Guess what? New Technology Could Replace “Use-by” Dates on Foods

Now here’s a truly excellent idea.  It’s an intelligent invention that could help solve two related problems:  1) Shelf life dates on products are generally too conservative, causing people to discard perfectly good food, thereby wasting money most can ill afford to throw away.   2) In many countries, there is an enormous amount of wasted food, though elsewhere people are starving.   To the rescue comes the shelf life indicator, a product being developed by TimeTemp. a Norwegian technology company. This product will do just what the name suggests—give stores and consumers  accurate information about the freshness of food and how close each product is to expiration.

How does it work? The two T’s—time and temperature—have a great impact upon shelf life.  One reason that food processors are so conservative about “use-by” dates is that they cannot predict what conditions their products might meet up with as they travel from the factory to their final destination in consumers’ homes.   How will the product be affected if it has to sit on a dock for hours on a hot day or in a car with the windows closed?  The shelf life indicator could provide a way to account for the different environments products are placed in once they leave the food processing plant.

The device itself  is a small, self-adhesive label attached to food products.  Its non-toxic chemicals change color according to the time and temperature. In other words, it’s a time-temperature integrator.  The chemical reaction is activated at the food processor’s packaging line. The label stays on the item from production to consumer. The reaction of the colors gives a running countdown on the product’s shelf life, indicating the time left before that particular product’s shelf life (as determined by the food product company) expires.  (That expiration date is also likely to be somewhat conservative.) The information is illustrated and presented in an easy-to-read graphic format, the company explains.

What products could it be used on?  A great many according to TimeTemp. It could be useful on any product for which quality and lifespan depend upon a fairly accurate, known  time and temperature relationship and on items for which quality depends upon maturity and aging.  Foods such as meat, poultry, dairy, and bakery goods would potentially benefit from using the technology. The data it gives consumers will help them store items and plan their use better at home. 

You may find the shelf life indicator on your food within a year or so. The company has a prototype of the device and hopes to bring the finished product to market sometime in 2011.  Food scientist Joe Regenstein points out two advantages of its use: “It would be a welcome change from today’s expiration dates, which generally start with a conservative assumption of the end of shelf life and then assume the worst possible handling. Furthermore, these time-temperature  indicators may also encourage better handling by both the distribution chain and the consumer.” 

The fact that this invention could cut down on food waste  would also be a major benefit.  In case you’re wondering how big of a problem food waste is, here are some statistics to chew on:

In Norway, food retailers discard more than 50,000 tons of food annually, according to TimeTemp. What about the U.S.?  According to the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas in Austin,  at least 25% of all food produced ends up being discarded. Some estimates place the figure as high as 40%.   Christian Salbu Aasland, the head of TimeTemp, bemoans all this waste: “When we consider that a billion people around the world are starving, this is a massive waste of resources we cannot allow ourselves to continue.”

Source(s):

Foodnavigator-usa.com  “Intelligent shelf life indicator could slash food waste
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Intelligent-shelf-life-indicator-could-slash-food-waste

The Medical News  “TimeTemp’s shelf-life indicator for food will help Norwegian retailers reduce waste”
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100904/TimeTemps-shelf-life-indicator-for-food-will-help-Norwegian-retailers-reduce-waste.aspx?page=2

Joe Regenstein, Ph.D., Cornell University,  Dept. of Food Science

digitaljournal.com  “Value of American food waste greater than offshore reserves”
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/295371

Link(s):

Foodnavigator-usa.com  “Intelligent shelf life indicator could slash food waste
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Intelligent-shelf-life-indicator-could-slash-food-waste