{"id":7801,"date":"2016-02-22T07:24:07","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T07:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revoscience.com\/en\/?p=7801"},"modified":"2016-02-22T07:27:16","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T07:27:16","slug":"phresh-is-raising-funds-to-save-fruits-and-vegetables-from-spoiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/phresh-is-raising-funds-to-save-fruits-and-vegetables-from-spoiling\/","title":{"rendered":"Phresh is raising funds to save fruits and vegetables from spoiling"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Phresh<\/a>
Phresh food protecter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tel Aviv<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Israeli start-up Phresh is raising funds to complete the building and delivery of its Food Protectors product,\u00a0<\/span>an organic and healthy solution\u00a0<\/span>that saves fruits and vegetables at homes from spoiling.\u00a0<\/span>Phresh has just launched a new Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in order to\u00a0<\/span>raise $<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>20<\/span>,000 that will help\u00a0<\/span>the Israeli start-up\u00a0<\/span>provide\u00a0<\/span>what\u00a0<\/span>it calls the “Heroes of the Kitchen”<\/span>, a concept which mixes sustainability and heroism.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>Food Protectors\u00a0<\/span>product combines attractive design with high-end<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>organic technology to increase the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables by three times<\/span>\u00a0and allow people to enjoy\u00a0<\/span>healthier foods for longer periods of time. The product\u00a0<\/span>comes in the shapes of an apple (red or gold) and robot (white),<\/span>\u00a0in which Phresh’s powder is inserted<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Amit<\/a>
Amit Gal-Or, Phresh CEO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The product<\/span>\u00a0is based on<\/span>\u00a0an\u00a0<\/span>organic, non-toxic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>powder<\/span>\u00a0developed by Phresh<\/span>, which dissolves into the atmosphere and eliminates<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>bacteria and fungi while oxygenating the area. As a result, no physical<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>application upon the produce is required, and no additional<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>smells or tastes<\/span>\u00a0can be sensed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, one single patch of<\/span>\u00a0Phresh’s\u00a0<\/span>pow<\/span>d<\/span>er is designed to extend the shelf-life of cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, apples, lemons, lettuce, grapes, mushrooms, strawberries and peppers. More fruits and vegetables will be added soon.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Based on over\u00a0<\/span>12<\/span>\u00a0years of research<\/span>\u00a0at the Israeli start-up BotanoCap<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Phresh’s<\/span>\u00a0powder is composed out of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>essential oils, which are natural preservatives created by plants, such<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as oregano, spearmint, mustard oil, and\u00a0<\/span>other plants<\/span>. Using a patented<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>micro<\/span>–<\/span>e<\/span>n<\/span>capsulation procedure, each grain of\u00a0<\/span>Phresh’s\u00a0<\/span>powder extends the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>effect of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>preservatives to over a month<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The pow<\/span>d<\/span>er dissolves into the atmosphere and\u00a0<\/span>creat<\/span>es<\/span>\u00a0a protective shield that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>extends the life of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>produce<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At the first stage, the consumer has to place\u00a0<\/span>one of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the powder\u00a0<\/span>sachets, which come in every package, inside\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Food Protector<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Each package supplied by Phresh contains 12 sachets, which is enough for one year.\u00a0<\/span>Each\u00a0<\/span>Food Protector<\/span>\u00a0is equipped with a LED lamp\u00a0<\/span>that changes color over time, reminding\u00a0<\/span>the customer<\/span>\u00a0to change\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>powder<\/span>\u00a0each once every one or two months. After that, the consumer has to place<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>Food Protectors\u00a0<\/span>near\u00a0<\/span>his or her<\/span>\u00a0fruits and vegetables, whether in\u00a0<\/span>the fridge, basket, counter\u00a0<\/span>or bowl<\/span>, and the powder starts protecting the produce.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Data released by UNEP and the\u00a0<\/span>World Resources Institute (WRI)<\/span>\u00a0show that one third of the food produced over the globe, which is worth around $1 trillion, is lost or wasted\u00a0<\/span>during its production or consumption<\/span>“, said Amit Gal-Or, founder and CEO of Phresh.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“<\/span>In the U.S. alone, 30% to 40% of the food supply is wasted \u2013 more than 20 pounds of food per person per month<\/span>.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Gal-Or, “<\/span>Phresh’s Kickstarter campaign will help us realize our vision of creating\u00a0<\/span>heroic\u00a0<\/span>solutions\u00a0<\/span>that make our personal lifestyles sustainable.<\/span>\u00a0Each household that will use Food Protectors will be able to save up to $400 per year from the loss of spoiled fruits and vegetables, while contributing to bettering the human<\/span>kind’s environmental footprint.\u00a0<\/span>Countless\u00a0<\/span>areas of our lives are touched by constant improvements – our TVs get better,\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>smartphones\u00a0<\/span>become\u00a0<\/span>faster, and\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>services<\/span>\u00a0we receive\u00a0<\/span>get<\/span>\u00a0quicker<\/span>\u00a0all the time<\/span>. But food spoilage<\/span>, which\u00a0<\/span>touches<\/span>\u00a0the lives of each one of us,\u00a0<\/span>hasn’t seen attractive improvements<\/span>\u00a0– u<\/span>ntil now.<\/span>“<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sharing his personal story, Gal-Or added: “<\/span>Heroes were important in my childhood and allowed me to dream of previously unimaginable things. When Phresh was created, our powder began to display almost magical power of seemingly increasing fruit and vegetable lives using organic materials<\/span>. At that point\u00a0<\/span>my childhood came flashing back. Unimaginable things were happening in front of my eyes and I knew we had a hero on our hands. The Food Protectors are an embodiment of that, and we hope they can be each household’s little hero in the kitchen.<\/span>“<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n