Popcycle — never throw out produce again

Popcycle is a kitchen appliance that transforms your unused produce into ready-to-use frozen ingredients. Your extra tomato is preserved in its pure form as tomato paste, and your extra basil is chopped, measured and stored for the next time you need it.

Popcycle enables consumers to reduce food waste at the household level, where an average American family throws out 25% of their food (valued at $1,850). Our product offers consumers a mess-free, simple and organized solution for preserving and storing their produce for later use. Popcycle uses image recognition to set the ideal conditions for preserving fruits, vegetables and herbs in their most nutrient-rich form. In just a couple minutes, the contents are blended and heated for reduction. Then the airtight, labeled pod is stored in the Popcycle freezer organizer. A complimentary recipe app keeps track of the pods in your freezer and helps you plan meals based on the ingredients you have on hand.

Popcycle is made for conscious consumers who recognize that wasting food hurts their pockets and the planet. Sixty-three percent of Americans are concerned about food waste, and we wanted to invite them to be part of the solution.

We also recognize that economics and trust play significant roles in the food choices we make. Popcycle allows consumers to stretch their food dollars further and have full knowledge of how and where the products on their shelves were made.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by a Food + Future coLAB Fellow to share their concepts and experiences from the second week of our January 2016 program, focused on the theme of Access. For more information, please visit foodfuturecolab.com/access.