New avocados are rolling out to Midwest Costco stores this week, and, guess what? They look exactly the same as any other avocado.
Only difference is, these ones come coated with a little protective shield to keep them fresh longer than the typical avocado’s current 30-second shelf life.
Santa Barbara-based startup, Apeel Sciences, has invented an edible casing that could reportedly double the life of these beautiful guacamole souls.
And the company’s not on an avocado-only diet
Apeel’s invisible, plant-based film can reinforce the skin of any fruit or vegetable, creating a protective shield that wards off the brown-slimies from your ’cado, or the fluffy mold from your strawbs.
Made from cellular material extracted from plants, the semipermeable film latches to the outside of the sustenance at hand, slowing the rate at which it loses water and carbon dioxide and absorbs oxygen.
Experts say this could be THE ONE
As The Washington Post reports, fresh fruit and veggies make up more than 40% of the roughly 63m tons of food waste in the US each year.
Apeel’s hope is to enable produce to travel farther and with less refrigeration, improving quality, selection, and carbon footprint.
“Already, we’re able to bring avocados to places that didn’t have access to top quality before … it’s so rewarding to me personally,” said Apeel CEO James Rogers.