The Halifax maker of anti-microbial film for fish packaging that was formerly called Impactful Health R&D has rebranded to Freshr Sustainable Technologies.

Freshr, which was founded by biomaterials researcher Mina Mekhail in 2017 and makes its packaging from sustainable materials, said in a statement that the new name is meant to highlight how the company’s product offers food packagers benefits both in terms of food preservation and environmental responsibility.

“Both sustainability and innovation lie at the heart of everything we do,” said Mekhail.

“Today, we're not only unveiling our new brand identity but also our compelling purpose statement: ‘Innovating a zero food-waste future using advanced materials.’”

In January of last year, Freshr raised $1.7 million, including a $250,000 grant from industry group Natural Products Canada. The equity investors included angels from Atlantic Canada and Montreal, as well as a venture capital firm from New York and provincial VC Crown corporation Innovacorp (now Invest Nova Scotia). And in May, the company received a $100,000 grant from the Guelph, Ontario-based Canadian Food Innovation Network.

Mekhail’s team — which was approaching the double digits when Freshr won Innovative Business of the Year at the Halifax Business Awards in January — has previously piloted its technology with Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, as well as a large American maker of packaging films.