Posts By: Isa Glassen
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…