The Development of Smart Label for the Food Delivery Market

与许多行业一样，食品行业也受到了新冠肺炎疫情的影响。然而，智能标签技术专家Insignia Technologies正在开发创新的智能标签，可以在这些具有挑战性的时代增加真正的好处。该项目旨在开发智能标签，以帮助确保在正确的温度下快速、安全地进行食品递送，为正在递送的食品的质量和安全提供保证。COVID-19显著改变了消费者购买和消费食品的行为，越来越多的消费者现在使用在线递送服务，而不是在店内购物或外出就餐。超市送货在2020年蓬勃发展，因为消费者避免了与面对面购物相关的安全挑战。这些趋势表明，许多以前在店内购物的家庭现在都是忠实的在线购物者。最近，随着消费者将外卖换成外卖，热门外卖公司的需求也出现了激增。新冠肺炎给外卖行业的发展带来了新的挑战。至关重要的是，控制/程序到位，以确保快速、安全和在正确的温度下交付。杂货店送货过程中的延误和温度控制不善会导致食品质量低劣，易腐烂的物品过早变质，最终导致食品浪费。对于热腾腾的食物，顾客希望他们的食物每次都是热的和新鲜的，如果不能快速有效地完成订单，就会导致顾客收到不满意的食物，再次导致食物被浪费。食物垃圾是全球最大的可持续性挑战之一，联合国表示，如果食物垃圾是一个国家，它将是第三大温室气体排放国，所消耗的资源生产食物，然后浪费掉，产生约33亿吨二氧化碳足迹。因此，重要的是消费者知道他们的食物已经被正确地储存和运输，热食订单已经被快速有效地完成，以避免不必要的浪费。这个项目将通过开发创新的标签来解决这个挑战，作为一种工具来表明食物已经保持在正确的温度下，并且在设定的时间范围内交付。使用Insignia的专利传感技术，标签将被设计为在指定温度下在预设的时间范围内改变颜色，如果超过这些温度，标签将更快地改变颜色。当收到送货时，如果标签没有完全改变颜色，那么客户就知道已经满足了预期的温度和送货时间，他们的食物仍然处于最佳质量。将测试不同的标签结构，以获得一系列的时间/温度分布，并将在不同条件下测试标签，以优化它们在各种递送设置中的使用。

Like many sectors, the food industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Insignia Technologies, experts in smart label technology, are developing innovative smart labels which can add real benefit during these challenging times. This project aims to develop intelligent labels to help ensure food deliveries occur quickly, safely and at the correct temperatures, providing reassurance regarding the quality and safety of the food being delivered.COVID-19 has significantly changed consumer behaviour regarding how food is purchased and consumed, with more consumers now using online delivery services rather than shopping in-store or dining out. Supermarket deliveries have boomed in 2020, as consumers avoid safety challenges associated with in-person shopping. The trends show many households who previously shopped in-store are now committed online shoppers. Hot food delivery companies have also seen a surge in demand recently as consumers swap dining out for takeaway deliveries.Growth of the food delivery sector as a result of COVID-19 brings new challenges. It is essential that controls/procedures are in place to ensure deliveries are quick, safe and at the correct temperature. Delays and poor temperature controls during grocery deliveries result in poor food quality and perishable items spoiling prematurely, ultimately leading to food being wasted. With hot food, customers expect their food delivered hot and fresh every time and failure to fulfil orders quickly and efficiently leads to customers receiving unsatisfactory food, again leading to food being wasted. Food waste is one of the top sustainability challenges globally and the UN states that if food waste were a country it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, with the resources consumed producing food that is then wasted having a CO2 footprint of ~3.3bn tonnes. Therefore, it is important that consumers know their food has been stored and transported correctly, and hot food orders have been fulfilled quickly and efficiently, to avoid unnecessary waste.This project will address this challenge by developing innovative labels for use as a tool to indicate food has been maintained at correct temperatures and delivery has occurred within a set timeframe. Using Insignia's patented sensing technology, labels will be designed to change colour over pre-set timeframes at specified temperatures and, if these temperatures are exceeded, the label will change colour faster. When receiving deliveries, if the label has not fully changed colour then customers know the expected temperatures and delivery times have been met and their food is still at optimum quality. Different label constructions will be tested to achieve a series of time/temperature profiles and the labels will be tested under different conditions to optimise them for use in various delivery settings.