Baltic retailer Maxima tested a new ‘Electronic Nose’ tool that allows shoppers to check the quality and freshness of products in Lithuania.
Commenting on the development, Managing Director Zydrunas Valka said, ‘Earlier this year, we opened its own research laboratory, and now we have taken it a step further – customers are introducing a mobile tool that will allow themselves to make sure short duration food freshness and quality. At the same time it is a way of self-control and to ourselves, which will allow to achieve maximum quality.’
The gadget was developed in partnership with Ars Lab and can track freshness based on the presence of natural fermentation gas.
It is currently being trialled in the fresh meat, poultry and fish sections of a store in Vilnius, following shopper research, which found that 84% of shoppers link supermarket quality with fresh food.
We have seen a lot of technological advances with personal handheld devices that can measure freshness and nutritional composition of products.
As these devices become mainstream industry will come under greater scrutiny.
