New bio-packaging to reduce food waste

A new material that can keep vegetables and fruit fresh and prevent fogging in food packaging was displayed at a seminar on preservation of agricultural products over the weekend.

A nano film was designed to imitate cell membranes and can adjust gas in food packaging, keeping fruit and vegetables dormant for up to 30 days, especially those that are hard to keep, such as cherries, strawberries and plums. 

In China, 20 to 30 percent of agricultural products are damaged, far more than the 5 percent in developed countries. Nearly a quarter of the products farmers grow fail to reach the table, causing a large amount of biological waste.

The new material was invented by Shanghai Fuming New Material Technology Corporation. At the seminar in Zhangjiang, the company also showed off a new environmental-friendly garbage bag, claiming that it is 100 percent biomaterial,and fully degrades after being buried into soil for two months. The company  is working to trying to reduce the time to about a week.