The tagging method is currently being tested

Aug 31, 2009 13:44 GMT  ·  By
Food tattoos could soon become a common practice in supermarkets and replace the existing sticky labels
   Food tattoos could soon become a common practice in supermarkets and replace the existing sticky labels

Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Florida (UF) are currently testing a new type of laser technology that could replace in the future the tiny, sticky labels that are currently placed on products ranging from fruits to vegetables. The “tattoos” that will be placed on the produce will be read by scanners at supermarket check-out lines, and will replace the inconveniences caused by the small stickers always falling off or becoming unreadable, PhysOrg reports.

The existing labels may cause the fruits to clump inside their crates, and can also mar the produce. Additionally, because they are so easily removed, it becomes increasingly difficult to trace back the origin of a certain product, once the need for this arises. However, in the case of the new laser tattoos, that will no longer be the case. The quality of the products will not be diminished and back-tracking will always be possible, proponents of the new system believe.

The laser that is being proposed for this method operates on carbon dioxide, and the scientists conducting experiments with it say that there is no health risk associated with using it. The information is only etched on a few outer layers of the peel, but it cannot be scrapped off, washed or otherwise removed, except when removing the peel itself. Additionally, if the etchings are covered with a thin layer of wax, crop and post-harvest pathogens cannot penetrate and infect the “tattoos.”

In fact, the team believes, it may be unnecessary to use wax altogether. The only reason why this option still remains on the table is the fact that it may prevent water loss through the etchings, they say. It also became clear in tests that the new system did not affect the decay rate of the fruit. After inoculating grapefruits with decay agents, the researchers etched a tattoo on their peel, and then analyzed the interior and the peel. They found no traces of contaminants.