Extend Food Expiration Dates With A Simple Sheet Of Paper

Up to 50% of the world’s food supply is lost to spoilage. This enormous, yet often overlooked, global challenge is addressed with a simple innovation; FreshPaper. Developed by Fenugreen, FreshPaper can keep fruits and vegetables fresh for 2-4 times longer. This biodegradable, compostable and recyclable piece of paper has the potential to change how the world keeps its food fresh.

Kavita Shukla, a young inventor and designer happened to come across an old recipe after accidentally drinking some tap water while visiting her grandmother in India. Her grandma gave her a home remedy – a mixture of spices, which kept her from getting sick. After years of research and development, (starting with a middle school science project), Kavita discovered a new application of her grandmother’s generations-old home remedy - a remarkably effective way to keep food fresh called FreshPaper.

Produced by Shukla’s company, Fenugreen, FreshPaper is a simple sheet of paper infused with organic spices; amongst others – fenugreek, which inspired the company’s name. This ingeniously simple idea has the properties to keep fruits and vegetables fresh two to four times longer without spoil! As it turns out, Kavita’s grandmother’s recipe inhibits bacterial and fungal growth, along with degradative enzymes. As for usage, FreshPaper only needs to be placed wherever the produce, which it is to protect, is stored. The design is a remarkable way of re-thinking, re-purposing and re-combining an old tradition with industrial knowledge into an easy-to-use everyday consumer product for everyone.

Source: designtoimprovelife.dkAdded: 5 September 2013