I Refuse to Make a Banana Joke

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Even I have my standards. Sometimes. Tonight's Illumination goes back to one of the common themes this month - food. Specifically, this time, fresh fruits and veggies, which are frequently thrown out due to spoilage, causing major food waste and contributing to food insecurity worldwide.

Enter Apeel. Ignoring the silly name, the company has worked to create a tasteless, colorless, odorless powder that at least doubles the shelf life of produce. In lab circumstances, it's been able to triple the shelf life. The powder is created from the skin, pulp, and seeds of fruits and veggies that have been used in other products (such as tomato skins from a ketchup manufacturer), so it's not a harsh chemical additive and it actually uses food waste from other industries.

Using food waste to create a product that prevents food waste? Reducing the energy and resources needed to transport and store produce? Sounds like a great plan all around.


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