New Sensor Boosts Plant-Based Food Packaging Development

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of the food produced on Earth is wasted. This is not simply an economic or ethical issue. It also leads to serious environmental damage due to greenhouse gas emissions.

In industrialized countries, the waste generated by retail stores and households is the most. One of the reasons is that the food is given an inaccurate “best-serving” date, which means that retailers and consumers have thrown away foods that they could safely eat.

However, four years ago, an EU project dedicated to the development of plant-based bioplastic packaging started, which not only prolonged the shelf life of foods, but also included a sensor that could alert retailers and consumers when food was indeed unfit for human consumption. . Today, Norwegian Institute of Technology (SINTEF) Age Larsen readying the first exemplary package - component PLA (polylactic acid) and the bio-based PET (polyethylene terephthalate to terephthalic acid).