Sainsbury's adopts "smart fresh", the intelligent label

Sainsbury’s, one of the major retail chains in the United Kingdom, is testing out the new “smart fresh” labelling system, a recent innovation in intelligent packaging, on its packets of ham.

The label changes colour after the packet has been opened, from yellow (fresh) to purple (past best).

This initiative is aimed at combating food wastage in the UK, which for ham alone is currently at 1.9 million slices a day, for a value of over 170 million pounds a year.

If the project is successful, Sainsbury’s will extend its application to other products as well.