Landec's Apio Food Business Awarded U.S. Military Contract to Develop BreatheWay Applications for Fruits and Vegetables

Improving the quality and nutrition of food served in the military is a primary objective of the Natick team that will be overseeing this program.

04/05/07 Landec Corporation, announced that its food subsidiary, Apio, Inc., has been awarded a $548,000 contract with Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center, a branch of the U.S. Military, to develop commercial uses for Landec's BreatheWay packaging technology.

After two years of trials with Landec's BreatheWay technology, Natick has decided to move forward with an 18-month commercialization program. The objective of this program is to further develop the BreatheWay packaging technology for use in distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to selective military deployments worldwide. Once commercial, Apio will be the exclusive provider of BreatheWay packaging technology to all U.S. Military fresh produce vendors.

Improving the quality and nutrition of food served in the military is a primary objective of the Natick team that will be overseeing this program. Initial trials using the BreatheWay packaging technology resulted in improved quality and a 25% to 30% increase in shelf life across a range of targeted fresh fruits and vegetables.

"During this development period, we will be researching fresh fruits and vegetables procurement, transportation, and storage requirements within the U.S. Military," stated Nick Tompkins, President and CEO of Apio. "Based on the information gathered, we will customize our BreatheWay technology and the overall package solution to meet the demands of the U.S. Military's unique supply chain. The U.S. Military is actively seeking new ways to improve food quality while decreasing waste and simplifying supply. We believe Landec's BreatheWay technology fits the U.S. Military's needs as it significantly reduces produce spoilage with little additional packaging, and with very little, if any, added complexity for existing fresh produce suppliers."

"The BreatheWay technology offers flexibility for tailoring the breathability of package types required for specific produce items. Pallet bags, consumer bags, and even rigid containers with the BreatheWay technology applied can be used to regulate the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within a package or container to maintain optimum atmospheres for fruits and vegetables, thus extending the shelf life of the produce. A key advantage of our solution is derived from the temperature switch feature in our proprietary polymers that adjusts the permeability of the package for the appropriate level of oxygen and carbon dioxide when temperatures change during the cold chain distribution process including shipping and storage," continued Tompkins.