Although many people throw milk away once it reaches its “best before” date, the fact is that the milk will still likely be good for several days after that date. In order to stop people from tossing perfectly good milk, scientists at Cornell University are designing a milk carton of the future.
Being developed through the university’s Milk Quality Improvement Program, the ‘smart’ carton will involve innovative technology that gives wholesalers, retailers and consumers accurate shelf life information, with the help of a QR code and a sensor. Using an app on their smartphone, customers and retailers will scan both the QR code and the sensor obtaining a precise expiration date for the milk. Not only would this keep consumers from needlessly wasting food and money by discarding perfectly good milk, but it would also allow retailers to move older milk off their shelves by lowering its price accordingly.
