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Produce Show Daily 5 9 Thursday, October 19, 2017 AgroFresh's Commitment to Food Waste Reduction Drives its Innovation Program Food loss and waste is a serious global issue. Roughly one-third of all food pro- duced in the world is lost or wasted from farm to fork, causing about $940 billion in annual economic losses, exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition, con- suming water, taking up large amounts of cropland and emitting greenhouse gases. Fruit and vegetables, plus root crops, have the highest waste rate of any food, at 40 to 50 percent. Thankfully, this topic is starting to get more attention and commitment to action. Governments, civil organizations, NGOs and many companies are striving to reduce food waste from the supply chain and their operations in the next few years. We are seeing innovative solutions emerge from companies and start-ups via products and technologies to address the issue as well. AgroFresh is wholly committed to extending the freshness and quality of produce to reduce food loss and waste, leveraging an unprecedented integration of the most advanced industry intelli- gence, insights and innovations to address the challenges of the entire pro- duce value chain and drive change. One such solution that is currently available from AgroFresh is the RipeLock™ Quality System for bananas and other fresh produce. AgroFresh's RipeLock technology pro- vides unmatched control over the banana ripening process, helping bananas retain their freshness throughout the supply chain all the way to the kitchen counter. In addition to RipeLock, AgroFresh solutions include the SmartFresh™ Quality System, a freshness protection technology proven to maintain firmness, texture and appearance of certain fruits during storage and transport, and a num- ber of different solutions and application technologies that have either been launched (i.e., Harvista™, LandSpring™) or will be launched in the future that will extend its footprint to other crops and steps of the global produce supply chain. "We are excited to introduce RipeLock to the world, as it not only reduces food loss and waste but also brings a better eating experience to consumers, and can benefit retailers with increased sales and improved operational efficiency. We call it 'Smart Sustainability,'" said Kevin Frye, RipeLock North America Sales Manager. "The color, freshness and extended shelf life of quality bananas creates a ripple effect that includes a variety of benefits to consumers, retailers and the planet." For more information, visit booth #4217, go to www.ripelock.info or contact Kevin Frye at 704.962.2872 or kevin frye@agrofresh.com. Thermal Technologies, a Leader in Ripening Room Design and Installation, Goes Global When Thermal Technologies developed its patented TarpLess ® Ripening Room, it revolutionized the industry. This ground- breaking system gave retailers and wholesalers the ability to ripen multiple truckloads of bananas to the exact same color at the exact same time with total control over quality and uniformity. It was an unparalleled leap forward in commercial ripening, virtually elimi- nating the inherent quality and consisten- cy issues of the time while ushering in a new era of superior ripening control. Today, after 20 years of continuous progress, there are thousands of TarpLess Ripening Rooms turning out millions of pounds of beautifully ripened bananas, avocados, pears and stone fruit across North America and global demand is growing. "Our first TarpLess installation in Mexico was roughly 13 years ago," says David Byrne, Vice President of Sales. "It was a pretty big deal at the time. We've had 10 installations in Mexico since then and over the last 18 months, installations in Canada, China, Chile and the Netherlands. The global market for high quality, perfectly ripened fruit is pushing demand for TarpLess ripening rooms, and we're making all the adjustments necessary to help our clients meet that demand." Designing and installing ripening rooms in countries as far away and diverse as Chile and China can pose a logistical chal- lenge. "The avoca- do ripening rooms we recently installed in China are the first in the entire country as far as we know," says Byrne. "Although completed just a few months ago, the installation has proven so successful we anticipate more rooms will be added within the next year." "Initially, we were a little hesitant about installing rooms in some of these distant locations," says Thermal Tech President Jim Lentz. "The distance, lan- guage, technology and differing ways of doing business can pose quite a chal- lenge. Luckily, we have long-established relationships with many of the world's largest international retailers, whole- salers and growers. Their familiarity with our system enabled them to lay the groundwork to streamline the installation process. Because of these key rela- tionships, expanding to these markets has proved easier than expected." With business boom- ing across North America, foreign expan- sion wasn't so much planned as driven by the needs of international customers, says Lentz. "Our expansion into these markets has been based entirely on the needs of our international clients. These relation- ships continue to fuel our growth and we look forward to even greater success as we work together to expand the benefits of TarpLess ripening into an expanded global marketplace." For more information, visit booth #2853 or go to www.gotarpless.com. MultiTech Devices with LoRa Technology Enables Farms & Ranches to Improve Yield It's rare to find a fertile farm or ranch that has complete cellular coverage across the entirety of its property. Because networking options like Wi- Fi are limited by restricted infrastruc- ture in these areas, maintaining a reli- able flow of connectivity is difficult. Yet, even if consis- tent cellular coverage is available, it's frequently cost prohibitive for farm monitoring. Similarly, alter- nate wireless devices that require batteries aren't practical because of high maintenance and replace- ment rates. This doesn't mean that your land can't embrace Internet of Things (IoT) technology. From irrigation and soil management to optimizing horticulture and livestock yields, LoRa ® technology provides farms and ranches an unprecedented opportunity to improve operations. Establishing a LoRaWAN network allows farmers to connect to endpoints within a 10-mile radius to monitor ani- mals, barns, generators, feeders, soil con- tent, irrigation systems and waste water. In turn, farmers can make better deci- sions to optimize crop yields and response efficiency. LoRa's most enticing benefit, how- ever, is the diversity of equipment and objects it can monitor. From water use and feed systems to soil moisture and nutrient content, MultiTech devices work to ensure a broad range of monitoring capabilities. By monitoring variables like an animal's activity and location to something as specific as a building's temperature, humidity and air quality, being connected to your assets and environment has never been easier or more fluid. The combination of its sensible price, impressive battery endurance and broad coverage of monitor points on your land makes LoRa an excellent choice for those struggling with net- work breadth and quality. It's a tool designed around a preventative mainte- nance philosophy. Because remote monitoring allows you to tackle poten- tial issues before they mature into more expensive and serious situations, you're in control of your equipment, land, crops and livestock. Whether you're a farmer or a corpo- rate agribusiness, everyone wants to streamline operations by increasing effi- ciency and boosting their product yields. Just as important is tending to injured animals and workers quickly, which is easier via the precise monitoring meth- ods of LoRaWAN. For more information, go to www .multitech.com.