Ep. 5: Michelle Masek Uses Science to Make Your Produce Last Longer

You know that feeling: You've been patiently waiting for your avocado to ripen for days, trying to divine that perfect moment to cut it open and see nothing but lush, gorgeous green fruit. Instead....as you open it up, whatever green you were hoping for is polluted by brown, rotted yuckiness. Letting fruits and vegetables go bad before eating them is part of the massive food waste problem, and Michelle Masek's company, Apeel Sciences, is helping solving it. With $110 million in funding, including from Bill Gates, they've created an invisible, organic, edible spray that farmers or grocers apply to their produce--like avocados--that makes it last at least twice as long. Miraculous? Seemingly, but it's just another example of a company using its business to do good in the world.