In countries like the UK, 60% of wasted food is still perfectly safe to consume. By creating accessible, affordable freshness indicators for all types of perishable products, from food to pharmaceuticals, Mimica aims to become the globally recognized mark of freshness. Mimica Touch is a patented label that tells you exactly when food spoils. It is calibrated to degrade at the same rate as food and adjusts to conditions along the way. Mimica offers a freshness indication solution that reduces waste, improves safety, and is more accessible.

The ‘use by’ dates of food packaging are just estimates of how long a product will last. The rate at which food deteriorates is affected by multiple factors – such as temperature and environment – so it is impossible to accurately predict. A majority of the food we throw away in the UK is still good – the expiry dates are just too cautious. Each year, this costs the average UK household £470 in wasted food and creates seven million tons of food, drink, plastic and other packaging consumables that must be disposed of.

For retailers, products that reach their expiry dates on shelves create more costs – firstly for the items to be removed from display, and secondly for waste management companies to dispose of them.

To be effective, a freshness indicator should be simple, practical, easily understood, and accurate – a combination that has been difficult to achieve.

Mimica Touch is a simple way to tell you if your food is still fresh. A label is fixed onto the packaging of the product itself and it becomes bumpy when food has expired. The consumer is able to quickly tell if their food is still fit for consumption – extending the life of the food and reducing waste. The design makes it easy to tell when food has expired, even for those with visual or cognitive impairments.

There are two types of Mimica labels. The ‘closed life’ label sticks directly onto the food packaging. As each label is bespoke to the foodstuff it is attached to, it provides accurate information and confidence for the customers. The second ‘open life’ label which sits within the lid of a food/liquid container. Once the seal has been broken, the label deteriorates at the same speed as the liquid/food contained within.

April 2014 - Founder, Solveiga Pakštaite, submits the original concept behind Mimica Touch as her final major project for her Industrial Design degree

June 2014 - First patent filed

September 2014 - Mimica wins the UK James Dyson Award

January 2015 - Mimica joins the Climate-KIC programme, Europe's largest cleantech initiative

February 2015 - Mimica receives first grant funding

September 2015 - Mimica joins the Central Research Laboratory

September 2017 - Solveiga is named MIT Tech Review's Inventor of the Year

January 2018 - Industry experts Laurence Kayson and Lawrie Matthews, join Mimica as the company CEO and CTO

January 2018 - First patent is granted

February 2018 - Mimica joins Agency IoT Ventures program

May 2018 - Mimica begins proof of concept work in the dairy industry

December 2018 - Mimica begins the development of an integrated bottle cap solution

January 2019 - Mimica begins working with the juice industry

March 2019 - Mimica begins working with the meat industry

The Mimica Touch label is a bio-responsive system that changes at the same rate that a particular food spoils. Inside the label is a solid sterilized gelatine gel and a gel digester that sit above a series of molded plastic bumps. When the gel is solid, the bumps underneath cannot be felt, making the label feel smooth and confirming the product’s freshness.

The digester is activated when its applied to the package (for the closed life label) or when the product is opened (open life label). The gel digester contains enzymes that digest protein structures, and are accelerated by higher temperatures to mimic bacterial growth. Fully hydrocolloid digestion is complete when proteins are denatured back to single amino acid structures, turning the solid gel to liquid. Once liquified, you can feel the bumps underneath, and know the food is no longer safe to consume.

The system can be calibrated to different types of perishable items and is accurate to within hours of spoilage. And elements of the label are made from waste byproducts of the food industry, further reducing waste.

Mimica’s technology is not unique to specific foods, and could be customized to any perishable item. The technology is being tested and piloted with major companies in the juice, dairy and meat sectors.

The value is clear: if shelf life for products could be extended by 2 days while the food is still safe to consume, retailers could cut waste by up to 50% (As field-tested by leading global retailers on perishable products, 2011/12).

Beyond food, there’s opportunities in other areas including cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Nearly half of all vaccines administered in the world have lost their efficacy by the time they’re injected due to poor temperature management.

Mimica raised £1.35m in seed round investment and is pursuing opportunities to scale. By pioneering a more informed supply chain all the way from producer to consumer, Mimica can help end unnecessary waste through better intelligence.