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Faas among 10 women honoured for promoting Canadian produce industry

Nature Fresh Farms’ Product Development Specialist, Luci Faas, has been recognized for her excellence in the produce industry.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), in partnership with Grocery Business Magazine, developed the Women in Produce initiative to recognize the achievements of outstanding women in the produce sector. Luci Faas, along with nine other women, were nominated by industry peers for their contributions to promoting produce in the industry.

Last year Nature Fresh Farms launched their compostable cucumber wrap with Luci leading its development. The concept of a home-compostable cucumber wrap was very new, with the initial investigation solely beginning with online research and making phone calls. After two years of trial and development, they were able to develop a film made from a starch-based material with a printed PLU in compostable ink and launched the product on the North American market.

“I have always been passionate about sustainable packaging and I am very honoured by the nomination. However, I want to acknowledge the various others who worked on this film and their patience making this innovative idea into a reality for us,” said Faas. “I believe this will pave the way for more sustainable packaging options to grace the shelves of grocery stores across the continent.”

Faas joined Nature Fresh Farms three years ago in purchasing and product development. Now as Product Development Specialist, Luci is responsible for sourcing innovative Nature Fresh Farms packaging and understanding its viability by initiating and monitoring shelf-life testing. She is on top of the latest industry developments in sustainable packaging and ensures all new packaging meets recognized criteria, in addition to maintaining memberships with industry associations including Sustainable Packaging Coalition and How2Recycle.

Her dedication to the vigorous research, development, and implementation of industry-leading sustainable packaging solutions has been a great service for both the produce industry and the environment.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Luci’s passion, knowledge, and expertise behind our packaging development, which is why when the call for nominations came out for the Women in Produce initiative, we knew she deserved the recognition,” shared Vice President John Ketler. “We have a lot of strong women working at Nature Fresh Farms, and we feel that it is important to increase the profiles of women in this industry to engage and create awareness.”

The 10 honourees will be recognized during CPMA’s Fresh Summit virtual event on April 13.