Water is an increasingly scarce and expensive resource, and in the retail food industry, it’s essential for various processes, including cooling, cleaning, and preserving perishable products. With growing concerns over the scarcity of water supplies and the push for environmental sustainability, supermarkets face mounting pressure to reduce water use to not only help conserve vital resources but also lower operational costs.

In this article, we explore how you can reduce your water usage in the retail food industry and explore advanced solutions that provide ways to save water while optimally preserving perishables.

Why Does Water Conservation Matter in Retail Food Preservation?

Water consumption is a pressing issue, particularly as rising water costs and growing scarcity affect regions worldwide. Efficient water usage is increasingly vital in all industries, including retail food settings, where water plays a critical role in preserving the appearance, quality, and shelf life of fresh produce and other perishables such as meat, seafood, cheese, deli products, and flowers. Supermarkets strive to preserve the inherent water in produce by adding hydration via misting or humidifying products in display cases and cool rooms.

Fresh produce, for example, contains up to 95% water, and maintaining hydration is essential to prevent dehydration and spoilage. However, excessive water usage can lead to significant environmental and financial consequences. Wasting water in retail environments incurs higher operational costs and results in unnecessary resource depletion. Additionally, over-watering perishables can have the opposite effect, shortening shelf life, increasing the risk of contamination, and damaging display equipment through excess moisture buildup.

Modern misting and humidity systems offer a practical solution to this challenge. By delivering the precise degree of humidity needed to maintain freshness without over-saturating, these water-efficient systems help retailers strike a balance between conservation and preservation. They allow businesses to use less water, extend the shelf life of perishable goods, and lower operational costs.

Incorporating water-efficient technologies in retail food preservation demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship while supporting sustainability goals. These systems not only benefit the planet but also enhance profitability, making water conservation a win-win strategy for retailers and consumers alike.

Advanced Retail Misting/Humidity Systems as a Water-Saving Solution

Modern retail systems produce water droplets that are extremely fine and fog-like, so the result is humidity rather than the wetness produced by traditional misting systems. These systems are transforming how supermarkets maintain the freshness of their produce — and perishables such as seafood, meat, and cheese — while conserving water. Unlike traditional systems that create a rain-like effect, drenching fruits, vegetables, and surrounding surfaces and floors, advanced solutions deliver precise humidity levels tailored to specific needs.

This includes the delivery of smaller water droplets (6–10 microns) which are small enough to be absorbed into the surface of fruits and vegetables rather than just wetting the external surface, while also reducing overall water usage.

The reservoirs of ultrasonic/nebulizer type humidity systems need to be flushed on an hourly basis to prevent bacterial growth. This method can waste up to 100 gallons a day. Contrarily, in modern misting/humidity systems, water comes straight from the pipes, so there is no water reservoir to refill. By operating with precision, these advanced systems cut down on water usage and minimize the need for cleanup caused by excess moisture. Additionally, they prevent potential issues like mold growth or damage to flooring and display cases, further contributing to operational efficiency and reducing liabilities.

Misting/Humidity Systems for Maintaining Freshness and Preventing Water Waste

Misting and humidity systems extend the shelf life of items in display cases, warehouse storage rooms, and backrooms, not only conserving water but preventing produce from being thrown away in landfills. New generation humidity systems help optimize shelf life for produce, meats, seafood, cheese, and flowers.

By precisely managing humidity through small micron-sized water particles, these advanced systems prevent produce from wilting or drying out during storage and display. For example, the shelf life of mushrooms increases by 1–3 days with humidity. This effect is even more noticeable in leafy vegetables and herbs, such as lettuce and parsley, and high water-content vegetables like radishes. Radishes, for instance, are especially sensitive to humidity changes. Too little will make them shrivel, and the leaves turn mushy if over watered.

It’s important to keep in mind that fruits and vegetables start losing humidity as soon as they are harvested. Some vegetables (like zucchini) lose up to 6% of their mass between the field and the shelf. Much of this water loss can be replenished by misting/humidity, adding to the product weight and the retailer’s bottom line.

How Businesses Use Water to Keep Produce Fresh

For years, businesses have relied on water to preserve the freshness of produce. Initially, this involved manual methods such as hand watering with a spray gun and hose, which frequently led to over-watering and inefficiencies.

The introduction of misting systems marked a significant improvement, featuring controlled water output based on nozzle capacity and timed spray intervals — such as a seven-second spray every 7–10 minutes — helping to conserve water. However, both manual watering and traditional misting systems often fail to deliver optimal humidification, leading to challenges such as over-watering, which can negatively impact both the produce and the equipment.

Newer and more advanced systems deliver smaller water droplets and control the water flow rate to a higher degree, saving more water and helping maintain the freshness of produce that is sensitive to water exposure. These systems also efficiently cover the entire display case, including areas where traditional misting systems don’t reach, like the undershelf area in multi-shelf cases.

Not only display cases and cool rooms require humidity preservation and distribution, but also backrooms and storage warehouses. Advanced humidity systems provide a high-volume humidity sprayer capable of increasing relative humidity levels up to 98% without wetting surfaces.

Implementing Closed Direct Feed Systems Instead of Ultrasonic Systems for Safety and Water Savings

Ultrasonic or nebulizer systems are another category of humidity systems that are more common in Europe. They produce a fine fog, but they require regular flushing of their open water reservoir to minimize the risk of bacterial and mold growth and contamination, which can result in serious air- and food-borne health risks, including Legionnaire’s Disease. This process requires the draining and wastage of approximately 138 gallons of water per day per store.

Closed Direct Feed Systems Prevent Contamination and Save Water

In contrast, closed direct feed humidity systems provide the same fine water droplets, but their closed system design prevents bacteria from entering, thereby eliminating the risk of contamination, and saving water and energy.

These systems are highly effective for stores that aim to minimize water waste while maintaining optimal freshness levels and ensuring the health and safety of store personnel and customers.

Trust Prodew to Support Sustainable Water Use in Food Preservation

Prodew offers advanced humidification solutions designed to maintain optimal humidity levels across various applications, thereby enhancing product freshness and extending shelf life. Two of their flagship products, FogMist and Aguatronics, exemplify this commitment to quality and innovation.

FogMist is a revolutionary misting system that produces an ultra-fine fog to maintain vital humidity levels in display cases for produce, meat, seafood, cheese, deli, and floral items. Unlike traditional misting systems that emit large water droplets, FogMist generates a fine fog with droplet sizes of 6–10 microns, ensuring products remain hydrated without becoming wet.

Some of Prodew’s FogMist benefits include extending the shelf life of products, reducing product shrinkage, and eliminating the need to relocate produce to storage coolers, which saves costs.

Ask our experts about fogging and misting solutions that improve water efficiency.

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