IGA Mt Barker: nebulisation tested and approved
17 February 2022
Mt Barker IGA: a shop committed to reducing food waste
In October 2021, Joanne Elson, chose ARECO nebulisation to preserve the fruit and vegetables in her IGA Mt Barker shop. Joanne Elson is a board member of the Independent Traders Association of South Australia (ITASA) and a member of the IGA board and its CSR committee.
She became the first IGA shop owner to rely on ARECO technology to help reduce food waste. This decision was made after the publication of the ACIAS 2021-2025 strategy on food waste and recycling. This decision is also in line with state and national targets for resource conservation and waste management.
An inspiring shop, IGA Mt. Barker was a finalist for the 2021 IGA National Excellence Award in the fresh department category. Always looking for new solutions, Joanne and her team chose nebulisation to provide a quality offering and a unique shopping experience.
The ARECO Pacific team installed our technology, which proved its worth in just a few weeks.
A positive impact
After a few weeks of operation, the results obtained on the impact of nebulisation are particularly positive.
On the department, the shelf life of fresh produce was extended by 1.5 days. The nebulisation is particularly effective on lettuce, leafy vegetables, broccoli and aromatic herbs.
As a result, the IGA Mt Barker shop saves an average of 2 kilos of waste per day. ARECO’s technology helps to preserve fresh produce and reduce food waste.
In addition, Joanne Elson’s wish was to remove packaging from the products using the nebulisation system. For example, the shop has been able to remove plastic packaging from romaine lettuce and corn. A range of herbs in pots has been introduced, as well as beans in bulk.
Finally, ARECO nebulisation improves the management of the fruit and vegetable department at the point of sale. Less labour is required as staff no longer need to repack the produce at the end of the day. On average, 4.5 hours per week are saved.
All these good results have allowed IGA Mt Barker to record a 0.76% increase in turnover. The shop also improved its gross margin by 2.5%. This increase in sales is due in particular to the new attractiveness of the department.
