Researchers create packaging tray that warns of contaminated food

This new technology will enable producers, retailers and consumers to tell, in real-time, if the contents of a sealed food package are contaminated without having to open it. The prototype tray is lined with a food safe reagent that allows a built-in-sensor to detect and signal the presence of Salmonella. The developers of this technology also claim it can be adapted to test for other common food-borne contaminants, this is supported by Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation in Japan.

Sloped sides in the tray allow the juices to slide towards a sensor embedded in the bottom of the packaging. Users can then scan the underside of the sealed package with their mobile phones and immediately know whether the food is contaminated or not. This technology will allow food waste to be reduced significantly as well as helping to reduce food-related infections significantly.

“It’s really just a matter of time before technology like this becomes common all over the world” says a researcher. “Now that we’ve shown that one kind of food package can reveal contamination without even being opened, we can adapt it to other forms of packaging for other types of food.”