Result Group officially launched its natural branding technology EcoMark at this year’s Hort Connections, which was held in Adelaide from 5-7 June. PKN spoke to GM Michael Dossor to find out how the rollout is progressing.
“Over the two days we’ve had more enquiries than we’ve ever taken at a trade fair in all our years doing this,” Dossor tells PKN on his return from Hort.
The technology, first launched in October 2022, uses a laser to ‘naturally brand’ the outer layer of skin on a piece of fruit or vegetable, removing the need for labels.
Result Group claims that the technology completely eliminates the need for any material in the marking process, meaning no label, no ink, no silicone and no additives are used. It says the laser does not damage the produce nor affect shelf life. “Removing the stickers is a large part of increasing the efficiency of composting,” Dossor says, adding that “South Australia has already called a ban on the fruit label from 2025.”
One important part of the rollout is ensuring the Ecomark is compatible with barcode scanners. “GS1's support as a strategic alliance partner is very important to the rollout of this unique identification, getting it to the point where it will go ‘bleep’ at the point of sale.”
He is anticipating we will start to see the new EcoMark on fresh produce in supermarkets across the country before the end of this calendar year, with further announcements coming soon. “It all depends how quickly we can get the machines built and into the country. The partnership with EcoMark out of Germany, and Macsa out of Spain, has really brought all this together,” he says.
“So far, one machine is installed in the region – that’s over in New Zealand. It’s already operational and coming to the end of a full season of testing,” he continues, noting that there are another few projects Result Group is working on with “some very significant brands” within the fresh produce industry. Although he is cautious to name the brands, he tells PKN that “retailers are heavily engaged,” hinting that some major players are involved.
