Priya PatelTLDR:
- This year’s Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards (FLIA) and FLIA Technology winners have been announced.
- Spanish company Unica Fresh won the FLIA for its Zucchiolo vegetable, a new product category on the European market.
- Dutch company Koppert won the FLIA Technology for its Mirical packaging concept, a compostable solution for combating whitefly.
This year, two awards were presented at Fruit Logistica to recognize innovation in the fresh produce industry. Unica Fresh, a Spanish company, won the FLIA award for their Zucchiolo vegetable, which is a new product category in Europe. The oval-shaped vegetable can be eaten raw like a cucumber or cooked like a zucchini or eggplant. It is rich in fiber, vitamin A and C, and antioxidants. Fifty percent of the sales income from Zucchiolo goes to fighting cancer.
The FLIA Technology award went to Dutch company Koppert for their Mirical packaging concept. Mirical is a compostable packaging solution for predatory bugs that combat whitefly infestations in greenhouse vegetables. The product is supplied in corrugated cardboard strips and trays, which are attached directly to the plants. The new packaging makes the predatory bugs more effective and reduces plastic waste.
Both Unica Fresh and Koppert were honored to receive the awards and expressed their gratitude for the recognition. The annual Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards honor outstanding innovations in the fresh produce value chain. The winners of these awards were chosen by trade visitors at the Fruit Logistica event.
