Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

A pioneering new multi-screening allergen method is more effective, accurate, quicker and cheaper than existing methods used in the food industry, said Eurofins.

The mass spectrometry (MS) technique permits multiple direct detection of proteins from allergenic compounds in a single test, Bert Popping, company director of molecular biology and immunology, told FoodProductionDaily.com.

The new technology marks a move away from industry-standard methods ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays) and PCR (polymerase chain reactions), which only indirectly detect allergens one at a time, said the company.

“The new MS-based methodology enables detection of seven of the 14 groups that require labelling according to the European Commission’s allergen regulation (68/2007/EC) in one single analysis,” said Popping.

The technique also covers gluten regulation (41/2009/EC).

Popping added: “The advantages are that this technology detects more than one peptide per allergenic compound. This means that if one peptide becomes instable due to processing, you still likely to see one or two of the others, thereby making the results more reliable.”

Advantages over current techs

Eurofins said its new technique demonstrates significant advantages over commonly-used technology.

Presently, PCR is unable to detect a number of products with high protein – and therefore high allergen – content. Such limitations means it has therefore never been the perfect technique for detecting allergens, Popping explaine

ELISA has the ability to detect proteins through antibodies, but only one at time. This means that because there is the potential for the presence of several allergens on site food processors typically adopt risk-based approach.

“For economic reasons, typically only one or two of the likely allergens potentially contaminating the product are screened for, instead of looking for all possible ones,” he said.

Safer products, cost benefits

In contrast, Eurofins said its new analysis offers simple and easy identification of multiple allergens in complex foodstuffs leading to “better risk management for food manufacturers, and ultimately, safer products for the consumers”.

The direct detection of analytes significantly reduces the probability of false negative or false positive test results – limitations of the ELISA and PCR methods, said the global firm headquartered in Belgium.

It also cuts the turnaround time (TAT) and the cost of multi-screening are significantly lower than for individual ELISA based tests.

“TAT will, in routine analysis for one allergen, be roughly the same,” said Popping. “But since typically when more than one ELISA is requested on a sample, TAT is extended to say, 1-2 weeks – maybe because of rare allergens that need testing – this will not be the case for MS since it’s all in the same run.”

He added that cost-wise it would be cheaper for three or more allergen in the same sample, and become more economical with any allergen after the third, compared to ELISA.

“Calculated reduction will be approx 10 per cent after the third, 15 per cent after the fourth and so on,” he added. “Further reductions are envisaged when some of the further developments we have in the pipeline are implemented for this technology.”

Eurofins said its lab method is accredited under ISO 17027. The peer reviewed paper was published this month in the Journal of AOAC International.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Health, packaging allergenic compounds, ELISA method, Eurofins, PCR method

Consumers are less likely to check labels of biscuit, cake, chocolate and confectionery compared to other food categories, according to Harris Interactive, due to the perception that they are indulgence opportunities.

“Many do not look at labels on these products because nutritional content seems to matter less to consumers on categories which are considered a treat,” claims Geraldine Padbury, senior consultant in consumer research at Harris Interactive.

The consultant presented the findings from two surveys her firm undertook in relation to consumers’ usage and understanding of food labelling at last week’s annual conference of the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery (BCCC) trade section of the UK industry body, the Food and Drink Federation.

The first survey interviewed 1,079 online and investigated consumer’s general attitude to food labelling. The second one, involving 1,342 was conducted especially for the BCCC conference – Working Together for a Healthy Future – and looked specifically at various food categories.

The poll devised for the conference found that 54 per cent of participants checked labelling of cakes and 52 per cent checked pizza labels, as opposed to the 69 per cent of consumers who checked the labels of dairy products and 67 per cent of those that checked the labels of canned foods.

Females more likely to check labels

Gender differences were also found in terms of label checking behaviour. Females are consistently more likely to check or read labelling compared to males, but only marginally so, according to the analysis.

This gender difference was most significant for breakfast cereals, with 70 per cent of females reporting label reading in this category compared to 63 per cent of males.

Females are also significantly more likely to check labelling on confectionery and sweets (11 per cent compared to 7 per cent for males) and savoury snacks (16 per cent compared to 11 per cent for males).

Age was another factor in label checking behaviour. According to Harris Interactive, participants aged between 16 and 24 and 25 to 34 are significantly more likely to scan labels on cakes and confectionery or sweets.

Those aged between 25 and 34 are significantly more likely to read labels on chocolate, while consumers aged between 16 and 24 are significantly more likely to look at labels on biscuits.

Progress made by industry

On a wider scale, Padbury said there was general consensus that good progress had been made in regards to product labelling and reformulation, with a reduction in salt and fat in products.

85 per cent of those polled welcomed industry efforts. However, 75 per cent of respondents in the general survey said that food manufacturers should do more to reduce salt, saturated fat and calories wherever possible.

Source: Confectionery News

packaging consumers, labels, poll

Chocolate manufacturers are the target of a new, easy-to-open and recloseable pack style for horizontally packaged products developed by Germany’s Bosch Packaging Technology in conjunction with Amcor.

Enabling manufacturers to add a lap seal anywhere on a package, the company said new pack style – Bright Side – can enhance brand differentiation and convenience and is particularly suited for chocolate tablets, bars and wafers in a variety of pack sizes.

Johanna Bauer, a spokesperson for the Bosch packaging technology division, told this publication that the technology has been nominated for a packaging award at the German trade event Interpack next month.

The film development for Bright Side was done by Amcor, she added, and the technology allows packaging speeds in the range of 80 packs per minute.

In addition, said Bauer, the German firm is launching new equipment at the Dusseldorf show aimed at the production of airtight and hermetically sealed packages for confectioners – its new Sapal Starpac 600 HL.

Bosch claims that with this equipment, single-wrap die-fold packages can now be produced with hermetic seals, allowing for higher quality chocolate products.

Bauer said that the Starpac is the first to fold and wrap hermetically with a single material around the product. “We hold a patent on this new wrapping style,” she added.

For products requiring more rigorous safety assurance, the company said it will also be showcasing the Pack 301 LD (Long Dwell) flow wrapper at Interpack, which uses a longer dwell head to strengthen seal integrity.

The 301 LD is particularly ideal for fresh, perishable goods where Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is required, added the German firm.

Bosch is also flagging up a new OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) consulting service provided by its in-house specialists at the show, which it claims will “identify the root causes of inefficiency to enable manufacturers maximize profits.”

Confectionery, packaging Bosch, packaging technology

A UK pressure group against the use of processing aids in bread production is backing a proposed amendment to EU regulation that will require foods frozen, and then defrosted before sale, to be labelled ‘defrosted’.

The proposed revision to the EU Food Information Regulation (FIR), adopted by the EU Council at its first reading last month, will enable greater transparency over the marketing of par baked loaves in particular, claims the Real Bread Campaign.

The amendment, should it be carried, would represent a significant change to existing EU labelling laws (Directive 2000/13/EC) where you only label goods as ‘defrosted’ (chicken, for instance) when it is believed the absence of such a designation could potentially mislead the consumer.

Article 5.3 of the above Directive states: “The name under which the product is sold shall include or be accompanied by particulars as to the physical condition of the foodstuff or the specific treatment which it has undergone (e.g. powdered, freeze-dried, deep-frozen, concentrated, smoked) in all cases where omission of such information could create confusion in the mind of the purchaser.”

The Real Bread Campaign, part of UK advocacy group Sustain, argue that labels such as ‘freshly baked’ or ‘baked in store’ are potentially misleading for consumers when referring to part-baked products packed in an inert atmosphere or frozen off-site and then ‘baked off’ at in-store bakeries.

Chris Young of Sustain remarked that if the ‘defrosted’ labelling became mandatory it could raise awareness with shoppers around the associated energy use and also the ‘fast staling’ of par baked breads.

“Par baked loaves use nearly double the energy in comparison to ‘real bread’ in terms of par-baking, freezing and final baking,” he said.

And Young maintains that the quicker staling is due to the fact that the loaves are subjected to a second baking and therefore a second period of higher moisture loss.

Doubts have been expressed by industry sources as to whether the proposed amendment to the FIR would in fact cover loose goods as well as wrapped food products.

Frederic Vincent, spokesperson for the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said that the dossier is now undergoing second reading by the European Parliament.

“As discussions are still on-going, it is not possible at this stage to know whether this requirement will remain in the final legislation,” he added.

Sarah Cordey, from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), in response to the Real Bread claims said: “Our retailers comply with European rules. That means that where pre-freezing or defrosting has changed a product or affected its quality consumers are already being given that information. It would be misleading of retailers not to do so.”

She said that shoppers are also routinely provided with information as to whether goods are suitable for home freezing or not.

“Giving customers information about manufacturing processes just for the sake of it,” continued Cordey, “runs the risk of confusing shoppers.”

If a product is indistinguishable from one that has been pre-frozen and should not be handled, eaten, cooked or stored any differently, it is not useful to give shoppers that information, she said.

Cordey added that it is wrong to assume pre-freezing is a bad thing. “It can be used to ensure products reach customers in premium condition and, with some pastry goods, may improve the final product. It is also a useful tool for reducing food waste, which is one of the most important environmental issues of the current time.”

This article was amended from the one published on the 29 March to reflect the comments by the BRC and the European Commission.

Source: Food Navigator

packaging defrosting, freezing, labelling

Developed to improve the eco credentials of European bakery manufacturers, Linpac said its latest innovations in bread wraps, cakes and morning goods containers include RPET material and paper to address waste stream challenges.

The innovations form part of Linpac’s LINbake range, which includes bakery bags supplied in pre-made sizes or on-the-reel, its SmartBox cake boxes, trays, paper film laminate and hinged boxes, trays and lids.

Barbara Laing, divisional communications manager for Linpac, commented that its packaging developments were prompted by a combination of requests from the sector as well as Linpac recognizing that there was a gap in the market for more sustainable bakery packaging materials.

Its LINbake Lite range of hinged boxes, trays and lids is made from crystal clear APET and is suitable for use with multiple cakes and pies.

Where environmental standards or specifications need to be met, the LINbake Lite range is now also available in an RLite version, which the company said is based on post-consumer-recyclate to help companies meet local ‘eco-tax’ requirements and to meet the growing demand from consumers for a product with stronger green credentials.

Laing explained that the RLite version incorporates “not less than 50 per cent RPET” in the boxes, trays and lids.

And, while confirming that challenges exist in terms of a ready supply of RPET for food packaging uses, Laing told BakeryandSnacks.com that Linpac has developed strong relationships with numerous suppliers of the material to prevent any bottlenecks in deliveries.

The company also said that its new paper laminate film is available as a barrier or OPP film and can be heat sealed to provide maximum product freshness.

The paper laminate can also be used for automatic sandwich and snack wrapping.

Laing said that the paper laminate is “an alternative to the current film used on Flowpak type machines and offers an alternative style of wrap for morning goods. It can be barrier coated and, when combined with modified atmosphere packaging, offers an extension to the product shelf life reducing food wastage.”

She said that bakery bags in the range offer an alternative to plastic bags for sliced bread, commonly used by most bakers. The bags come in pre-made sizes or can be supplied ‘on the reel’ for use with in-store automatic bagging machinery and have a 60mm or 80mm window panel option.

Linpac maintains that the bags have a low carbon footprint. “Furthermore, a paper bread bag is easier to recycle in comparison to the plastic standard,” argues Laing.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

packaging LINbake, LINPAC, RPET

Major food manufacturers are revamping their packaging amid concerns over the long term health hazards posed by mineral oils leaching from recycled cardboard into foods.

Weetabix, Kellogg’s and Jordans have all taken steps to change to packaging that does not contain mineral oils, according a report from the BBC.

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) said steps were already being taken to address the issue and that the industry regarded it seriously. The paper and board sectors were investigating ways to phase out materials containing mineral oils, CEPI managing director Teresa Presas told FoodProductionDaily.com

An opinion from the European Food Safety Authority on the matter is also due out later this year.

Recent Swiss study

The possible health threat from mineral oils – that come from inks and chemicals used in newspaper production – surfaced last year in the wake of the publication of a Swiss study.

The research by Dr Koni Grob at a government-run food safety laboratory in Zurich found that three quarters of 119 food products from a German supermarket contained mineral oils. Of these, most exceeded the European Union safe limit of 0.6mg per kilogram by more than 10 times. But products left on the shelves for longer periods could eventually exceed the limits by up to 100 times, he estimated. Mineral oils were also found to penetrate some inner linings.

Long term exposure to mineral oils has been linked to the chronic inflammation of various internal organs and cancer but consumers who eat balanced diets are not believed to be at risk, said Grob.

Newspaper-free cardboard and Kellogg’s liners

The food and packaging sectors are both taking steps to address the issue, with giants Kellogg’s and Weetabix altering their packaging.

“We are working with our suppliers on new packaging that allows us to meet our environmental commitments, but will also contain significantly lower levels of mineral oil,” Kellogg’s told BBC radio. “We are also looking at alternative inner liners for our packets.”

Weetabix said it uses 100 per cent recycled cardboard for environmental reasons but added that it was “actively engaged with its packaging suppliers to consider alternative recycled packaging that does not contain recycled newspaper”.

The company stressed: “Our data… does indicate that none of our products pose a risk to consumer health”.

Cereal company Jordans denied it had changed its packaging as result of Grob’s research but acknowledged that, like Weetabix, it was seeking to source newspaper-free recycled board.

“The latest research emerging from Switzerland on the content of recycled board is relatively new and Jordans did not change to use accredited board specifically in response to this issue,” a spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com. “However, we will be discussing improved supply of recycled board that avoids content from newspapers with the industry and our suppliers.”

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was “not aware of any firm evidence to suggest that there are food safety risks related to mineral oils in recycled food packaging”. It said the research was interesting but incomplete.

“Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring the food they produce is safe, and some have chosen to review their use of recycled packaging,” added the FSA spokesman. “The agency continues to review evidence in this area and will act to protect consumers if the evidence shows it is necessary to do so.”

Source: Bakery and Snacks

packaging mineral oil, packaging

A constant cause of concern for industrial bakers and supermarkets alike is the damage to delicate food items during transit. The problem costs bakers and retailers both in cash terms and in its impact on the environment.

In response Europe’s leading multi-material food packaging manufacturer, LINPAC Packaging, has developed an innovative new range of recyclable PET transport trays.

Currently, bakery products such as iced doughnuts are packed inside traditional carton board boxes, without separators, for transportation to retailers. Because of their delicate nature the food items can be packed only one layer high, which increases the transportation costs because of the empty space in each box.

However, despite efforts to minimise damage, products often arrive with the icing-coat cracked or missing and, as a result, don’t make it on to the shelf – at considerable cost.

The new transport tray from LINPAC Packaging, with its cavitised design and special rib architecture, keeps individual products protected and separate. By turning the trays through 180-degrees, up to three times as many products may be packed in an individual box than before.

This provides a far stronger protective environment, and by enabling more items to be transported in a single box, distributors can deliver more cakes per trip – reducing costs and helping to limit carbon emissions.

Ian Perkins, Business Development Manager for LINPAC Packaging, said: “Products such as doughnuts often come with delicate coatings and, as with most products, presentation is key if the customer is going to select the items and take them home.

“Up until now, distributors, packers and retailers have had to contend with a packaging solution that not only left merchandise subject to damage in transit, but also resulted in a lot of wasted space and unnecessary journeys.

“With our new transport tray, we’re confident we have created a solution that meets both of these costly problems: better protection for products, resulting in less waste, and a reduced carbon footprint – due to increased capacity and fewer journeys.

In summary, the key benefits of LINPAC Packaging’s new transport trays include:

• Empty trays stack together very closely, thereby reducing delivery costs.

• When the trays are filled and turned through 180-degrees the rib design ensures products do not touch each other from one layer to another.

• Products can be packed 40 or 60 to a box, rather than the current 20

• The increased payload in relation to volume saves on transport costs and reduces fuel consumption.

• The trays are lightweight and can be recycled – offering further environmental benefits.

• The robust design reduces the risk of damage during transit.

• The new packaging is available in a range of colours – including black and opaque, so retailers can clearly differentiate between product ranges for consumers.

• The stylish trays can be used as point-of-sale display units, as well as transport trays.

LINPAC Packaging is a leading supplier of food packaging products. The company’s head office is in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, with manufacturing sites at Featherstone and St Helens – supplying both the UK and the rest of Europe. LINPAC Packaging is a multi-material packaging supplier to the protein, bakery, fresh produce and foodservice markets across Europe and beyond – working with customers to offer consumer-focused packaging solutions.

packaging LINPAC, packaging

Downward price pressure from the leading retailers is spurring investment by bakery and confectionery manufacturers in robotic packaging systems, said Tek Pak as it releases a new pick and place system designed to give throughput a veritable shot in the arm.

Ireland based robotics manufacturer Tek Pak said that its newly configured robot cell for delicate product handling was designed for a bakery and confectionery brand owner who had determined that robotic loading would give it the high speeds required for a new product launch.

“The processor in question needed a significant gain in efficiencies at the packing end in order to guarantee a profit while meeting retailers demand on lower pricing,” said Imelda Kehoe, quality manager at the Co. Wexford located technology supplier.

She said that the Packman Vision cell brings fully integrated logic, motion and vision control for delicate product handling.

“The fact that the cell is constructed out of stainless steel and not the industry standard of carbon fibre makes it ideal for those industries and also enables washdown to ensure manufacturers meet strict hygiene standards,” said Kehoe.

Successful trials were conducted in house, continued the quality manager, on products as diverse as poppadoms and meringues. The testing on the Packman Vision system also showed that it can be used effectively with cereal and chocolate bars, wrapped or unwrapped, she added.

While ultimately developed for high speed and high volume operations, Kehoe told that the pick and place system could potentially bring a return of investment (ROI) of only a year for smaller sized bakers and confectioners due to the massively increased throughput and lower packaging costs.

She said that the system can handle multiple tray size variations and differs from existing technology that is forced to stop to allow pick and place of products:

“The Tek Pak system can place moving objects from one moving position onto another such as a conveyor belt by using data from cameras to compensate for natural track variations. And it has an accuracy level in terms of pick and place of 0.1mm,” explained Kehoe, who added that this is an essential component of the higher throughput gains for manufacturers switching to the cell technology.

It also sends management information to client networks and is enabled for remote maintenance. There is additional vision verification after the pick and place motion, said the quality manager, to ensure all cartons or trays are complete and any anomalies are detected and rejected.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

packaging robots, Tek Pak

Obesity is on the rise in Europe. According to the World Health Organisation, many European countries have seen obesity rates triple since the 1980s, with spiking levels of childhood obesity being particularly worrying. In some European states, more than 10% of deaths can be at least partly attributed to obesity.

As has been unequivocally stated on many occasions by a wide range of organisations and governments, this thoroughly modern problem has to be tackled by a multi-pronged campaign to encourage healthy eating and daily exercise while warning the public about the dangers of consistently overeating.

But what role can the food packaging industry play in slowing this rising trend? After all, packaging is the average consumer’s first point of reference when looking for nutritional information on a pre-packaged food product. This is the debate that has been flowing back and forth in the European Parliament for much of the last year.

The EU labelling debate

On 7 December last year, after months of work by EU Council Working Groups, MEPs agreed on a new set of food labelling requirements at the Health Council. The most fundamental proposal is a new mandatory requirement to set out clear, legible nutritional information on most pre-packaged foods.

While many details (such as minimum font sizes for the information, although a 3mm minimum has been proposed) are still to be finalised in later readings of the legislation due in the European Parliament later in the year, some facts are clear.

Mandatory information on the amount of certain nutrients is being demanded on most products, with energy, fat, saturated fat, salt and sugars being specifically mentioned. These must be expressed as a percentage of an adult’s guideline daily amount (GDA), based on a 100mg or 100ml portion.

As well as nutritional information, the EU debated for the first time on including country-of-origin on food labels.

It was decided that origin information would be made mandatory for fresh meat products, as well as in cases where not to include the information would actively mislead consumers. Checks on the authenticity of origin claims will also be bolstered, including providing further information on the place of origin.

Traffic light labelling system derailed

One of the most contentious outcomes of the new EU proposals is the rejection of the “traffic light” nutrition labelling scheme, which marks nutritional values in green, amber or red depending on their relative healthiness, in favour of simply stating percentages of GDAs. For the European food industry, this is a welcome move, as many companies have stated that the traffic light system unfairly demonises fatty products that can be eaten as part of a healthy diet. Paul Kelly, director of Irish food industry trade association Food and Drink Industry Ireland, was particularly strong in stating his organisation’s support for GDAs over any other nutrition information scheme.

“GDAs give consumers simple nutrition information on key nutrients such as saturated fat, sugars and salt, based on the portion size of the food being eaten,” he said. “They have been put on packs on a voluntary basis by industry since 2006, but it is important that they now become part of the legislation…The traffic light system of labelling is a subjective assessment of the nutrient content of 100g of a food and does not provide consumers with the information needed to choose a balanced diet based on their individual needs. In addition, ‘traffic lights’ fail to take account of portion sizes, and do not put the food in the context of the daily diet.”

Other groups see the move as a victory of industry lobbying over the interests of consumers. Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), a corporate lobbying watchdog, reported that the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) had spent more than €1bn to lobby against the traffic light system, including TV adverts, lunch meetings and voting recommendation letters to MEPs.

In an article on its website, CEO stated its (and others’) preference for the stricter traffic light system. “Health and consumer campaigners argue that such labels are less effective because they rely on an arbitrary notion of a portion, and only reflect adult needs, which are not relevant for children – often the target market for snacks and sweets. They favour the traffic-light label which is much easier to understand for a larger audience and the most socially disadvantaged.”

Even with the less intrusive GDA approach, some companies have expressed their discomfort. UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph has reported that Ferrero, the Italian producer of Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread, claims that the new labelling requirements could frighten off potential customers. Even Italy’s Agriculture and Food Minister Giancarlo Galan has criticised the tougher approach, saying: “Sometimes, the strict application of rules…reveals their stupidity.” It seems that as these proposals move forward towards becoming full legislation, they may have found a staunch opponent in Italy.

The long road to legislation

The fact that EU parties have agreed on a framework for legislation does not mean that it will instantly become law; far from it, in fact. According to an interested parties letter from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) dated 7 January 2011, the proposals will be subjected to another round of debate during their second reading in the spring of this year.

“The Regulation is expected to be finalised and published in early 2012. There will be appropriate transition periods for all businesses with the Council proposing three years for the labelling provisions although the mandatory requirement for nutrition labelling will not apply for five years,” according to Defra’s letter.

This means that although these issues are being brought to the table now, companies could have up until 2017 before the legislation comes into force.

It also leaves plenty of time for hurdles to be thrown in the path of the legislation by industry bodies or opposing national governments.

These new regulations, if pushed through intact over the next two years, will present new challenges for the food and packaging industries to come up with creative ways to inform consumers while keeping their products looking fresh and appealing on store shelves. But any healthy industry should rise to new challenges, and the changes proposed by the EU could have a significant impact on the ever-growing problem of mass obesity across the continent.

Source: Food Navigator

Food Safety, packaging food labelling, nutritional information, regulations

Packaging that alerts consumers to food which is starting to go off is being developed by researchers at Strathclyde.

The project aims to improve food safety and cut unnecessary food waste by developing a new type of indicator, made of ‘intelligent plastics’ which give a warning, by changing colour, of when food is about to lose its freshness because it has broken or damaged packaging, has exceeded its ‘best before’ date or has been poorly refrigerated.

An estimated 8.3 million tonnes of household food- most of which could have been eaten- is wasted in the UK each year.

The indicator is to be used as part of a form of food packaging known as modified atmosphere packaging, which keeps food in specially-created conditions that prolong its shelf life.

Freshness indicators typically take the form of labels inserted in a package but these come at a significant cost. Strathclyde researchers are looking to create a new type of indicator which is an integral part of the packaging, and so is far less expensive. The project has received £325,000 in support from the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme.

Professor Andrew Mills, of the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, who is currently leading the Strathclyde project, said: “At the moment, we throw out far too much food, which is environmentally and economically damaging.

“Modified atmosphere packaging is being used increasingly to contain the growth of organisms which spoil food but the costs of the labels currently used with it are substantial. We are aiming to eliminate this cost with new plastics for the packaging industry.

“We hope that this will reduce the risk of people eating food which is no longer fit for consumption and help prevent unnecessary waste of food. We also hope it will have a direct and positive impact on the meat and seafood industries.”

By giving a clear and unambiguous sign that food is beginning to perish, the indicators being developed at Strathclyde could resolve potential confusion about the different significances of ‘best before’ dates and ‘sell-by’ dates. They could also help to highlight the need for food to be stored in refrigerators which are properly sealed.

Lisa Branter, acting head of the Proof of Concept Programme, said: “Through the Proof of Concept Programme, we are creating the opportunities to build high value, commercially viable spin-out companies from ground-breaking research ideas. What we want to achieve are more companies of scale created as a result of the Programme, and this project is a great example of an idea which offers real business opportunities.”

packaging food safety, indicator, intelligent plastics, packaging