Apr 26, 2007 9:51 AM

Landec Corp’s food subsidiary, Apio Inc, has been awarded a $548,000 contract with Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center, a branch of the United States military, to develop commercial uses for Landec’s BreatheWay packaging technology.

After two years of trials with Landec’s BreatheWay technology, Natick has decided to move forward with an 18-month commercialization program. The objective of this program is to further develop the BreatheWay packaging technology for use in distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to selective military deployments worldwide. Once commercial, Apio will be the exclusive provider of BreatheWay packaging technology to all US military fresh produce vendors.

Improving the quality and nutrition of food served in the military is a primary objective of the Natick team that will be overseeing this program. Initial trials using the BreatheWay packaging technology resulted in improved quality and a 25% to 30% increase in shelf life across a range of targeted fresh fruits and vegetables.