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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

smart container

This Startup Is Making A Food Container That Detects How Much Time is Left Before Your Food Spoils

What if food labels could tell you in real time if your food has gone bad?

That’s the vision of a UK-based startup that has developed a set of smart food labels to determine food freshness. The labels do this via an embedded sensor that detects the ammonia levels being produced by the food.

As described by packaging trade publication Packaging World, the smart labeling developed by BlakBear has “two electrodes printed on it as well as an embedded RFID chip.” As food spoils, ammonia is released and the gas is “absorbed into the paper’s cellulose fibers and then dissociates into ions. The electrodes sense and measure the ionic conductivity present in the layer of water that is already naturally present in the paper’s fibers to determine the shelf life of the product.”

Most of us can detect food spoilage by smelling the ammonia emitted as food decomposes, but by the time that happens, it’s usually too late to save the item. According to one of the company’s founders, BlakBear’s sensors are up to 100 times more sensitive than the human nose when it comes to detecting spoilage.

Smart labeling that can detect food freshness is not new. I wrote about a group of researchers from China’s Nanjing University and the University of Texas at Austin in 2018 that were developing a similar technology that would detect biogenic amines (BAs) and communicate spoilage using an embedded NFC chip.

Amazon has also been looking at technology that could detect food spoilage. Back in 2017, I wrote about a patent the company had filed for similar technology that could go into refrigerators and detect the gas emitted as food decomposed.

BlakBear is also interested in bringing this type of technology into the home, only instead of building into an appliance, they are working on a smart food container. The company is creating a system called HoneyBox that incorporates the freshness sensor and then communicates with an app via Bluetooth. The device will send reminders and act as a countdown clock on long the food will be edible.

While BlakBear isn’t saying when the product will be into market, the company is currently evaluating consumer attitudes around potential features and pricing for HoneyBox.

And from the looks of it, HoneyBox isn’t the only product the company has in the works. According to BlakBear’s CEO Max Grell, the company is also working on another bear-themed piece of hardware called BearCub that they are trialing with retailers. BearCub, according to Grell, would also be available to use in consumer homes.

Hopefully, both will be available soon, as I think there’s a huge opportunity for better food management systems that can help us reduce food waste. I’ve long wondered why home food storage has been stuck in time and why the incumbents don’t bring those cheap plastic containers into the future (not that they aren’t trying). Sure, there’s been some small progress by some startups (I’m still waiting for my Silo), but not nearly as much as there should be.

After Years Of Development, PantryChic Smart Dispense System Nears Production

Like many parents, I encourage my kids to get into the kitchen to try their hand at baking cookies, cupcakes or other pastries every now and then. While the benefits of raising young cooks far exceeds any downsides, one of the few complaints I have about my kids’ culinary exploration is the mess of ingredient bags and measuring cups left in their wake, at least until I make them grudgingly head back into the kitchen to clean up after themselves.

All of which has often had me wondering why we haven’t come up with a better way to store and manage ingredients.  In some ways, ingredient storage and management has been stuck in time, benefitting from arrival of low-cost and handy storage systems from the likes of Tupperware and OXO, but yet to benefit from the application of modern technology to streamline the dispensing and measurement of ingredients.

But that will change if Nicole and Christopher Lee have any say in the matter. The married couple have been busy working on the PantryChic storage and dispense system for the past four years, and after a number of starts and stops that included product tweaks, raising funds and the arrival of twins (and a new baby on the way), they are finally pushing the product into production and expect to ship it this year.

I caught up with Christopher at the Housewares Show in Chicago this week to get a tour of the PantryChic system and get an update on the company. According to Christopher, the PantryChic company has had two patents issued and has two more on the way. He also said they are getting significant interest not only retailers and potential consumer product companies who want to license the PantryChic technology, but also from companies specializing in professional and industrial applications who see the PantryChic as a way to enable precise measurement and inventory management of sensitive materials like pharmaceuticals.

As the PantryChic nears production, the company is working on fleshing out the product’s fuller story, including developing an app that guides users through a recipe, as well working on third party platform integrations to enable replenishment of ingredients.

Those looking to get their hands on a PantryChic won’t have much longer to wait. Christopher told me they’ve secured funding and found a manufacturer and expect the PantryChic to ship this year.

You can check my video interview with Christopher above.

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