FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE PROJECT TO BED BATH & BEYOND

BALTIMORE, Aug. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- How far could your middle schooler's science project go? To the shelves of Bed Bath & Beyond, if FreshPaper's unlikely story is any indication.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150813/258174

FreshPaper, a simple innovation that has garnered international recognition for its potential to change the food system, is headed to kitchens and lunchboxes nationwide as it launches at Bed Bath & Beyond stores today, just in time for back to school.

FreshPaper sheets are infused with organic spices that keep fruits & vegetables fresh for 2–4x longer, naturally. One small sheet is simply dropped into fridge drawers, fruit bowls, and containers filled with produce. FreshPaper is made in the USA, and is recyclable, biodegradable, compostable.

FreshPaper started as Inventor Kavita Shukla's middle school science project and was inspired by a homemade "spice tea" her grandmother in India once gave her as a remedy for drinking contaminated tap water. A grassroots movement has since taken FreshPaper from a single farmer's market stall in Cambridge, MA to farmers and families worldwide.

The inspiring FreshPaper story has captured the attention of influencers like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson, and was the subject of a short film by Hollywood director Bryce Dallas Howard. In 2013, FreshPaper was presented with the INDEX: Award, the world's largest prize for design (previously awarded to Apple and Tesla) by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark.

Today, the FreshPaper brand is recognized as a pioneer in the movement towards reducing food waste. Shukla hopes FreshPaper's growing retail presence will spark a national conversation around this enormous global challenge, and inspire aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women, to dream bigger.

"We're excited to partner with Bed Bath & Beyond, a visionary retailer that is helping us make fresh, healthy eating more accessible and affordable," said Shukla. "When I set up a stall at my local farmer's market, after trying and failing for years to bring my idea to the world, I could never have imagined that one day we'd be working with the world's biggest retailers."

The patented and award-winning product will retail at Bed Bath & Beyond in packs of 8 sheets (approximately a 2-month supply) for $9.99, helping customers save money, reduce food waste, and eat fresh.

While the world's farmers harvest enough food to feed the planet, more than twenty-five percent of the world's food supply is lost to spoilage, resulting in massive land, water, energy, and human costs. FreshPaper is taking on this enormous, yet often overlooked, global challenge with with its mission of "Fresh for All."

About Fenugreen & FreshPaper™

Fenugreen is a social enterprise taking on global food waste with a simple innovation, FreshPaper. Fenugreen's mission is to improve access to fresh, healthy food, and boost the lives of farmers and communities worldwide - "Fresh for All."

FreshPaper helps consumers, retailers and farmers reduce food waste, naturally. Infused with organic spices, one FreshPaper sheet is simply dropped into fridge drawers, bags and cartons to keep fruits & vegetables fresh for up to 2 – 4x longer.

FreshPaper is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable, and the patented & award-winning product is made in the USA. Today, FreshPaper is shipped to farmers and families in 35+ countries and retailers nationwide including Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Sprouts.

Fresh Paper has received international recognition for its potential to change the global food system, including awards from the Social Venture Network, Sustainable Brands, The Economist, Harvard, the Lemelson-MIT Foundation, the Women in the World Foundation, Intel, Cartier, Toyota, Target, and the Home Depot.

FreshPaper has also been recognized by the British Consulate, the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Swiss Consulate, and Fenugreen has been recognized as the "most innovative young company in the world" by the Kauffman Foundation's Startup Open, awarded by Sir Richard Branson.

FreshPaper began as a middle school science project, inspired by Fenugreen Founder, Kavita Shukla's trip to visit her grandmother in India. (Watch the TED Talk about FreshPaper's origins)

Fenugreen was founded in Cambridge, MA, and is now headquartered in Maryland.

The FreshPaper Story: Watch the "INSPIRED" film by Bryce Dallas Howard

About Kavita Shukla

Kavita Shukla is an inventor, designer, social entrepreneur and an advocate for women and girls to believe in the power of their own ideas. She is the Founder and CEO of Fenugreen.

Kavita holds four patents, and has received several international honors, including the INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award – the world's largest prize for design. Kavita has been inducted into the National Gallery for America's Young Inventors and was a First Place Winner at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair for her initial research on FreshPaper.

Kavita was recently a featured speaker at the Women in the World Summit at the Lincoln Center along with Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey. Kavita's work on FreshPaper, and her quest to take on global food waste, has been featured by CNN, The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, The Economist, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Oprah Magazine, Glamour, and The Today Show. Kavita was also featured as one of the "7 Entrepreneurs Changing the World" by Fast Company and on the Forbes "30 under 30" list. She holds a BA from Harvard University.

About Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond (BBB) is the nation's #1 superstore domestics retailer with more than 1,000 BBB stores throughout North America. BBB also operates 270 Cost Plus and World Market stores, and three smaller specialty chains: Christmas Tree Shops, buybuy BABY stores, and Harmon discount health and beauty shops. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. was founded in 1971 and is based in Union, New Jersey. 

To view this video on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGl3kZQMr3U

Media Contact: Carrie Murphy, Fenugreen FreshPaper, 424 260 3368, [email protected]

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SOURCE Fenugreen FreshPaper