The End of Paper Produce Stickers?
The problem with those sticky labels you find on fruit in the supermarket isn’t just that they stick to your fingers when you remove them – they’re also a waste of paper and energy and they clog up the sewer system. Now Spanish company Laser Food has devised a technique called ‘natural branding’ that imprints produce with a laser mark. Dutch fruit and vegetable supplier Nature & More and Swedish supermarket ICA have trialled the new laser, which removes pigment from a fruit’s skin and the mark is removed when the skin is peeled. “The calculations are that it costs the same, but sustainability for our consumers and ourselves is the biggest gain,” says Peter Hagg of ICA. “I really hope it spreads.”