‘Smart label’ for fruit transportation

A Scottish coCO2 Posmpany has developed and commercialised a colour-changing smart label that detects the presence or absence of CO2 during the bulk transportation of fruit.

Insignia Technologies has created a simple label that can be used within a modified atmosphere bag or pallet, or in a controlled atmosphere container, and will give an easy-to-read indication of the levels of CO2 that are present at any one time.

A report released earlier this year estimated that between 30-50% of all food on the planet is completely wasted. With the fruit and vegetable industry expected to grow to $2,719bn by 2016, new techniques will be required to ensure that fresh produce can be delivered to consumers, in a cost-effective manner.

David Kilshaw, CEO of Insignia Technologies, comments: “As the global population increases and food stocks become more critical, attention must turn towards reducing food waste and the requirement to ensure that food is able to stay fresh during the journey from the field to the end consumer.

“CO2 can quickly build up to harmful levels during the bulk transportation of fruit, even over relatively short time periods. Thus, maintaining the correct levels of CO2 during transport and storage is extremely important, with fruit spoilage accelerating when levels of CO2 rise above a certain point.

“Our research has shown that whilst MA bags generally work to ensure the quality of fruit in transport, it is often difficult to tell visually if the fruit has arrived in the condition it should. We believe we have developed a solution that is a cost-effective way of ensuring products are used at their best, which will increase brand confidence and reduce unnecessary waste.”

Insignia Technologies launched in August 2012 as the result of the merger between the intelligent inks business Insigniapack, and Novas Technologies, a spin-out company from the University of Strathclyde.

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