WayCool Foods has signed a 1-year MoU with Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) to develop sustainable and optimal technology for enhancing the shelf life of selected fruits and vegetables. The MoU was signed and exchanged between Karthik Jayaraman, chief executive officer, WayCool Foods, and Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, director, IIFPT. Earlier this year, WayCool joined hands with IIT-Hyderabad, reinforcing commitment to reducing food wastage.
The aim of this association is to develop solutions that will retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables for a longer period, leading to reduction in food wastage across the supply chain at all levels. These solutions are targeted at enhancing the shelf life of fresh produce such as tomato, potato, onion, carrot, pomegranate, and apple. WayCool has invested more than Rs 30 lakh so far in such industry-academia sustainability initiatives targeting reduction in food wastage through collaboration, technology, and innovation.
On the occasion of the MoU signing, Subramanian Akkulan, executive vice president Innovation, WayCool Foods said, “WayCool has been actively working towards driving sustainability and reducing food wastage. IIFPT has done pioneering research in shelf-life extension technologies and we are happy to partner with the premier institute for developing the next generation of these technologies. We believe that it is critical to develop indigenous solutions that work well in the Indian context and will continue to build such partnerships with premier Indian institutions, in addition to our own R and D work.”
WayCool distributes its wide range of fresh produce and staples in brands such as Shuddha, Dhaanyaa, KitchenJi, L’exotique, Madhuram, and Freshey’s, to nearly 20,000 retail outlets, as well as institutional clients. After analyzing the solutions, the custom selection will enhance freshness of fruits and vegetables for a longer duration consequently increasing the sustainability of produced farm products.
In the drive towards creating a social impact, WayCool has a farmer engagement program, Outgrow, that engages with farmers through the entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting. In the process, WayCool helps to substantially increase farmer profitability, reduce risk, and guarantees 270 days of steady income to farmers by leveraging a host of emerging technologies to measure soil health, ensure quality of inputs, capture agricultural practices, and measure output quality.
During the MoU signing, Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, director, IIFPT said, “We are happy to collaborate with WayCool Foods to develop such unique solutions to enhance the shelf life of fruits and vegetables whilst also reducing the overall food wastage across the supply chain at all levels. It is important to devise ways to create uncompromised innovations that meet our sustainability goals.”
WayCool Foods, founded in July 2015 by Karthik Jayaraman and Sanjay Dasari, is India’s largest agri supply chain startup. Focusing on food development and distribution, the company leverages innovative technology to scale and operate a complex supply chain. WayCool operates a full-stack, broadline product range across multiple channels and categories such as fresh produce, staples, and dairy, serving over 18,000 clients in the general trade, modern trade, and food services space.
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An English-language food and beverage processing and packaging industry B2B platform in print and web, IndiFoodBev is in its third year of publication. It is said that the Indian food and beverage industries represent approximately US$ 900 billion in revenues which implies more than 20% of the country’s GDP. Eliminating the wastage on the farmside can help to deliver more protein to a higher number of the population apart from generating sizable exports. The savings in soil, seeds, water, fertilizer, energy and ultimately food and nutrition could be the most immense contribution that country is poised to make to the moderation of climate change.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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