Scrap expiry dates – and say hello to the revolutionary smart food packaging of the future

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. So far, the team has invented and developed four types of smart packaging: Sentinel Wrap, a plastic wrapping that can detect and visibly signal when its contents have gone bad; a handheld test that produces real-time results, allowing wholesalers and retailers using special readers to detect, isolate and withdraw specific spoiled goods before they can be sold ; lab-on-a-package, a tiny, self-activating test incorporated into a tray of fish or meat, which visually indicates when a product has gone bad; and finally a sprayable, food-safe gel composed of organic bacteriophages that eliminate the harmful bacteria behind food contamination. Ynvisible, also based in Canada, has developed smart labels to give accurate real-time information on food’s freshness and safety that knock “analogue” labels into a cocked hat. Combining thin and flexible e-paper displays with various sensors, the smart labels offer “a highly effective way to ensure product quality and safety of perishable food and pharmaceuticals”, says the company’s CEO, Ramin Heydarpour. All three are equally important in the pyramid, he argues, adding: “We need to raise awareness, and for everyone to come together to push for the development of technology that yes, will add a couple of pennies onto each food product, but will prevent huge waste.” Producers don’t even want a penny added to the cost of packaging Professor Tohid Didar Until the smart packaging and labelling of the future goes mainstream, there are other, more analogue companies trying to reduce food waste.