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Laser-Etching Threatens Future of Stickers on Fruit

by Amar Toor on November 5, 2009 at 03:12 PM

Let's face it. Fruit's gotten kinda boring. Unless they're wearing pajamas or belting out Motown classics, most household fruits lack character. A new labeling system, though, might finally give fruit that bad-boy, tattoo-parlor image it's been lacking for so long.

Instead of bearing the same dull sticker labels, fruit may soon appear on supermarket aisles with laser brands directly etched onto their skins. Thanks to a new technology that uses a low-energy carbon dioxide beam to print labels, you may never again have to pick away at that pesky sticker before enjoying a juicy Golden Delicious. So far, it seems the technique is pretty safe for consumers; a recent study found that thusly labeled grapefruits showed no significant water loss or increased decay rates when compared to non-branded fruits. And, even better, the new technology would be a lot more eco-friendly, reducing the need to print paper stickers, which become instant garbage anyway. Similar technologies have already been approved in Asia, South Africa, Central and South America, Canada, and Europe. The FDA has yet to give the process its seal of approval, but if it does, it would be only a matter of time before produce aisles all over the country got their own ink. [From: PSFK, via Inhabitat]

Tags: etching, fda, food, fruit, laser, top, weird

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