Fresh Produce Technology
Technology drives growth and efficiency in the fresh produce industry by optimizing the entire supply chain. Robotics and autonomous harvesters help growers overcome labor shortages, while digital tools and IoT sensors enhance food safety through real-time traceability. AI-driven analytics extend shelf life and minimize waste by maintaining optimal environments for perishable goods. Explore how these innovations are transforming the fresh produce industry for a more sustainable future.
“Technology is the new ag input” for cybersecurity, labor, data, regulations and all the other produce company stressors of today and in the future, says Greg Gatzke, founder of ZAG Technical Services.
San Jose, Calif.-based cybersecurity consulting firm ZAG Technical Services is reminding companies to plan to check their tech in light of the recent news of ransomware attacks on industry-leading ag companies.
Satellite imagery alongside ground measurements will be analyzed using the Agmatix platform to inform sustainable on-farm decisions.
Each year, a staggering 119 billion pounds of food — nearly 40% of all food — is wasted in the U.S., but companies across the fresh produce supply chain are using technology to stem the tidal wave of food waste.
Companies that specialize in food safety and traceability continue to put forth innovative ways to transport and store perishable food.
“I think traceability should be a demand [for a shipper] as a member of the produce industry as we work to provide healthy and safe fruits and vegetables,” says Chelsea Consalo of Consalo Family Farms.
Booth replaces co-founder Aidan Mouat, who had been CEO since 2015. Mouat remains in an advisory capacity for the Chicago-based company.
The Wenatchee, Wash.-based company aims to have the foundation and walls of the building complete by the end of August and have the line fully operational by 2024.
After conducting trials to support commercialization, Verdant Technologies is now partnering with SunFed to use Verdant’s HarvestHold Fresh technology to deliver fresh and greener cucumbers.
A Rice University researcher has developed a protein-based coating for fresh produce that he says could prevent food waste and preserve freshness.
California-based agtech company BeeHero is launching a pollination insights platform that it says will give growers real-time pollination data and expand the largest dataset of bee activity, globally.
It was about 17 years ago that an Australian company, Drape Net, was formed by a third-generation orchardist to provide a solution to help growers protect their apple trees from hail damage.
Multigenerational Maine-based Ricker Hill Orchards is adding Hazel 100 shelf-life extension packets to its apples postharvest to reduce complexity and improve operations.
Amado, Ariz.-based Wholesum has launched its revamped website, wh.farm.
The developer of mobile biochar production systems for commercial agriculture was one of three startups that pitched inventions in front of an audience of more than 300 fresh produce farmers and industry leaders.
The foreign material identification accuracy of Tomra Food’s sorting and grading solutions has won an International FoodTec Award.
Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers has added new capabilities in a new apple line packinghouse extension.
Two recent product launches by Tomra Solutions have shown how AI is changing food processing.
A research team at Penn State University looks to use real-time data and an unmanned vehicle to better target heat in orchards during freeze events.
Agtech company ProducePay says Visibility gives buyers the ability to monitor and manage produce shipments via a digital dashboard on the ProducePay platform.
Sun World International LLC says Italian courts ruled in favor of the company in four recent infringement lawsuits against unlicensed growers who unlawfully produced and sold Sun World grape varieties.
Inteligistics says it has updated its flagship InteliView data management platform.
Simbe Robotics is partnering with Plexus Corp. to bring its retail robotics-as-a-service to market quickly and at global scale.
The International Fresh Produce Association has name the 12 new companies that will join the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator for the 2024 cohort.
Cherry packers in California and New Zealand have implemented Tomra’s AI-powered LUCAi technology with good results, according to a news release.
From almonds and apples to avocados and blueberries, while many high-value, specialty crops depend on bee pollination to thrive, historically little has been known about the intricate world inside the hive — until now.
The second annual Western Growers Specialty Crop Automation Report reveals a 25% increase in average year-over-year agtech investment.
The machine uses sophisticated AI deep-learning technology, computer vision, robotics and lasers to deliver high precision weed control, according to the company.
The solutions include a bio-fungicide and an apple coating, both approved for organic use, as well as a scald and carbon dioxide injury inhibitor.
Western Growers and S2G Ventures are now accepting applications for the 2023 AgSharks Competition.