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News Engineering Green Norfolk innovation aims to extend life of greens
News Engineering Green Norfolk innovation aims to extend life of greens | Green Norfolk innovation aims to extend life of greens |
| Written by Ben Fountain | |
| Friday, 25 April 2008 | |
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Colin Winslow and John Newton of Norfolk injection moulding company, Detailed Plastic Components have teamed up with US materials giant, Dupont to produce a brand new product that they say extends the life of fruit and vegetables by up to a factor of four. Claimed to be "completely natural, safe and 100% recyclable," the Fresh Pod can be placed into refrigerators and fruit bowls. It works by absorbing ethylene gas, a natural substance given off by fresh produce as it ripens and which causes fresh fruit and vegetables to rot prematurely. Relatively simple in terms of its design, the Fresh Pod is in essence, a plastic case filled with volcanic rock. When Dupont approached Winslow and Newton to design a casing to launch its Tyvek product in the UK market, the pair liked the idea so much that they bought the UK distribution rights and launched Fresh Pod as their own company. Paul Milton, client manager at accountants, Lovewell Blake, said: "The directors of this business have shown tremendous vision and innovation with this product by successfully transferring the technology from the commercial to the domestic sector at a time when such green credentials are so important." The sachets are made from Dupont's Tyvek and the inks are soya based. Both carry Federal Drug Administration approval for use with food. The contents of the sachets contain potassium permanganate and a natural zeolite as found in mountain lava. The pods are manufactured in the Thetford from food grade polypropylene. The company claims that the sachets have another added benefit in that as well as controlling ethylene gas, research has proven they also kill bacteria, viruses, fungi and moulds found in fridges. The contents of the sachets are recyclable and according to the partners, make a "great fertilizer sprinkled on pot plants or in the garden when no longer of use in the fridge." The sachets last six months before having to be replaced. “Fresh Pod is launching at a time when a considerable amount of money is being invested into educating the UK on food wastage. If we can get even a small percentage of the population popping a Fresh Pod or two in the fridge then it will go a long way to helping reduce the green house effect the wastage has on the environment” said John Newton, director and co-founder of Fresh Pod. An estimated 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste is produced each year in the UK - the equivalent of one third of all food grown for human consumption. Scientists believe that the amount of food waste we produce is a major contributor to the production of greenhouse gases in the UK. It is estimated that up to 20% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the UK are associated with food production, distribution and storage. The product recently picked up the award for the Best Design Innovation at the Creative East Awards 2008.
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A spin-out from an engineering company in Thetford, Norfolk believes it
has come up with an environmentally-friendly way of combating food
wastage.
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