Not quite sure whether that cheese in your fridge has gone bad?
Researchers in Glasgow are developing a high-tech alternative to the old-fashioned sniff test. Their solution is to use "intelligent plastics" to create packaging that will change colour when food has gone off.
Scientists at Strathclyde University are aiming to introduce a commercially viable product soon that will improve food safety and reduce waste, the BBC reports. It says British households throw out an estimated 8.3 million tonnes of perfectly edible food each year.
"We hope that this will reduce the risk of people eating food which is no longer fit for consumption and help prevent unnecessary waste of food," lead researcher Andrew Mills tells the BBC.
Although freshness indicators are already available within the food industry, they generally come in the form of labels that are inserted into packages and are quite costly, the BBC says. Researchers are working to create a new kind of indicator that is part of the packaging itself, which would be cheaper.
Until the new smart packaging comes into commercial use, we'll stick with the old, tried and true method: When in doubt, throw it out.
What's your solution to questionable items lurking at the back of your fridge?
Wency Leung