Posts By: Isa Glassen
Packaging as a Waste-Reduction Tool Across the Supply Chain
When people talk about food waste, the image that usually comes to mind is what ends up in the trash at the end of the day: unsold produce, bruised fruit, a box pulled from the shelf. What we don’t often talk about is everything that came before that moment: the water, fuel, fertilizer, labor, land and time invested long before the product was ever packed. That’s where packaging and…
Smart Packaging: A Strategic Tool for Freshness, Safety and Sustainability
Food packaging has always served three basic purposes: contain, protect and deliver. However, fruits and vegetables continue to respire and change after harvest, and packaging must be able to provide many more functions beyond simply containment. Produce is both fragile and highly perishable, making up a significant portion of total global food waste, estimated at 1.3 billion tons per…
Packaging Then and Now: A Century of Innovation in Fresh Produce
By Isa Glassen, Sustainable Produce Packaging Assistant, and Jeffrey Brandenburg, Founder, QFresh Lab Western Growers has reached an exciting milestone: 100 years of advocating for, supporting and providing services to family farmers growing fresh produce and tree nuts throughout the Western U.S. Over that century, the association has helped growers navigate changes in markets, technology,…
Compostable vs. Biodegradable: Frequently Asked Questions
Retailers, regulators and consumers are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible packaging solutions. For this reason, the terms “compostable” and “biodegradable” are used everywhere in the fresh produce packaging world. Not only that but they’re often used interchangeably. As expectations rise, these labels have become shorthand for sustainability, yet they're often…
Sustainable Agriculture Summit 2025: Highlights from the Sustainable Packaging Breakout Session
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Western Growers’ Jeana Cadby and Isa Glassen joined Taylor Farms’ Wyatt Maysey and Ag Innovations’ Robert Gould for a breakout session on “Sustainable Packaging for Fresh Produce: Industry Alliance and Roadmap” at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Anaheim. The Summit is a leading annual gathering for farmers, suppliers, processors, brands, academia…
Introducing the Sustainable Produce Packaging Alignment Initiative (SPPA): A New Era in Sustainable Produce Packaging
Packaging is one of the most critical elements of the fresh produce supply chain. It plays a key role in protecting food quality and safety, extending shelf life and enabling efficient transportation. However, packaging comes with environmental impacts that growers, retailers, regulators and consumers are increasingly concerned about. Across North America, inconsistent policies, varied marketing…