104462Intelligent inks for creating a range of Time Temperature Indicators and Open Life Timers for food packagingClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UK"Insignia Technologies have been working with a leading UK supermarket on a project to help improve food safety and quality and help consumers reduce food waste at home. It is estimated that over 2 million slices of ham go in the bin every day in the UK alone. Insignia came up with an innovative solution to this problem in the form of an after opening timing label. The timer changes colour once the package has been opened to show how long a product has been open. Consumer research proved that the technology helped to reduce food waste and improve food safety and quality. However in its current form it is too expensive to be considered for use long term. Most film widths for modern packing machines are too wide for standard label applicators to handle, therefore specialist equipment has been required. This equipment is expensive to run and has limited availability, therefore a roll out of the label technology for food categories such as raw meat, poultry, cooked and cured meats, cheese is not sustainable beyond one or two SKUs (stock keeping units). This project aims to revolutionise the technology to create an after opening timer that is printed as part of the packaging material, negating the need for an additional label. This would reduce the price point dramatically encouraging mass uptake of the system. The project will develop an innovative colour changing ink that can be printed into a recyclable mono-polymer construction of the lidding material, replacing the normal multi-polymer material used, which is currently not recycled. The printed indicator will change colour automatically when the consumer opens a product to show how long it has been opened. Insignia have partnered with Antonine Inks, who are specialists in printing inks for this type of packaging, to move the intelligent pigment from its current plastic film format into an ink system. The ink will need to be food contact approved and compatible with wide web flexo / gravure printing processes. The timing of the ink will need to be tuneable to the various manufacturers consume within guidelines."