Food packaging manufacturers can help consumers reduce food waste with new ‘freshness timer’

Insignia’s After Opening Timer is intended for foods packaged within a modified atmosphere, such as cooked meats and cheeses. Food packaging manufacturers can print its smart ink into the lidding film of the packaging and, once opened, the ink changes colour over time to indicate how long the pack has been opened for. Existing guidelines for food consumption err on the side of caution, so Insignia’s technology can provide greater accuracy on how fresh a product is and extend the length of time the consumer has to eat packaged food after opening it. 

 

According to the Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP), around 10 million tonnes of food waste is generated every year in the UK, 70% of which was intended for consumption. Insignia’s ‘smart ink’ has been developed as an extension of its original smart label product, and aims to reduce this figure by providing consumers with a visual indication of how long a food packet has been open, encouraging them to use the product whilst at its optimum freshness and preventing food from being thrown away unnecessarily. 

 

The printed indicator can be calibrated to the recommended timescales of each food packaging manufacturer, and is temperature sensitive, meaning the rate of colour change will decrease at a colder temperature, as storing foods like cooked meats below 5°C results in a longer open life.

 

Of the new smart ink technology, Dr Graham Skinner, Product Development Manager at Insignia Technologies, said: “Traditionally our colour changing technology was printed as labels that needed to be applied to the inside of the lidding film. However, this created an additional step for food packaging manufacturers. As a result, we decided to develop our product further by creating smart ink that can be printed into the lidding film in the same way that all other branding design is. This makes the process of packaging and manufacturing foods much simpler and easier. Furthermore, we have ensured that our smart ink can be printed into lidding film that is recyclable.”

 

David Kilshaw, Founder and CEO at Insignia Technologies, said: “As the climate emergency intensifies, food packaging manufacturers have a clear role to play in helping to reduce the amount of food wasted by consumers. Every day in the UK, 2.2 million slices of ham are thrown out, many of which will still be edible. Our printed ink technology can provide a solution.

 

“By including our After Opening Timer on the packaging film, we are enabling food packaging manufacturers the chance to give the everyday consumer a simple visual reminder that not only prevents food from being thrown away too quickly, but also brings peace of mind to consumers that their food is still safe to eat.

 

“Consumer research revealed that 55% of people are more likely to purchase food with our After Opening Timer, with 74% saying that having the indicator visible prevents them from worrying about how long a packet of food has been opened for. We believe our technology will be vital in changing consumer behaviour and tackling the issue of unnecessary food waste, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest economic and environmental challenges the world faces.”

 

The launch of this new ink technology coincides with Food Waste Action Week 2021, an initiative hosted by WRAP that intends to wake the nation up to the environmental consequences of wasting food.