Novozymes, with significant RTP presence, forms new partnership to reduce food waste

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Novozymes has announced a new partnership with AgroFresh designed to reduce food waste.

In a jointly released statement, the companies announce a “research and commercialization partnership towards developing biological solutions that can improve post-harvest food quality and minimize waste by fighting fungal pathogens.”

The products that result from the partnership are said by the companies in their statement to benefit growers and consumers.

Novozymes has a significant presence in the Triangle. The company’s North American headquarters is in Franklinton.

“This is a very exciting venture into a groundbreaking area for Novozymes–with the intention to satisfy an increasing consumer demand for fruits and vegetables with less food waste and less impact to the environment,” said Thomas Stenfeldt Batchelor, vice president, agriculture marketing & strategy, in the statement. ”

According to the statement, about one third of food that is grown and produced is either lost or wasted before it arrives in consumer hands, and fruits and vegetables account for more than half of this waste.

The statement calls the collaboration between the companies as one of “perfect synergies.”

Formally, the agreement is a strategic collaboration agreement.

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Novozymes announced a partnership in October with a Florida-based company designed around reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers for crops. The company will also be a part of a collaboration at North Carolina State University’s Plant Sciences Building, along with SAS, Bayer CropScience, and BASF, WRAL TechWire previously reported.

Other companies with operations in the Triangle are aiming to reduce food waste, as well. The Triangle’s local ecosystem is ranked 10th globally for the strength, talent, and experience when it comes to food science and agricultural technology.

Plant Response seeks to turn food scraps into fertilizer.

And Do Good Foods recently announced a new facility in Johnston County as it seeks to reduce food waste, as well.

A spinout of North Carolina State University, SinnovaTek, is using technology developed at the university to reduce food waste in the production of packaged goods by providing food entrepreneurs an opportunity to cost-effectively batch food production to test new products or to use small quantities of food to convert into consumables.

SinnovaTek is also opening a new facility in Nash County to expand capacity, WRAL TechWire reported.