The Fresh Label Tracks Food Expiration Dates
Spoon and Tamago's preview of the Good Design Awards features an expiration date label concept, Fresh Label, by Japanese design studio TO-GENKYO. The hourglass-shaped label would track a food's expiration date "by changing colors based on the level of ammonia the food emits as it ages." When the food has expired, the label would no longer readable. [via swissmiss]
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7 Comments:
Brilliant! We need this right away.
Although it would probably result in markets stocking less, meaning you might not always find what you want. Still, I'd rather not get something than to spend my money on something not in peak form.
schmonsequences at 12:04PM on 08/24/09
GENUIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ambitous at 12:55PM on 08/24/09
Let's try that again. GENIUS!!!
Ambitous at 12:56PM on 08/24/09
Awesome, except the makers of this device will never get markets to use it. Markets would rather decide for themselves when food is no longer sellable, and until that point arrives they'd like all of their stock to appear equally sellable. As far as I am aware, present regulations permit stores to decide on their own "expiration dates" to print on meat labels, and if meat still appears sellable after that date they can just slap some other label on it and continue trying to sell it.
Who among us does not pass over the milk jug in the cooler at the supermarket that has the older date in favor of one that has a newer date?
Likewise, who is going to buy meat that is half-expired, when fresher meat is available?
An improvement to this device could be a price sticker that decreases in synchronism with the expiration hourglass! The older the meat, the cheaper its price.
Lorenzo at 1:11PM on 08/24/09
lorenzo i'm that person with the milk...
genius idea to reduce price alongside freshness!
j at 1:27PM on 08/24/09
Gotta give it to the Japs! This is PURE GENIUS!!!
jlewfoodie at 9:54PM on 08/24/09
This is a good idea for stores to be able to rotate product better on the shelf (FIFO!, people). I've worked in retail food safety for 10 years and I believe these could be misleading to customers. Just because a product is within the expiration date does not mean its safe to eat.
Also...expiration dates are just "suggestions" by the mfg. There are many many items that are still useable after the date has passed and it is not illegal to sell product after the date (although stores dont do it because customers freak out). Only baby formula expiration dates are regulated all other foods are not.
sfgirl75 at 1:12PM on 08/25/09