conveniences as people today are preparing more meals at home.
“We’ve always been committed to providing our shoppers with the freshest produce available and are excited to work with Apeel to offer a better, longer lasting lime at a great value. At the same time, we’re continually exploring new ways to improve the sustainability of the foods we source, so that our shoppers can feel good knowing that the fruits and vegetables they enjoy also help reduce waste and are better for the environment,” said Bryant Harris, Wakefern’s Chief Merchandising Officer.
Wakefern’s banner supermarkets will carry Apeel limes loose and in two-pound bags and organic Apeel limes in one-pound bags. Wakefern expects to introduce additional Apeel produce such as avocados in the coming months.
Apeel estimates that its work with Wakefern can prevent up to 1.4 million limes from going to waste each year. With less food waste, more natural resources are conserved.
“We’re excited to work with Wakefern to bring Apeel limes to their stores,” said Jason De Turris, VP of Brand & Marketing at Apeel. “Apeel limes mean less wasted food, which is more sustainable for everyone, and more time to enjoy them at home when they’re freshest.”
Shoppers will find more information about Apeel limes in-store and at ShopRite.com. ShopRite’s registered dietitians are available for more information in-store and will also host a Facebook Live cooking event on July 15 to demonstrate how to make Grilled Foil Packet Tomato Mussels incorporating Apeel limes.
For more information about Apeel produce visit www.apeel.com
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative comprises 50 members who today independently own and operate 362 supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market and Gourmet Garage banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people, and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.
About Apeel Produce
From strawberries to peppers, every fruit and vegetable has a protective peel or skin that nature uses to keep it fresh. Made from materials found in fruit, Apeel adds a little extra “peel” to the surface of fresh produce to slow water loss and oxidation (two factors that cause spoilage). Apeel produce stays fresh for much longer, so you have more time to enjoy it at its most delicious — and much less food and money is wasted. For suppliers and retailers, Apeel’s technology creates an optimal microclimate inside every fruit or vegetable, maintaining quality, extending shelf life, and transportability—with reduced reliance on refrigeration and controlled atmosphere. For more information, see the Apeel FAQ.
About Apeel
Apeel is a company that is fighting the global food waste crisis by utilizing nature’s tools to prevent waste in the first place — a sustainable approach to the world’s growing food demands. The company’s plant-derived technology helps fresh food growers, suppliers, and retailers maintain produce quality and extend shelf life, which minimizes food waste from the farm to the retail shelf to the kitchen table.
Apeel was founded in 2012 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce postharvest food loss in developing countries that lack access to refrigeration. Today, Apeel formulations have been proven effective at reducing the rate of spoilage for dozens of USDA Organic Certified and conventional produce categories, and the company works with partners ranging from smallholder farmers and local organic growers to the world’s largest food brands and retailers.
Founded by CEO James Rogers, PhD, Apeel investors include GIC, Andreessen Horowitz, Viking Global Investors, Upfront Ventures, S2G Ventures, Powerplant Ventures, DBL Partners, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, and The Rockefeller Foundation. The company is recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a Friend of Champions 12.3, and a 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50.
Apeel Produce and Apeel are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apeel Technology, Inc. in the United States. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
