Apeel Sciences: Lot Traceability of a Breakthrough in Food Science Technology

Abstract

Apeel Sciences has made it their mission to help eliminate food waste. To do so, they are introducing their exciting new product, EdipeelTM, to market. Edipeel is an edible, natural, flavorless coating that, when applied to the surfaces of fresh fruit, reduces the rate at which produce spoilage occurs. The product more than doubles the viable shelf life of harvested produce. As a food product, the production of Edipeel must comply with federal regulations for lot traceability. As Apeel prepares to manufacture Edipeel at scale, they have recognized that their current practices for traceability would need to evolve. To ensure their operations were compliant and scalable, Apeel enlisted our support to evaluate their processes and recommend improvements where necessary. Apeel’s service model for the application of Edipeel adds complexity to their process and became a key focus area of our evaluation. Through onsite interviews and an end-to- end supply chain review, we were able to verify their compliance with federal regulations for lot traceability and identify the areas of their process most vulnerable to operating at scale. We recommended both process and technological improvements to mitigate risk for the future. These recommendations help Apeel to remain compliant as they pursue their mission to help eliminate food waste.