NEVE YARAK, Israel — Save Foods Inc., an agri-food tech company specializing in eco crop protection that helps to reduce food waste and ensure food safety while reducing the use of pesticides, announced new commercial adoption of its eco-crop protection treatment by Mexican lime packers following the recent successful completion of several pilot programs in Veracruz.
“We are very happy with the outcome of the pilot programs, which have resulted in the addition of multiple new paying customers to our growing network,” said Antonio Ruiz Garcia, Save Foods’ local representative in Mexico, who is also the former Undersecretary of Rural Development in Mexico. “We believe that the growing interest in our solutions from prospective customers in the region will translate into sustained growth as we continue to showcase our eco-crop protection treatment and its positive impact on the food supply chain.”
Dan Sztybel, CEO of Save Foods Ltd., the company’s Israeli subsidiary, said the benefits to both retailers and packers are proven.
“A major US retailer reported that limes treated with our eco crop protection had an extended shelf life of more than five days compared to limes that had not been treated,” Sztybel said. “Extended shelf life means waste is reduced and our data indicates this could result in retailers generating additional income of $185 per ton of limes. Furthermore, the packer benefited from a 25% increased purchased volume of the produce by this US retailer.”
Mexico is the world's second-largest exporter of limes, with almost 18% of the world sales value. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), Mexico’s citrus exports increased in 2021, reaching a total value of over $912 million and producing more than 2.9 million tons of lime. The state of Veracruz, home to Save Foods’ latest customer additions, is the main Persian lime producing region in the country, where the crop is produced year-round, with 50-60% targeted for export.