Food tech company Senoptica gets FDA approval

Irish food tech firm Senoptica has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency to enter the market.

The company, which is based out of Trinity College Dublin, has developed patented sensor technology to monitor the levels of oxygen in modified atmosphere food packaging. This allows food manufacturers to identify spoiled goods before they are placed on supermarket shelves.

The FDA approval will allow the company to begin retail trials of the technology across the US.

Senoptica plans to expand its offering for retailers to extend the shelf life of fresh packaged food by up to 40pc, and recently completed trials with a large UK retailer. It also plans to grow its operations in the UK this year.

The company said its solutions allow defective packs of foods to be immediately returned to the packing line and repacked, which saves time and money across the food-value chain.

It allows testing to occur without the destruction of any products, and results are readable at any point along the supply chain.

Senoptica also pointed to savings in time and money for consumers and retailers, with hopes it could usher in a potential end to best-before dates.

The business was founded in 2018 by Brendan Rice, Dr Steve Comby and Dr Rachel Evans.

It hopes to reduce food waste by 11 million tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of 240 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The United Nations estimates food loss and waste is currently contributing to around 8pc to 10pc of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our technology currently improves the probability of finding failed packs by up to 11,000 times compared to today’s industry standard,” Mr Rice, the chief executive, said.

“With our unique solution, we hope to revolutionise the food supply chain, through helping all in the food supply chain become smarter about food spoilage.”