New handheld device to help prevent food poisoning and food wastage launched

in General 08 April 2016

Unique ‘e-nose’ helps users provide healthier food for themselves and their families

10 April 2014 – London, UK – A first-of-its-kind handheld device and mobile app which provides information about the freshness and quality of meat, poultry and fish to help prevent food poisoning and wastage has launched today. The prototype device, named ‘PERES’, is also featuring on the international crowdfunding site Indiegogo at igg.me/at/getperes, where its developers aim to raise funds to back further product development and bring it to market.

Food-related illness is a global challenge. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that more than 200 diseases are spread through food1, and a separate WHO report concluded that about 40% of reported food poisoning outbreaks in the WHO European Region occur in private homes.2

PERES was developed by ARS Lab Ltd, a company dedicated to creating innovative products and solutions for the food sector, in conjunction with scientists from the Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, who together spent a year developing the prototype.

Augustas Alesiunas, CEO of ARS Lab, said, “We have worked with some of the best scientists and developers in the industry to create a working prototype, and are excited to continue developing the product so it can be made widely available later this year. We feel strongly that PERES would be an invaluable addition to any home, and are extremely grateful for the support that the device is getting via the Indiegogo platform.”

Since launching its Indiegogo page, PERES has already reached 25% of its funding goal, which demonstrates the public's interest in and enthusiasm for the device.

To operate the device, users simply point it towards the food product and click a button; within a few seconds, they receive information on their smartphone or tablet about the product, including whether or not the product is fresh, whether it may have been left unrefrigerated, and whether there may be a risk of food poisoning.

This information is invaluable in helping people make informed choices about the food that they eat and gives them peace of mind before buying, and eating, a piece of meat, fish or poultry.

Dr Darius Gailius, Doctor of Technology, PhD in Technical Sciences, at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, said: “With an increasing focus on the quality of the food that we eat, and that we feed to our families, the time is right to enable the home user to take more control over their food choices. I am delighted to have been involved in developing PERES, and playing a part in helping people make these important food-related decisions.”

With the European Commission estimating that 90 million tonnes of food are wasted in Europe each year 3, the team behind PERES intend that the device will also help prevent unnecessary food wastage in the home. As well as giving users confidence in the freshness and quality of their food, the aim is that users can save money that they might have ordinarily spent on supermarket food that was already partway through the ‘rotting process’.

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