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posted by mrpg on Saturday May 06 2017, @10:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the bananas-and-lasers dept.

The 'natural branding' process marks the outermost layer of peel without using ink or affecting taste and shelf life.

Plastic produce stickers might be a thing of the past if Swedish supermarket ICA has its way. The chain, with more than 1,300 stores across Sweden, began experimenting last December with 'natural branding,' a process that imprints a fruit or vegetable peel with its name, country of origin, and code number using a laser. The low-energy, carbon dioxide laser burns away the first layer of pigment to a clearly legible result that uses no ink or additional products. It is a superficial, contact-free method that does not affect taste or shelf life.

This innovation is welcome news for shoppers familiar with the irritation of having to pick stickers off while washing produce prior to eating. Especially for those striving to reduce plastic waste, it's highly annoying to have to pick off stickers in the produce aisle and placate grumpy cashiers who don't like looking up produce codes.

No more annoying plastic stickers.


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  • (Score: 2) by cafebabe on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:17AM

    by cafebabe (894) on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:17AM (#505617) Journal

    I didn't think of that but it wouldn't have worked. In some jurisdictions, there are regulations that require microwave ovens to have a safety latch. Manufacturers have responded by making a sort of latchless latch in which the door can be pulled open anyhow. For that particular model, it was implemented with two or three pieces of plastic which translate a horizontal motion into a levered release. For anyone brave enough to stick their fingers about two inches in and about 30 degrees up (hopefully not too close to the solid state rectifier), the next piece of plastic could be nudged into action. My attempt at subtractive manufacturing looked like Stonehenge because I was trying to make something which would be flush at the front while nudging the next piece squarely and safely. Unfortunately, I didn't even get that far.

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