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Produce Show Daily Saturday, October 21, 2017 1 8 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 integra- tion of the most advanced industry intelligence, insights and innovations to address the challenges of the entire produce 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 solu- tions include the SmartFresh™ Quality System, a fresh- ness protection technology proven to maintain firmness, texture and appear- ance of certain fruits during storage and transport, and a number of different solu- tions 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 eat- ing experience to consumers, and can benefit retailers with increased sales and improved oper- ational 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. Farm Fresh Direct Grows Premium, Quality Potatoes An interview with Jamey Higham, President of Farm Fresh Direct, LLC. PSD: How have the past 18 months been as President of Farm Fresh Direct? JH: It been great, the Farm Fresh Direct growers and staff have been extremely welcoming, and helpful. Farm Fresh has a very rich and suc- cessful history and there's always that concern about how you'll fit in, but they have gone out of their way to make my transition into the company as seamless as possible. PSD: What are some of the issues that Farm Fresh and the industry face going forward? JH: One of our biggest challenges is responding to the changing consumer, and increasing potato demand and improving per capita consumption. Potatoes are still the No. 1 most popular fresh vegetable, but many consumers think potatoes are a little old fashioned, or take too much time to prepare, not to mention the competition from the incredible selection of fresh pro- duce now available in the produce depart- ment. We need to create excitement about potatoes, continue to innovate and figure out ways to engage with the changing consumer demographics. We also face a retail landscape that is changing almost daily, and we certainly have to respond by help- ing our customers be successful. The challenge, whether it's the changing consumer or the retail land- scape, is to be proactive and not reactive, so we must always think about tomorrow, not yesterday PSD: What is Farm Fresh doing to address these changes and improve per capita consumption? JH: Farm Fresh got a head start. They were the first to introduce the single serve microwave potato over 15 years ago, and with the trend towards convenience it's been a growing part of the business. But that was 15 years ago. We've got to contin- ue to innovate in this arena. Another very important piece of our business is organics. We rec- ognized that organics were a trend, not a fad, and with that realization, Farm Fresh began the long process of certify- ing acres, and making the necessary changes in their packing sheds to be a leader in the organic segment, and that commitment is continuing. I'm opti- mistic about the industry and the role Farm Fresh will play in helping our industry be successful. For more information, visit www.farm freshdirect.net or stop by booth #3401. 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. Albertsons Companies Appoints Kevin Turner Vice Chairman, Senior Advisor Albertsons Companies, LLC is bringing in Kevin Turner, former Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft, to be Vice Chairman of the board of managers of AB Acquisition LLC., its direct parent, and Senior Advisor to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Miller. Turner brings decades of retail and technology experience to his new role with the company, including roles at Walmart and Microsoft. His tenure at Walmart began as a cashier in 1985 and culminated in his appointment to Chief Executive Officer and President of SAM's Club and Executive Vice President of Walmart Stores, Inc., a posi- tion he served in from 2002 to 2005. During his time at Microsoft, from 2005 to 2016, Turner led a number of teams including worldwide sales and marketing at its retail stores division, corporate information technology and operations. Key accomplishments include his leader- ship of the company's cloud services adoption as well as the sales and market- ing efforts behind Office 365. "Albertsons Companies is building out its digital marketing and information technology teams to ensure we are best positioned to capitalize on the dynamic changes occurring in our marketplace," Miller said. "The skill and experience of our operations team is unparalleled. Kevin's retail acumen, commitment to innovation and leadership skills comple- ments our team's expertise and enhances our ability to serve our customers for many years to come."