Supply chain

Timestrip's smart label technology has received a positive response from organic shoppers at a Rugby-based vegetable box business.

Wild and Free owner Steve Prime was approached to trial the Timestrip technology through his vegetable box scheme, which goes out to around 200 people.

The store provided Hertfordshire-based Timestrip with a small-scale operation in which the technology could be closely monitored.

Timestrip brand manager Sandra Mallia explained that organic produce doesn’t come with an expiry date: “The trial is a great real-life example of how hard it is to keep track of food and highlights how useful Timestrip is.”

Prime trialled both the frozen and chilled versions of the Timestrip by including them in his vegetable boxes with a note that explained the technology and asked for feedback.

He noted that his customers praised the freezer version, commenting that many people don't realise how long that a bag of peas has been open for.

The strips peel off, stick on the product and visually indicate the amount of time that has elapsed since it was opened.

The firm also offers the iStrip, which can identify if an accidental freezing has taken place in the supply chain.

Timestrip has no plans for further trials at present.