Nestle To Trial Smart Labels For Opened Products

Global food company Nestle is about to begin full-scale trials of Timestrip smart labels within its UK foodservices division.

Global food company Nestle is about to begin full-scale trials of Timestrip smart labels within its UK foodservices division.

Timestrip labels monitor how long packaged food has been open and are claimed to give a highly accurate indication of when the food should be used.

European Union rules coming in to force next year will insist that records are kept of the opening of all perishables used by restaurants and caterers, so that they can be destroyed once past their 'consume by' date.

The labels contain a tinted liquid dye, which migrates across the label at a consistent rate, allowing accurate monitoring of the amount of time that has elapsed since a product was opened.

Not only do the labels show when food is unfit for consumption, they could also reduce food waste believes Timestrip UK.

In catering operations, where the 'first-in, first-out' principle of food storage is employed, a Timestrip label will show which of several identical products was opened first and should, therefore, be used first.

Reuben Isbitsky, Timestrip's joint chief executive, said: "We're thrilled that Nestle has decided to trial Timestrips in its foodservices division.

It's long been accepted that 'use by' dates are all very well, but they don't tell you when the pack was actually opened.

That kind of detail is easy to forget, especially in a busy commercial kitchen." The smart labels can be applied to packaging externally or can be incorporated in to the packaging itself during manufacture.

Timestrips are activated by a simple button on the label that merely needs to be depressed upon opening the packet.

They can be tailored to ambient or chilled conditions, for instance so that the dye migrates faster in raised temperatures, an additional benefit where food, which ought to be refrigerated, has been left out in warm conditions, said the company.

Labels can also be designed according to the specific period of time that needs to be measured.

Nestle intends to use the Timestrip labels on a branded product that its foodservices division supplies to restaurants and caterers.

The range of time-sensitive products upon which the labels can be utilised is virtually endless.

Back to top