Mission Produce has launched the Avos Mini, a non-destructive maturity monitoring tool and smart device that measures the ripeness of avocados and provides quality management information in the UK. The equipment is being used for the first time at the company’s state-of-the-art distribution center in Detford, UK and is expected to reduce food waste and improve product quality and reliability.
“We are committed to innovation and completely dedicated to providing our customers with high quality fruit,” says Steve Bernard, CEO. “With the AVOS Mini, we are rapidly ramping up our ripening capabilities in the UK following the opening of our distribution center in April. By enabling consumers to have a positive experience with ripe avocados, we are driving demand for avocados. contributing to the growth of our customers’ avocado portfolio and our presence in the UK market.”
AVOS Mini is a non-destructive quality control instrument that measures the firmness and quality of fruit without piercing or hurting the fruit, replacing conventional penetrometers. According to sampling process tests conducted by Avos Mini, Experience Fruit Quality (EFQ), a company that manufactures solutions for non-destructive quality control, the number of fruits destroyed per container during ripeness checks is approximately It is estimated to reduce up to 67 percent. Mission and EFQ.¹
“We invest in sustainable solutions to reduce environmental impact,” says Barnard. “This gives us an opportunity to reduce food waste at an operational level as part of our commitment to conserving resources and protecting the health of our planet.”
The Avos Mini also uses artificial intelligence to deliver advanced ripening data and analysis based on fruit size and season, which is expected to help streamline the quality control process and improve operational efficiency.
“The data provided by the AVOS Mini allows the company to make optimal adjustments to the process, helping it ripen avocados based on customer preferences, while significantly reducing the number of avocados needed to test.” Devastating, says Marco de Jong, CEO of EFQ.
Access to the Avos Mini and its complementary services is under contract with the mission exclusively until the end of 2023 in the UK market. The AVOS Mini joins Mission Produce’s UK portfolio, which includes advanced ripening technologies, such as its Mission Control climate control process, which helps create the optimum environment for ripening.
