Smart foods are coming: packaging can indicate spoilage, reducing waste

One ​​of the key areas of development is intelligent packaging. Here, the “smart” function is practical: for example, the solution can warn with a color change if the product has started to deteriorate, or provide feedback on temperature fluctuations. Such signals can also help consumers make decisions – especially when it is difficult to judge at a glance whether a food is still safe to consume – and can contribute to reducing food waste.

The other group of smart foods are health-focused, so-called functional products: they not only nourish, but also specifically support a specific area (e.g. intestinal flora, immune system), and can also be adapted to individual needs – e.g. allergies or diabetes. The next step could be the world of personalized foods, where recommendations or even production are made based on genetic, lifestyle or health data.

The direction of the trend is clear: food increasingly carries “data” – in addition to quality signals, traceability of origin and sustainability aspects may also be strengthened.