intelligence packaging , which uses embedded time-temperature sensors or labels to monitor freshness , addresses the current arbitrary and inefficient system of ‘ use by ’ and ‘ best before ’ dates , which inevitably leads to unnecessary fresh produce being disposed of by retailers and consumers because it doesn ’ t look appealing or has expired beyond its ‘ best before ’ date .
Israel-based Evigence Sensors uses food packaging labels with embedded sensors to detect freshness , with each sensor engineered to correspond to the time-temperature effects for the food it is designed for . Already being used by Russia ’ s largest food retailer X5 Retail Group , the sensor changes colour if the shelf life is about to expire or if not compliant with storage conditions .
Similarly , UK startup BlakBear , founded by scientists from Imperial College , is targeting food manufacturers and retailers with its freshness sensor labels and a cloud API . The sensors measure the gases ( microbiology ) that come off protein from inside packages with data sent into the cloud via an app and machine learning determining the level of freshness .
Redistributing food before it goes to waste Tackling both food waste / surplus and food insecurity , more recently there has been a surge of tech-enabled solutions empowering potential food waste distribution .
Dubbed the world ’ s first end-to-end solution addressing both food waste and hunger , Copia uses analytics and waste management software to inform businesses of what is being wasted , and why , and to
108 February 2022