Embracing Change to Help Reduce Food Waste and Remove Plastics – Andrea Watson
Jun 3, 2019
With more of our focus turning to protecting our precious environment, the horrific images of plastic overtaking our lakes, oceans and landfills is increasingly concerning. There is a $49+ billion food waste crisis in Canada alone. The two largest culprits are consumers and food processing companies. According to a study conducted by Value Chain Management Inc., they account for 67% of waste. This means that every small step forward can lead to a huge, positive impact. Helping people lead healthier and more sustainable lives are the core principles behind the creation of Nature Knows. Devising a way to serve eco-friendly convenient food solutions, remove plastics from fresh produce and snack items, and at the same time to improve shelf life to help reduce waste, was no small feat. However, we were ready to take on the challenge! Fresh fruits and vegetables are the top consumable items that drive higher waste. How many times are we guilty of cleaning out our crispers each week to find a hairy carrot, or mushy and moldy grapes?
By leveraging technology, Nature Knows’ created a winning combination, a proprietary natural cleaning process and breathable corn-based packaging. The result is a 50% increase in freshness when compared to pre chopped items or those wrapped in plastic. President Andrea Watson explains, “We are proudly disrupting one of the largest food categories currently using plastic while keeping what the consumers want top of mind, fresh convenience and the environment.” “Converting just 10% of Canadians average consumption of 1lb grapes in plastic bags to our 100% compostable bags, would save ~3 Million bags from accumulating in landfills each year!
It is exciting to see the many changes and actions implemented in the industry over the past year. From the removal of straws from fast food restaurants, the increase and desire to eat more plant based diets, (who has not tried the amazing A&W burger yet?) to choosing more locally grown and in season items. In addition to banning or charging for plastic bags at grocery stores, and the option to bring your own cup or containers. Sadly, however, based on a recent report from Environment and Climate Change Canada, we are still only recycling less than 11% of plastics. Despite this, we see an opportunity to help lead the way and ensure we can all live healthier today and pave the way for future generations. We hear some concern for the “noisy” corn bags, yet we say let us embrace going greener. We even call it out, #Lovethecrinkle and let’s get compostable and more eco-friendly fresh food solutions flowing.
We will be at the Pack-Ex Show June 4-6th and love to see you there!
#LOVETHECRINKLE @natureknowsinc www.natureknows.ca