SAN JOSE, Calif., May 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zest Labs, an AgTech company modernizing the post-harvest fresh food supply chain, today announced it has received a bronze-level Stevie® Award in the "Innovation of the Year - Business Products Industries" category of the 17th Annual American Business Awards®.

Zest Labs was recognized for its innovative professional services and solutions for post-harvest efficiency that reduce fresh food waste by 50 percent or more and enhance operational efficiency across the fresh food supply chain. The award was further supported by the company's major achievements in the past year across operational improvement strategies, IoT enablement, the addition of blockchain integration, and the expansion of the Zest Fresh™ solution capabilities beyond produce to support the protein food industry.

The American Business Awards are the USA's premier business awards program. Over 3,800 nominations from organizations of all sizes, and in virtually every industry, were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. 

This award underscores Zest Labs' innovations and leadership in being the first company to utilize technologies including machine learning, predictive analytics, blockchain and IoT to address fresh food waste, food safety and traceability.

"Our Zest Fresh solution has distinguished itself by improving fresh food shelf-life for consumers, while preventing waste for grocers and growers that result in considerable savings," said Peter Mehring, CEO of Zest Labs. "We're very proud to be recognized as an Innovation of the Year for our pioneering work in the fresh food industry and look forward to helping grocers and growers realize the benefits of Zest Fresh."

More than 200 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners. Judges reviewing company and organization nominees were impressed by Zest Labs' mission and success in positively driving change in food waste.

Judges' comments included:

"The nominations submitted to The 2019 American Business Awards were outstanding," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. "They illustrate the continued vibrancy of innovation and high level of achievement across the American economic landscape."

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2019 Stevie winners are available at https://www.stevieawards.com/ABA.

Sponsors of The 2019 American Business Awards include HCL America, John Hancock Financial Services, and SoftPro.

Investor Relations:
John Mills
ICR
646-277-1254
[email protected]

Public Relations:
Greg Wood
Zeno Group
650-801-7958
[email protected]