Irish food tech company Senoptica Technologies has today announced approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enter the market.
The Trinity College-based company produces patented sensor technology that helps manufacturers, retailers and customers identify spoiled food goods.
Senoptica monitors oxygen in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), which allows manufacturers and retailers to extend the shelf life of food and ultimately reduce food waste.
On the back of the approval, the company is set to expand in the UK, where it recently completed a test run with a retailer, and embark on retail trials in the US.
Food Waste
The approval comes less than two weeks after the United Nations released a report that found that €1 trillion worth of food was wasted globally in 2022.
One issue impacting food waste is expiration dates, with households and businesses disposing of food due to the incorrect assumption that it has gone off.
Senoptica’s optical sensors – created with its patented food-safe ink – are printed inside food packaging and measure the level of oxygen therein.
This offers a real-time analysis of the food inside and predicts spoilage before it happens.
For manufacturers, it means that defective packs of food are immediately detected and repackaged. For retailers and consumers, it means saving time and money, as well as ensuring that food is sold and consumed before it goes off.
According to The World Counts, roughly 1.3 billion tonnes of food go to waste each year, and figures from US non-profit ReFed indicate that 91 million tonnes of food waste comes from the US.
As well as being “a global tragedy,” as executive director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen called it, food waste is a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Senoptica hopes to reduce food waste by 11 million tonnes annually – the equivalent of 240 million tonnes of CO2.
‘Revolutionise The Food Supply Chain’
Senoptica was founded in 2018 by Brendan Rice, Dr Steve Comby and Dr Rachel Evans.
Speaking about the significant step, chief executive Rice said, “We are delighted to secure FDA approval to position for expansion into the US market.
“Senoptica is on a mission to use deep tech to increase food supply chain reliability, with a view of mitigating food waste in the long term with manufacturers and retail partners.
“Our technology currently improves the probability of finding failed packs by up to 11,000 times, compared to today’s industry standard.
“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.”
Read More: Too Good To Go App Announces 100m Meals Saved In One Year
