Labels That Go Bumpy When Food Has Spoiled Could Cut Food Waste In UK | HuffPost Life

Dairy producer Arla is conducting consumer research on the labels, which could be more accurate than use-by dates.

By

Life Editor at HuffPost UK

The days of throwing out food once it reaches its use-by date could soon be a thing of the past thanks to new hi-tech labels that go bumpy when a product has spoiled.

The innovative packaging, developed by UK start-up company Mimica, is smooth when the food is fresh, but signifies a product is no longer safe to eat when bumps can be felt on the label.

The labels are designed to cut the amount of food waste we generate by providing a more accurate sense of freshness based on product quality, rather than estimated dates. According to the Food Standards Agency, the UK throws away more than seven million tonnes of food every year and almost 50% of this comes from our homes.

Arla Foods, a dairy cooperative owned by 11,200 farmers, who supply milk, cheese and other dairy products to major UK supermarkets, is currently conducting consumer research on the labels to gauge public interest.

Arla

The label indicator, known as Mimica Touch, works by reacting to changes in the packaged food and to temperature changes. These result in a breakdown of the gelatine layer within the label, which turns the surface from smooth to bumpy.

In the coming months Arla Foods and Mimica will research consumer reaction to the labels before deciding whether to take the product trials further.

Commenting on the trial, Tomas Pietrangeli, managing director for Arla Foods UK said: “We’re hoping that consumer research will suggest this should go to a wider trial. Mimica’s indicators are truly innovative and could not only help reduce food waste but also help those with visual impairments identify, through touch, when food is no longer safe to eat.”

Solveiga Pakštaitė, founder and director of Mimica, added: “We are really excited to be working so closely with a highly innovative organisation like Arla to bring accurate food spoilage information to consumers to provide peace of mind and the confidence to use food for longer. It’s important to Mimica that we work with companies that share our social values and vision.”

Food waste facts

We're losing money(01 of15)

Wasting edible food costs the average household £470 a year, rising to £700 a year for households with children. (credit:Zoonar RF via Getty Images)

It's not rocket science(02 of15)

Brits waste seven million tonnes of food a year, and up to 60% of that could have been eaten. We throw away good food for two main reasons: we either cook or prepare too much, or don't use it in time. (credit:fuzzbones0 via Getty Images)

But it's a LOT of food(03 of15)

The amount of that which we could have eaten or drunk is 4.2 million tonnes - enough to fill 8,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. (credit:Veronica Garbutt via Getty Images)

Really, a lot(04 of15)

Or, if you'd like to imagine it another way, it would fill 210 Royal Albert Halls or five Wembley Stadiums. (credit:shutterstock)

We start but we don't finish(05 of15)

Of that, the majority (2 million tonnes) is food that is either unopened, or started but not finished - for example half a loaf of bread, or an unused slide of bacon. (credit:Thomas J Peterson via Getty Images)

Food waste is worse in our homes(06 of15)

While there's been lots of attention supermarkets, most food waste in the UK - 70% after food leaves farms - comes from our homes.

In comparison, supermarkets generate about 2%, while food manufacturing is responsible for 17%. The hospitality and food service industry, such as restaurants, accounts for 9%. (credit:Ridofranz via Getty Images)

Even worse than another big problem(07 of15)

Every year, people in the UK throw away more food from our homes than packaging. (credit:ShotShare via Getty Images)

The common culprits(08 of15)

The most-wasted types of food and drink that could have been used are bread, potato, milk, fizzy drinks, fruit juice and smoothies, poultry, pork, ham and bacon, cakes and pastries. (credit:SSPL via Getty Images)

Wasting good wine(09 of15)

We also throw away £270 million worth of wine form our homes each year, as well as £200 million worth of soft drinks, and £150 million worth of fruit juice and smoothies. (credit:Nicolas Wayne via Getty Images)

Nothing wrong with wonky(10 of15)

One of the biggest problems is prejudice over "wonky" fruit and veg - nearly a third of us (30%) told Sainsbury's we would throw a banana away if it has even a small bruise, wasting perfectly edible fruit. (credit:SageElyse via Getty Images)

Gaseous problem(11 of15)

Most wasted food that reaches landfill sits through our rubbish system emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than CO2, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climae Change. (credit:Louise Murray / robertharding via Getty Images)

But it's not all bad news(12 of15)

Between 2007 and 2012, the UK's avoidable food waste has reduced by 21%, over one million tonnes. That amount of food would fill 23 million wheelie bins. (credit:Emma Farrer via Getty Images)

More money for councils(13 of15)

This reduction in residual waste saved councils around £85 million from sending less food to landfill in 2012 alone. (credit:gkrphoto via Getty Images)

And less water wasted(14 of15)

Not to mention a billion litres of water that would have been used to grow and produce the food. (credit:Hemera Technologies via Getty Images)

Saving the planet(15 of15)

Stopping food waste also has a huge benefit for the planet - removing all wasted food would save 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 a year - the equivalent to taking one in four cars off the road. (credit:TomasSereda via Getty Images)

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