Researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) have designed and produced a biodegradable plastic packaging that could help curb the problem of food waste.

The product, which is called Plasticor, reveals the quality of the food and changes colour when the content is not suitable for consumption.

According to the researchers the packaging’s ability to change colour is a better way to manage food consumption by giving consumers the ability to prioritise foods that are closer to expiration.  It is also ensures the reliability of expired foods that can still be consumed safely.

According to United Nations of all the food produced on the planet, 30% (or 1.3 billion tons) goes to waste, every year.  These statistics are especially alarming for a country like South Africa which is fast running out of landfill airspace and continues to send a large portion of organic waste to landfill.

Not only does the packaging hep to address the food waste issue it also helps to address the plastic waste problem.

Commenting on this aspect of the packaging João Vítor Balbino, a Biophysics student and one of the seven members of the startup notes that the environmental impact is also reduced since the use of plastic materials has been abundant in the food industry in the last decades.

“Our packaging is eco-friendly because it doesn’t use chemical additives and doesn’t take years to degrade”, he explains.

While common plastics can take up to five centuries to degrade, students estimate that Plasticor degrades in six months.