The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that one out of every six Americans will get sick from contaminated foods or beverages. One of the latest endeavors to help the problem of food spoilage indication is the development of innovative color changing packaging that can detect when food is spoiling. According to
Food Navigator, thermoplastic resin producer Braskem, is working with Clemson University and the Rio Grande do Sul Federal University in Brazil to create this advanced form of packaging. It basically works by detecting pH changes, as well as other indicating factors.
Right now, the best way this issue has been handled is with “sell by” and “best by” dates. Currently, “best if used by” is the recommended label for dairy, meat and other types of fresh food packaging. The new type of packaging that is being deveoped will also help the problem of food waste. Consumers are discarding perfectly edible food because they think it has gone bad, when in fact it’s still fine to eat. It’s estimated that about one billion pounds of food are wasted each year because of label confusion.