Nurturing nature: Boskovich Fresh Food launches plant-based salad bags fit to feed the earth

15 Jul 2022 --- Boskovich Fresh Food Group’s subsidiary Fresh Prep is launching its retail line Fair Earth Farms. Fair Earth Farms will be “the first in its category” to package organic salad kits and salad blends in plant-based, fully-compostable bags.

“Our salads are packed in plant-based, fully-compostable bags, and printed using water-based inks, that will break down into rich, organic soil,” Deep Silver, senior marketing director at Fresh Prep and Boskovich Family Farms, tells PackagingInsights.

Fair Earth Farms maintains that the foods we eat come from an earth we must nurture in return, and wishes to implement this mindset in future productions as well.

“Consumers have been asking for a more [environmentally] sustainable solution to the plastic crisis facing our planet and we’ve heard them loud and clear,” says Silver.

The line offers two salad kit flavors and four salad greens blends.Boosting regenerative agriculture
The line’s compostable, plant-based bags will break down into the earth’s soil over time, contributing to farming’s regenerative cycle and providing a solution to the current plastic crisis.

“Fair Earth Farms’ packaging includes a full description of the product, instructions on how to enjoy the salad, and how to compost the packaging after the product has been consumed. All Fair Earth Farms’ packaging has a How2Compost label, a standardized on-package label that clearly communicates composting instructions to the public,” Silver asserts.

She elaborates that in addition to this, there is “a QR code that educates our customers on the product they are purchasing.”

In line with this, Innova Market Insights shows that over 35% of US consumers engage with interactive technology on packaging, like QR codes, so the product transparency information is predicted to have an appreciative audience.

The packaging is certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute BPI, the global standard for composting, which ensures the compostability of the packaging has been properly tested and that consumers can dispose of the packaging in their compost bin without worry.

In addition to being USDA-Certified Organic, Fair Earth Farms is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition that believes in the power of industry to make packaging more environmentally sustainable.

Working with “alive” materialFair Earth Farms maintains that the foods we eat come from an earth we must nurture in return.
Silver tells PackagInginsights that this development was no easy task. “The hardest part was working with a fully compostable film which in theory is ‘alive’ because it’s made with plant-based materials.”

“It took two years of rigorous testing to get the film to work with our various produce items as they all respire at a different rate.”

Explaining why this project is so important to Boskovich Gresh Food Group, she elaborates that the company “is a dedicated family of growers from California with over 100 years of experience known for its multi-generational knowledge and commitment to [environmentally] sustainable farming practices, its food safety excellence and its consistent product quality.”

She says that Fair Earth Farms is the next chapter for the company focusing on fresh produce coupled with a renewed commitment to sustainable innovation within the category.

Creative flavors
The line offers two salad kit flavors and four salad greens blends. The two flavor-forward salad kits Superfood Crunch and Honey Coconut Cashew speak to the health and earth-conscious consumers looking for a delicious meal with on-trend ingredients.

Users can compost the packaging and it will break down into rich, organic soil.Each brightly colored package lists the kit ingredients and the fully compostable promise. The triple-washed greens varieties can be found in vitamin-rich options such as Baby Spinach, Baby Arugula, Spring Mix, and Power Greens.

Chef Andrew Hunter of Wolfgang Puck, Niman Ranch, and Kikkoman R&D creatively developed these flavors and recipes for Fair Earth Farms, delivering products that are “unique with clean, fresh, and craveable ingredients.”

The Superfood Crunch features a blend of organic, superfoods including baby kale, baby spinach, and baby chard with cauliflower rice, carrots, and red cabbage. It is topped with crispy quinoa, cranberries, and antioxidant-rich walnuts, alongside a lemon poppyseed dressing for a burst of flavor and a rich source of Vitamin A & K.

“Consumers can now not only feel good about what they are putting in their bodies but how they’re helping the planet as well,” Silver concludes optimistically.

By Mieke Meintjes