Breathable membrane lengthens banana shelf life

  Chiquita Brands' ad jingle declared, "I'm a Chiquita banana, and I've come to say-bananas have to ripen in a certain way."

Controlled gas permeation

 Apio's new 7-item line of 12-oz packages of fresh-cut vegetables incorporates the Intellipac™ patch to yield a 17-day shelf life. Tailored to the particular veggie mix, the patch optimizes oxygen ingress and carbon dioxide egress according to prevailing temperatures. Shipping is made iceless.

Apio expands use of smart packaging

 California produce grower/marketer Apio launches a 3-lb retail package of fresh-cut veggies in a rigid PET tray with a breathable patch that provides a 14-day shelf life.

Packaging keeps evolving...from able, to active, to anticipating

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Temperature-sensitive film for fresh produce

 Apio Inc. Value Added Group of Guadalupe, CA, is among the first companies to use a new technology for fresh-cut produce packaging. Developed by Landec (Menlo Park, CA), the Intellipac(TM) technology is based on an unusual "side chain crystallizable" polymer having an internal "temperature switch." At elevated temperatures, when respiring produce needs more oxygen, the polymer becomes more permeable, allowing the necessary oxygen in.

Supplier news: Domestic acquisitions, agreements

 Dock Resins Corp. (Linden, NJ) has been acquired by Landec Corp. (Menlo Park, CA).

Supplier news: Domestic acquisitions, agreements

 Printpack (Atlanta, GA) and Landec Corp. (Menlo Park, CA) will jointly develop fresh-cut produce packaging films.