SANTA BARBARA, CA - In today’s industry, fresh produce really shines on the plate. You know what else shines? Apeel Sciences’ dedication to food waste reduction. Now, the solutions provider is targeting the foodservice sector, recently appointing Taylor Sokol as the company’s Director of Foodservice.

“Apeel is at the forefront of addressing food waste as one of the biggest problems we face as a planet,” said Sokol. “It’s an exciting time to join as we help foodservice distributors and operators reduce waste while enabling them to serve consumers delicious food with better quality produce made possible by Apeel.”

Sokol will establish and manage relationships with both commercial and non-commercial foodservice customers including distributors, foodservice management companies, independent restaurants, and wholesalers. By shaping Apeel’s strategy and partnering in the foodservice channel, Sokol will play an integral role in furthering the company’s growth on a global scale.

According to a press release, Apeel Sciences is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and one of TIME Magazine's 50 Genius Companies. Known for its work in reducing food waste, the company has expanded significantly this past year. Propelled by the expansion of produce categories with Kroger and landing on European retail shelves at Edeka in Germany and Salling Group in Denmark, Apeel is now extending its plant-derived food-waste fighting solution beyond retail into the foodservice channel. With Sokol’s experience spanning from plant-forward start-up CAULIPOWER to a decade spent in sales and market development roles at public and private food companies including Ocean Hugger Foods, J.R. Simplot Company, Flagship Food Group, and Sysco, Apeel’s foodservice partners are in good hands.

"Apeel is continuing to unlock value in new channels and areas of the fresh food supply chain,” said James Rogers, Chief Executive Officer. “Apeel for foodservice will help operators and distributors maintain quality, reduce shrink, and increase servings per case while enabling growers to sell the whole tree.”

The company stated in its press release restaurants in the U.S. alone generate an estimated 22 to 33 billion pounds of food waste each year, and non-commercial institutions including schools, hotels, and hospitals generate an additional 7 to 11 billion pounds per year, according to report done by NRDC. While much of this is caused by over-prepared food, Apeel can provide foodservice operators with more time to serve produce at its peak condition while reducing overall waste and increasing margins. As more high-volume operators look to increase their fresh fruit and vegetable offerings, Apeel can also address the challenges of spoilage during supply chain adjustments.

For more developments in the fresh produce industry, keep reading ANUK.

Apeel Sciences