The creators of a set of tests that allow food packages to indicate if their contents are contaminated are collaborating to unite producers and regulators in order to integrate their innovations into commercial products. Their aim is to prevent illness and decrease food waste.
The inventors of a suite of tests that enable food packages to signal if their contents are contaminated are working to bring producers and regulators together to get their inventions into commercial products, with the goal of preventing illness and reducing food waste.
Though the tests would cost just a few cen rnrnBased on the article published in the journal Nature Reviews Bioengineering, the researchers from McMaster University emphasize the hesitance of food producers to increase costs for consumers. They suggest that a smart packaging system could alleviate the financial burden on producers by preventing outbreaks, reducing food waste, and minimizing healthcare and lost-time costs. The researchers estimate that implementing this technology would result in significant global savings, outweighing the initial investment.
According to the paper’s corresponding author Tohid Didar, people desire safe and affordable food, but they are hesitant to pay more due to already high prices. As a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur, Didar emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about these challenges and initiating discussions among researchers, policy makers, corporations, and consumers to find solutions.
The researchers also note that public agencies acknowledge the potential of the new technology, but they are aware of the challenges involved in its implementation.The adoption of this technology would require significant changes to food regulations and packaging practices, changes that may encounter opposition. However, the researchers believe that with the potential benefits at stake, everyone will ultimately benefit once the technology becomes widely used.
The current method of labeling fresh foods with a “best before” or “consume by” date is seen as arbitrary and overly cautious by the researchers. This often leads to perfectly safe food being thrown away, resulting in significant costs for producers and consumers, whether directly or indirectly.Canada throws away $40 billion worth of food annually, which is more per person than the US or UK, according to Didar. Getting rid of food unnecessarily has significant social, economic, and environmental consequences due to concerns about scarcity and access to food, as well as the environmental impact of discarding unused food and packaging. Since 2018, the team of McMaster engineers and biochemists has developed and proven the effectiveness of various packaging-based methods to detect or stop spoilage. These methods include Sentinel Wrap, which is a plastic wrapping that can identify and visually indicate when items such as meat, cheese, or produce are starting to spoil.The technology has become ineffective
a portable test that provides immediate outcomes enabling distributors and retailers utilizing specific devices to identify, separate, and remove particular batches of spoiled products before they are offered for sale, preventing large-scale recalls that impact entire food categories
Lab-on-a-package: a small, self-contained test integrated into a package of chicken, fish, or meat, for instance, that generates a visible indication when a product has spoiled
a sprayable, food-safe substance made up of beneficial, natural bacteriophages, which eradicates harmful bacteria responsible for food contamination.Technological advancements have allowed for the detection of biochemical signals associated with common spoilage-causing bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli. The challenge, however, lies in the transition from research and development to a tangible product that can be effectively used by consumers. Shadman Khan, the lead author of the study and a PhD candidate, emphasizes the importance of collaborating with government regulators and industry partners to address the overarching issues related to bringing these technologies to market. This collaboration provides a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved.adapt to what we learn will and won’t work.”
The researchers, along with faculty members Yingfu Li, Zeinab Hosseinidoust, and Carlos Filipe, have been collaborating with producers in North America and Europe as well as government regulators such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Although transitioning from a calendar-based food freshness and safety system to a detection-based system will require significant effort, the inventors argue in their paper that it is essential to update the technology.
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