Use-by date lasered on to avocados
AVOCADOS are to have labels and best before dates tattooed on to their skin with lasers.
The move could save ten tons of paper and five tons of glue a year as well as saving energy during production by doing away with traditional food stickers.
The idea, being trialled by Marks & Spencer, is thought to be a first in the UK. M&S also uses the new labelling on coconuts, and says it other fruit and vegetables could be next.
The laser labels work by shining intense light on to the avocado’s skin, which discolours the top layer without damaging the fruit. The avocados are marked with the M&S logo, best before date, country of origin and product code for entering at the till. The ‘natural branding’ technology, developed by Spanish firm Laser Food, was first used in Sweden earlier this year on avocados and sweet potatoes.
Charlie Curtis, of M&S, said it was a ‘brilliant way to cut packaging and energy use’, and if the technology was applied to other products they could ‘reduce packaging exponentially which is very exciting’. Laser-labelled avocados are available from Thursday in selected stores.