Mission Produce, Inc., a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados with additional offerings in mangos and blueberries, announced the advancement of its ripening process in the UK with AVOS Mini.
This is a non-destructive ripeness control tool and innovative smart device that measures avocado ripeness and provides quality management insights.
The device is being used for the first time in the company’s forward distribution center (FDC) in Dartford, UK, and is expected to reduce food waste and promote product quality and reliability.
“At Mission Produce, we are committed to innovation and dedicated to providing high-quality fruit to our customers,” said Steve Barnard, chief executive officer.
“With AVOS Mini, we are quickly advancing our ripening capabilities in the UK on the heels of our FDC launch in April. By promoting a positive consumer experience with expertly ripened avocados, we strive to drive avocado demand, support our customers’ avocado category development, and grow our presence in the UK market.”
AVOS Mini measures fruit firmness and quality without puncturing or bruising the fruit, replacing the standard penetrometer.
Built by Experience Fruit Quality (EFQ), a company creating solutions for non-destructive quality control, AVOS Mini is expected to reduce fruit destroyed per container during ripening checks by approximately 67%, according to sample procedure trials performed by Mission and EFQ.
“At Mission, we invest in sustainable solutions to reduce our environmental impact,” said Barnard.
“AVOS Mini provides an opportunity to reduce food waste at the operational level as part of our commitment to preserving our resources and protecting the health of our planet,” he added.
In addition, AVOS Mini uses artificial intelligence to provide advanced ripening data and analyses according to fruit size and season, which is expected to streamline the ripening quality control process and contribute to enhanced operational efficiencies.
“Partnering with Experience Fruit Quality enables Mission Produce to monitor its avocado ripening process unlike anyone else in the market,” said Marco de Jong, chief executive officer of EFQ.
De Jong added that: “Data provided by AVOS Mini enables Mission to make optimal process adjustments, supporting the Company in ripening avocados to customer specification, whilst significantly reducing the number of avocados needed for destructive testing.”
The use of AVOS Mini and its accompanying services are contracted to Mission in exclusivity through the end of 2023 in the UK market.
AVOS Mini joins Mission Produce UK’s portfolio of advanced ripening technologies, including its Mission Control atmosphere control process, which helps create optimal environments for ripening.
