Hy-Vee tests produce traceability system

Zest Labs is working with the grocery chain Hy-Vee to conduct a trial of the company’s solution to help automate farm-to-fork traceability of fresh produce coming to Hy-Vee stores.

Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, which uses the Internet of Things (IoT) to autonomously track and report in real time the freshness of products from harvest to the retail store. The pilot program will track seedless Holiday grapes using what Zest said is the industry’s first dynamic freshness metric, the ZIPR Code, to provide Hy-Vee with traceability data and continuous real-time visibility of the remaining freshness capacity of the grapes.

Peter Mehring CEO of Zest Labs said by working closely with growers they are able to provide a complete record of the product through every step in the cold chain. As such, Zest Labs said it can reduce waste from spoilage by more than 50 percent for grocers.