CHICAGO, June 27 (UPI) -- As food scientists search for ways to extend the shelf life of fresh produce, the U.S. Navy is at the front of the line waiting to buy it.
Navy officials are currently in talks with a California company that produces plastic material made to regulate the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide contained in a package of fresh fruit or vegetables.
"Imagine you're out at sea for 30 days with cases of lettuce, bananas, all the fresh fruits and vegetables you'll need for an extended period of time," said Deborah Sisson of the U.S. Department of Defense and its Combat Feeding program. "After a week, the bananas have spots. After a month, the lettuce is (rotting)."
Addressing the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists being held in Chicago, she said the Navy last year spent more than $26 million on fresh fruits and vegetables and lost $3 million to spoilage, Sisson said.
The technology being studied reportedly can extend the shelf life of lettuce from 28 days to 42 days and other produce by an average of 10 days.
