Smart label experts Timestrip is giving itself a pat on the back after receiving a glowing report from the German Food Standards Agency. The organisation, known as BVLK, is a member of the European Working Community for Food Inspection and Consumer Protection and has been trialling Timestrips® to assess the contribution they can make to food safety.

The German testers concluded that Timestrips® make a very good contribution to food safety, commenting that the “easily readable colour strip” on the label makes it easy to determine the freshness, or otherwise, of a product. Timestrip is now permitted to use the BVLK logo and to state that its labels are recommended by the organisation. German consumers are well-known for being pro-organic: almost a third of all organic food sold in the EU goes through German checkouts. So it’s not surprising that they’re also switching on to the idea of a smart label that clearly shows when their food’s freshness has run out.

“It’s great to receive this endorsement because it shows the German agency recognises the role that Timestrips® can play in increasing consumer awareness of food safety,” says Reuben Isbitsky, Timestrip’s Joint CEO. “If we store food in the right place, at the right temperature and, most importantly, for the right time, our whole experience of food will be better.” Research has shown considerable confusion amongst consumers about food labelling and safety, which Timestrip® highly visual smart labels overcomes.

A tinted liquid contained in the Timestrip® moves across it at a consistent rate once the label is activated. This allows accurate monitoring of the amount of time which has lapsed since a product was opened and provides an easily visible sign of how fresh the food really is. Timestrips® can be made to react to chilled, ambient or frozen conditions, making them suitable for all food types and the Timestrip® technology can work in an applied label format or be fully integrated into products or packaging.