Designer Naoki Hirota was fed up accidentally buying stale meat and other food items that had reached their expiry date. When you're shopping in a rush, you can't afford to spend too much time examining each and every item. You tend to rely on the store's management to make sure the offered goods are fresh and good for consumption, but that's not always the case.
In order to put an end to this, Hirota came up with a creative label concept that ensures you don't end up with bad meat anymore. The labels are designed to change color over time, so when they reach the expiry date, the barcode is obscured, making it impossible to scan at the checkout.
The label has two layers, one that has printed information for the featured food item, and another on top with special ink that is made of a non-toxic, safe pigment derived from purple cabbage that is reactive to ammonia.
Hourglass-Inspired Freshness Labels
Simple Supermarket Food Quality Assurance
Trend Themes
1. Color-changing Food Labels - Color-changing labels can be applied not only to food items but also to medicine products, household goods, and other perishables.
2. Non-toxic Reactive Pigments - Non-toxic reactive pigments can be used as an alternative to traditional inks in a range of applications such as packaging, labeling, and printing.
3. Quality Assurance Technologies - New quality assurance technologies can help food retailers and manufacturers improve their processes and ensure product safety.
Industry Implications
1. Food Retail Industry - Packaging and labeling companies can help food retailers and manufacturers implement color-changing label technology to assure food freshness.
2. Printing Industry - Printing companies can offer non-toxic reactive pigments to clients as an environmentally friendly alternative for ink applications.
3. Healthcare Industry - The non-toxic reactive pigments can also be utilized in medicine packaging and labeling to ensure that expired medicine is not consumed to prevent any harm or illness.