How to fight food waste with Shelfy

Not to mention the enormous amount of water and energy that are used throughout the entire food supply chain process, thus becoming by all accounts part of the climate change taking place in recent years.

The most shocking fact is this:

Why is avoiding food waste so hard?

The main cause of household food waste is that food is no longer fresh: it smells bad, has become rotten and therefore no longer edible, because it has expired or is covered with mold that is dangerous to humans.

This situation often results from a compulsive purchase of different foods to stock up in the refrigerator for fear of running out of stock for days or weeks.

Or even from preparing bigger portions than actually needed.

But is it fair to put all the blame on people’s inattention or on companies for producing too much food? Are we sure this is the only cause?

The answer is: absolutely not; the main factor is really food storage. 

Let’s face it: with the increasingly hectic life we live today, it’s very difficult for families or individuals to keep up with the exact food quantities to buy and their expiration dates.

Especially for people who decide to eat fresh and healthy food (like fruits and vegetables), it’s often very complicated to comfortably buy these types of food, if they have a very short shelf life.

Shelf life is the first and main cause of food waste, because very often it’s too short to be controllable by individuals due to natural causes.

Shelf life is that time period which, under particular storage conditions, corresponds to a tolerable decrease in food quality (source: UNI 10534-2005).

A factor which is determined by 4 main causes:

• The intrinsic properties of the food under consideration
• The processing or transformation process undergone by food
• The type of packaging and the packaging process used
• The environmental variables, such as temperature and storage conditions

How can I fight food waste?

After analyzing the causes of food waste, what can we actually do to avoid household and corporate food waste?

Buy the right amount of food

The first step is obviously being aware of the actual and correct quantities of food we need. This brings two very important benefits: a better management of purchased goods and economic savings (if I buy less, that generally implies less economic effort).

Maintain a sustainable diet over time

By sustainable diet we don’t only mean environmentally, but also a diet in line with our daily caloric needs. This will therefore involve buying foods that are healthy and have a lower environmental impact because they are not as industrially processed.

A factor which is reflected both in greenhouse gas emissions and the use of natural resources.

Improve food preservation

Since shelf life is the core of food spoilage, it is necessary to perform the right procedures to be able to extend the shelf life naturally and without resorting to artificial preservatives or chemical methods, as several companies often do, thus compromising the quality of the food itself.

Store foods at low temperatures and the right humidity

The first action is as simple as it’s effective, and it’s one we already do daily: store our food in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and edible.

In fact, low temperatures have a beneficial effect on our food because they partially reduce the formation of certain bacteria that accelerate the food spoilage process. Therefore, it is important to set the temperature and humidity of the refrigerator in an optimal range for food storage.

How can I intervene in the natural spoilage of food?

Refrigeration is one of the methods that have always been used to extend the shelf-life of food, but is it the only method that exists?

Just in these weeks, after almost 2 years of work by our R&D team, we at Vitesy have analyzed and understood how to extend the shelf life of food thanks to a new device to place inside your refrigerator.

This product, the only of its kind and the first on the international market, is a device that acts on the microorganisms that populate your refrigerator.

Did you know that more than 50% of refrigerators have a microbial load above the safety standard given by the WHO?

This microbial load is composed by two elements: the bacterial and fungal loads that proliferate in your refrigerator. In addition, there are other pollutants in the refrigerator: VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are emitted from the food itself.

And it is these two elements that determine the average shelf life and the quality of products.

Shelfy: the solution against food waste

The novelty we present you is Shelfy: a smart device that extends the shelf life of food by up to 12 days, thanks to its technology that purifies the air in which your food is “immersed” in the refrigerator.

The technology used by Shelfy is called photocatalysis: a natural chemical process that takes place in the filter where the light from a few visible band LEDs activates special safe, lab-tested nanomaterials that purify the air of pollutants that affect the rate at which your food ripens.

Shelfy specifically targets the main pollutants responsible for food aging: viruses, bacteria and large quantities of VOCs.

Among the most present VOCs we definitely find ethylene or ethene (C2H4), which is a gaseous hormone that is produced by food.

Ethylene is active even at extremely low concentrations (ppm - parts per million - to ppb - parts per billion) and induces fruit ripening, producing undesirable changes in taste (bitterness), color (yellowing or browning) and texture (softening), and increases susceptibility to disease.

Whilst viruses and bacteria are the microorganisms that cause food spoilage abruptly, affecting its edibility and the overall health condition of the refrigerator.

Thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, Shelfy acts on these pollutants achieving extraordinary results on a diverse range of foods.

These results will allow you to buy the right amount of foods needed to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, without running the risk of throwing them away due to their spoilage.

Get Shelfy the solution to food waste

Would you like to buy your own Shelfy and solve the issue of household food waste?

With Shelfy you will not only have an extended shelf life for your food, but you’ll do your part to safeguard the planet by decreasing:

• Waste of natural resources
• Economic expenses on food purchase
• CO2 emissions
• Water and energy use in the food supply chain

Furthermore, you’ll have the guarantee of buying a 100% Made in Italy device, made only and exclusively with sustainable and recycled materials of A quality, the highest available in the market.

Stop food waste with us, let’s revolutionize our way of living together.