Bradford, Ontario-based Gwillimdale Farms has announced the debut of a brand new and fully automated potato grading system that has created room for a new line of No. 2 potatoes called Conscious Consumption.
The new grading system, equipped with artificial intelligence, has multiple different parameters set to meet the required specifications of size, volume, shape, grade and deviation, according to the release.
This investment allows a big move toward sustainable agriculture and reducing food waste, company officials said.
Conscious Consumption was inspired by the age-old problem of food waste, the company said.
“We’ve had an ongoing struggle with dumping and disposing of perfectly good potatoes with minor blemishes for years,” Quinton Woods, senior sales and plant operation manager for Gwillimdale Farms, said in the release. “Edible food waste is bad for the environment through the decomposing of vegetables and contributes to food insecurity and equality. [A total of] 15.6% of Canadians are living food-insecure when 400 million potatoes can be diverted to retail and onto the tables of hungry people.”
Gwillimdale’s Conscious Consumption potatoes are white, with the package tagline “As Nature Intended,” the company said.
This new program diverts 20% of edible food waste from landfills and is an environmentally sustainable, completely compostable product with no plastics, according to the release.
The Conscious Consumption line comes in a smaller 5-pound package, further contributing to the elimination of food waste in homes.
The release said the new line is a “triple threat” by diverting food waste, boosting sustainability and giving consumers a discounted price point.
The new line is displayed at booth no. 1301 at the 2022 Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show, according to the release.
