Goods and Services

Keep Fruit Fresh with Foam

Now more than ever, we are realizing the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in our diets, as their vitamins and nutrients fight for us, rather than against us. The most difficult aspect of eating these healthy foods however, is keeping them fresh, as they spoil much more quickly than the sleeve of cookies or bag of chips we’re trying to cut out of our diets. Surprisingly, foam can and does play a major role in helping many fruits and vegetables last as long as possible, saving us the money of tossing out rotten food, and the time of not having to go to the store five times a week for fresh food.

In stores, many vegetables are kept in cooled units that mist the food. Keeping near-ripe food from drying out is important so it doesn’t spoil before it even gets purchased. Cushioning foam display liners are a non-absorbent material that won’t dry out food, and also keep it from bruising or rotting from a pressure point. The same idea is applied outside of the cooling shelves in the polyethylene foam packaging seen protecting delicate fruits.

Thin-skinned fruits like nectarines and kiwis are often found in eggcrate style displays that keep the fruit from rolling around as people make their selections, damaging one another. These forms usually have a thin layer of polyethylene foam over them to soften the impact of fruit falling into a newly opened area and keeping the fruit from getting rot spots. For more expensive or delicate fruits, some are individually packaged with a polyethylene webbing to keep them as safe as possible.

In the home, moisture can accelerate rotting, especially on refrigerated fruits like berries. Thin sheets of reticulated fast-drying foam form a layer between the fruit and a hard surface that allows air to pass and drains any moisture away from the fruit, keeping them fresher, longer. A simple paper towel under the bottom foam layer makes for easy clean-up, and you can extend the life of your healthy and tasty fruits and veggies!