Close×

One of Time Magazine's '5 Most Innovative Women in Food' Kavita Shukla's innovation – FreshPaper – has arrived at Woolworths. 

FreshPaper is a small, all-natural, biodegradable paper infused with a combination of organic spices that inhibits bacterial and fungal growth, as well as enzymes, that cause over-ripening of fresh fruit and vegetable.

Shukla developed the product as a sustainable solution to reduce fresh produce wastage and prevent food spoiling quickly, such as berries and avocados.

Each sheet stays active for up to 30 days.

Shukla says inspiration came from her grandmother. She gave Shukla a home remedy of mixed spices after accidentally drinking contaminated tap water in India when she was a teenager, which prevented her from getting sick.

Since then, she has continued to develop FreshPaper, receiving international honours, including Forbes' '30 under 30' list and Time's accolade.

FreshPaper can be used in fridge crisper drawer, fruit bowls or any place fruits and vegetables are stored. It is now available in Woolworths with an RRP of $7.99.

Packaging News

In an initiative led by Viva Energy in partnership with Nestlé, a limited run of KitKat chocolate bars wrapped in locally manufactured recycled PP is rolling out to stores nationwide, demonstrating the potential for locally collected soft plastics to be returned to food-grade packaging in Australia.

Three Gold awards and a Silver saw RePlay top the medal tally in this year's PIDA awards. But behind the accolades lies an equally important story: the practical challenges of making reusable packaging systems commercially viable.

Australia's peak paper industry association has rebranded as the APPIA, reflecting what it says is the growing importance of fibre-based packaging across Australia and New Zealand.