The best-by dates found on all food products can sometimes be arbitrary and not relate to the actual freshness of the foods, so the 'FreshTag' system has been developed as a way to help put more control in the consumer's hands.
Developed by Rui Xu, the system works with a pH-sensitive label that can be incorporated into ink, biofilm or labels for use within food contact scenarios. The color of the tag will change according to the actual freshness of the food within to let consumers know exactly if something is suitable to eat or not regardless of the date.
Xu spoke further on the 'FreshTag' system saying, "The mechanism behind the FreshTag indicator dynamically monitors and reports the biochemical and microbiological changes taking place within your food product. It precisely reports its current state of freshness, allowing consumers to track the change from Fresh to Best Before to Use-by with visual cues."
Color-Changing Food Labels
'FreshTag' Helps Consumers Easily Identify if Foods are Really Expired
Trend Themes
1. Ph-sensitive Labels - Creating pH-sensitive labels that can dynamically monitor and report the biochemical changes in food products.
2. Food Freshness Tracking - Developing innovative systems that allow consumers to easily track food freshness using color-changing indicators.
3. Arbitrary Date Replacements - Replacing arbitrary best-by dates on food products with dynamic, accurate indicators of real freshness.
Industry Implications
1. Food Packaging - Exploring opportunities to incorporate pH-sensitive labels into food packaging to revolutionize freshness tracking.
2. Consumer Goods - Developing food freshness tracking systems for consumer goods, such as smart refrigerators and food storage containers.
3. Grocery - Implementing dynamic indicators of real freshness in grocery stores to enhance consumer trust and reduce food waste.