Mobile app could replace use-by-dates to cut down on waste and food poisoning, researchers say

food waste
Credit: Peter Dazeley

A smartphone app could replace use-by-dates in an attempt to cut down on food waste, researchers at Imperial College London have said.

Bioengineers have created “paper-based” sensors that can be printed onto food packaging to detect spoilage gases like ammonia and trimethylamine in meat and fish products.

Consumers can then scan their smartphones over the sensors to see if their food is safe to eat.  

Researchers hope that the technology will be available in the UK within the next three years to help reduce the £12.5 billion-worth of food thrown away in the UK every year that is safe to eat.

The biodegradable sensors, known as PEGS, were made by printing carbon electrodes onto readily available cellulose paper.

Costing less than one pence to make, researchers say they offer a cheaper and easier-to-use alternative to existing food spoilage sensors.

Dr Firat Güder, lead author of the study - which was published today in ACS Sensors - said the invention would also help reduce food poisoning due to poor storage, a factor that isn’t taken into account with use-by-dates.

Dr Güder said: "Although they're designed to keep us safe, use-by dates can lead to edible food being thrown away. In fact, use-by dates are not completely reliable in terms of safety as people often get sick from foodborne diseases due to poor storage, even when an item is within its use-by.

"Citizens want to be confident that their food is safe to eat, and to avoid throwing food away unnecessarily because they aren't able to judge its safety. These sensors are cheap enough that we hope supermarkets could use them within three years.

"Our vision is to use PEGS in food packaging to reduce unnecessary food waste and the resulting plastic pollution."

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