MNCs, startups bet big on sanitiser for fruits, veggies

Vijay C Roy

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

There has been an exponential increase in demand for cleaners and disinfectants for fruits and vegetables amid the Covid pandemic. Besides companies such as Marico, ITC, CavinKare, Kent, startups and premier institutions have also joined the bandwagon to launch their products.

Deepali Bansal, a 41-year-old Ambala-based homemaker, has won ‘Britannia Marie Gold My Startup’ award for innovating a gel-based disinfectant for fruits and vegetables. This is an entrepreneurship initiative by Britannia under which 10 women entrepreneurs from across the country are given Rs 10 lakh each to kick-start their venture.

This is my maiden venture and currently I am in the process of registering my company. We plan to launch the sanitiser which removes all traces of dust, pesticides, bacteria and virus from fruits and vegetables. —Deepali Bansal, Winner of britannia marie gold my startup award

“This is my maiden venture and currently I am in the process of registering my company. We plan to launch the sanitiser which removes all traces of dust, pesticides, bacteria and virus from fruits and vegetables. Our product is made of natural resources and it washes off all germs,” said Bansal. She plans to launch her product next month.

According to the manufacturers, in the current scenario hygiene has become a priority for everyone and it has propelled the demand for these products. From multinationals to startups, everybody is foraying into this segment.

Krimmi Biotech, a startup based at Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, recently developed a fruit and vegetable sanitiser by using edible ingredients, which the company claims, is effective against microbes and removes pesticides. The sanitiser is chlorine and alcohol-free.

Earlier, the IIT-Ropar had developed a trunk that uses UV radiation to sanitise groceries, fruits and vegetables.