Rui Xu, who has researched this type of labelling at the Royal College of Art in London with FreshTag, is working on a food packaging that can go beyond a statically printed expiry date and dynamically indicate the freshness of the packaged product.
The result of the RCA alumna's research is FreshTag, a pH-sensitive substance that reacts to biochemical and microbiological changes in food and displays them visually in colours that are easy for the consumer to recognise. FreshTag can used with biofilm, ink or even labels as required by the application.
With this invention, Xu is tackling the problem that conventional expiry dates are often too short. Especially with products such as fresh meat or fresh fish, the actual shelf life depends on factors that are not always visible to the consumer: Storage, packaging and ultimately the individual quality of the product. Then there is the handling in the consumer's household: Is the product kept in the fridge or in the freezer? How long will it remain open before final consumption? All these factors have an influence on the actual shelf life.
Accordingly, it is not uncommon for consumers to dispose of food where they cannot be sure of its shelf life despite the date printed on it. Even if they are perhaps still good. Conversely, such food can of course also be edible beyond the specified expiry date.
In any case, a lot of food is wasted in this way that could be avoided. The global meat and fish industry already accounts for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in the form of CO2 and methane from, so that any form of waste avoidance would contribute to global climate targets. FreshTag is one way in which the industry could move in this direction.
„Food waste is a major challenge for modern society, leading not only to economic inequality but also to serious environmental consequences. It is the responsibility of the new generation of talent to develop innovative technologies and educate the public. Only by working together can we solve this common problem facing society as a whole,“ says developer Xu. „With the conviction, utilise my personal design skills and turn them into productivity, I decided to combine the strengths of food science and design by setting up FreshTag, which was funded by InnovationRCA, Innovate UK and the Prince's Trust.“
FreshTag has already three different products for the upstream production chain of packaging and labels has been finalised. The technology already has interested parties in the form of several packaging companies from the UK, the EU and the USA. Currently, Xu looking for industry partners to participate in the development and help achieve more retail opportunities for trials.
Source: FreshTag
