Supermarket Perimeter - November 2024 - 10

IFPA's Vonnie
Estes led a panel
discussion on
technology that also
included Okanagan's
Sarah Evanega.
pesticide and water use are among the many other benefits of the
Arctic and other bioengineered fruits.
Okanagan has had great success with foodservice channels and
hopes to replicate that at the retail grocery level, she added.
Del Monte's Pinkglow pineapple, meanwhile, has value that goes way
beyond its Instagrammable color, said Hans Sauter, senior vice president
of research and development, Agriculture Services, for Del Monte.
" It's loaded with Vitamin C and lycopene. Our innovation strategy
is to create premium products that connect with consumers and also
address nutrition and sustainability, regenerative agriculture " and
other issues.
Ohalo Genetics, which has been operating in " stealth mode " for its
five years of existence, is now going to market with its bioengineered
potato seed, which it's selling directly to farmers, said Grant Williams,
the company's director of product.
Ohalo uses " boosted breeding " to combine two distinct potato
varieties, the result of which increases yields and is more resistant to
disease, Williams said.
Such technologies, he said, are crucial in a world facing serious
climate-caused food production issues.
" Boosted breeding allows to do more with less, " he said. " We're at a
crisis point. We need to feed more people on less arable farmland. We
can now stack more traits together more efficiently and more quickly
and create better vaireties that survive in more climates. "
10 - NOVEMBER 2024
Sauter said that producers have to take a closer look at the effects
climate change is having on pests, diseases and water access,
particularly in warmer climates. Bananas, for instance, grow better in
alluvial soils in lowland growing areas, which are keenly feeling the
effects of higher temperatures.
" We're working on that as we speak, " he said.
Biotech also will be crucial to help agriculture move away from
synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and toward microorganisms, Sauter added
" In the future that will have to spread to all crops. There's no way to
achieve net-zero unless we address nitrogen fertilization. We need to
bring way more research into this area. "
Within the coming year, Sauter said, Del Monte will have news to
share on its progress on the issue.
" There's way more acceptance now, and the challenges we have
today require this technology. As long as we deliver relatable traits to
consumers and at the same time benefits to growers, we'll see way
more of this in other crops. "
Evanega agreed.
" We're working on extending non-browning traits to other tree
fruit crops. "
She expects the industry to see a big focus on plant architecture,
gene editing and other ways to " change how and where " crops are
grown. All panelists agreed that for the fresh produce industry to
continue to thrive, new technologies are essential.
supermarketperimeter.com
Andy Nelson / Sosland Publishing Company
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - November 2024

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