[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6958\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETo reduce food waste, scientists are making labels that track produce as it spoils\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eu-fusions.org\/phocadownload\/Publications\/Estimates%20of%20European%20food%20waste%20levels.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Estudy conducted in 2016\u003C\/a\u003E, an estimated \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eu-fusions.org\/phocadownload\/Publications\/Estimates%20of%20European%20food%20waste%20levels.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E88 million tonnes of food waste\u003C\/a\u003E is produced in the European Union annually \u2013 equivalent to about 173kg per person. An estimated 60% of the food thrown away in households is edible while in the wholesale and retail sector that figure increases to 83%.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne key reason for this waste is the concern that surrounds use-by dates on the packaging, which were introduced as an important safety measure to prevent customers being sold and eating food that might be unsafe to eat. But more than a fifth of still-edible food is unnecessarily discarded due to date inaccuracies or \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/BRIE\/2015\/548990\/EPRS_BRI(2015)548990_REV1_EN.pdf\u0022\u003Econfusion\u003C\/a\u003E about what the dates actually mean. For instance, many Europeans \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/food\/safety\/food_waste\/eu_actions\/date_marking_en\u0022\u003Econfuse best-before dates\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 a recommended consumption time frame for when a product is freshest \u2013 with expiry dates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFood labels don\u2019t reflect the different conditions of how a product is stored as it is transported to a shop and ultimately to a consumer\u2019s home, according to Solveiga Pak\u0161tait\u0117, founder of Mimica, a company based in London, UK, that is leading a project to produce more accurate food spoilage indicators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Suppliers tend to build in a margin of error to mitigate the risk of the cold storage chain being broken,\u2019 she said. \u2018It means that if the supply chain works perfectly, perishable products are going out of date and being thrown away before they have actually spoiled.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPak\u0161tait\u0117 and her team want to tackle food waste with a new type of label. They have produced a tactile indicator that changes with the freshness of the food.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;As I researched expiry dates, I realised that we are all sort of blind to food when it goes off. We rely on the expiry date that often tells us little about what is happening to the food inside the packaging.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ESolveiga Pak\u0161tait\u0117, founder of Mimica\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe label contains a thin layer of gelatine containing biologically active ingredients that mimic what happens to the food it is attached to. As the food decomposes the gelatine breaks down, revealing a bottom layer that is bumpy to the touch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBumpy labels\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The idea initially came from thinking about how visually impaired people cope with expiry dates on food,\u2019 Pak\u0161tait\u0117 said. \u2018They have no way of seeing the date printed on the side of the packaging so often they choose foods that are processed and tinned because they don\u0027t go off as quickly. This means the food they eat isn\u0027t very healthy. So I wanted to come up with a solution that could help them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018But as I researched expiry dates, I realised that we are all sort of blind to food when it goes off. We rely on the expiry date that often tells us little about what is happening to the food inside the packaging.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDanish dairy giant Arla is carrying out consumer tests in the UK of the new\u0026nbsp;label\u0026nbsp;on the lid of its milk bottles\u0026nbsp;in an attempt to gauge market reaction. If successful, the Mimica Touch labels\u0026nbsp;will be rolled out in supermarkets in the country later in the year, before perhaps appearing elsewhere in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPak\u0161tait\u0117 hopes the labels could also be used to help consumers gauge the freshness of other products such as meat and eggs. She says that temperature changes make eggs spoil, which is why \u2013 to avoid these fluctuations \u2013 people are encouraged to store them in the fridge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018But often you don\u0027t know until you crack them open. Our labels could really help to show what condition the eggs are in,\u2019 she said, adding that they hope to next work with meat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough Pak\u0161tait\u0117 will not reveal exactly how they calibrate the gelatine to decompose at the same rate as the food it is labelling, she says it has to be altered for each product based on laboratory testing and mathematical modelling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWireless sensors\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPak\u0161tait\u0117 says that using a tactile expiry label is a cheaper option than using colour-changing labels, which can require expensive pigments and inks, or sensors that look for markers of decay.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut one disadvantage of their label is that it is only mimicking the decline in freshness of a product rather than directly sensing it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is the approach that another ambitious project, called GLOPACK, aims to take with wireless chips embedded in the labels, which they are currently developing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe international collaboration, which is being coordinated by researchers at the University of Montpellier in France, is attempting to address several forms of waste associated with food.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs food spoils, bacteria growing on it will release carbon dioxide into the container along with ethanol and aromatic molecules. Using a plant-based sensor that can detect changes in the gases given off by food, the labels could then give a much more up to the minute indication of how fresh food is.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers behind GLOPACK intend to use wireless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags embedded in the label to transmit the information to devices like a mobile phone. These tags do not require a battery and would be coated in a layer of plant-based proteins that will emit a weak electrical signal when the gas inside the package changes. This would transmit information about the change in food freshness to the RFID tag and to a contactless reader.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is to allow customers and supermarkets to quickly and accurately assess the state of individual products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Being able to monitor products accurately in this way would show what the real freshness of the food is and help to reduce the amount customers and companies are throwing away,\u2019 said Veronika Peciarova, manager of the GLOPACK project at the University of Montpellier. \u2018Food is often wasted because people are looking at the expiry date, which doesn\u0027t always mean that the food cannot be eaten past that date.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Researchers working on a project called GLOPACK are developing different solutions to tackling food waste such as these biodegradable food trays. Image credit - GLOPACK\u0022 height=\u0022636\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/EcoBioCap_crop.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Researchers working on a project called GLOPACK are developing different solutions to tackling food waste such as these biodegradable food trays. Image credit - GLOPACK\u0022 width=\u0022900\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EResearchers working on a project called GLOPACK are developing different solutions to tackling food waste such as these biodegradable food trays. Image credit - GLOPACK\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiodegradable packaging\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGLOPACK researchers are also working on ways to increase the shelf life of food by modifying the atmosphere inside the packaging and introducing essential oils to help combat the bacteria that speeds up spoilage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey have also developed a new type of biodegradable packaging that could help to reduce the plastic waste that comes from the food industry. By mixing a biopolymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), with leftover straw from wheat harvests and vine shoots, they\u2019ve created thermo-moulded trays to be used for packaging meat and ready-to-eat foods like falafels. The team are now preparing to test the trays in the next couple of months to see if they will be acceptable to consumers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The biodegradable material is not transparent so we want to know if consumers will buy food if they can\u0027t see what is inside,\u2019 said Peciarova. \u2018We are hoping with all of these approaches, (that) we can reduce the environmental footprint of food.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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