A fresh new take on food packaging

Scientists have developed a type of packaging which can tell people when the food in their cupboards is starting to go off.

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde said their "intelligent" plastic indicator should help to cut food waste, around 8.3 million tonnes of which are thrown away in the UK each year.

The indicator changes colour when the food is about to lose its freshness because it has broken or damaged packaging, has passed its best-before date or has been poorly refrigerated. The research team said that they had built the indicator into the packaging itself so it would be cheaper to produce.