LASER MARKING NEW ALTERNATIVE TO PLASTIC STICKERS|蔬果打雷射標籤不套塑膠 超市環保新招

Have you ever bitten on an apple, seen the half of a sticker left on the apple, and realized that youd just swallowed the other half of the sticker ? A Swedish supermarket chain is piloting the use of laser marking on certain fruits and vegetables. This could well mark the end of traditional plastic stickers and of accidental sticker consumption. Here's a look. Among the bustling aisles and stacked shelves of this Swedish supermarket, a high-tech innovation is lurking. In search of an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic stickers or packaging for fruit and vegetables, supermarket chain ICA started trialing laser marking. It started with its organic sweet potatoes and avocados in December, 2016. ==JONAS KULLENDORFF shopper== It's actually the first time I've seen this branding, but if it's (a) more sustainable alternative, I'm all for it. ==EMMA JEPPSSON shopper== I have two kids, so they're very important to me. So I try always to look at the good stuff, I try to think about the environment, so I think this is perfect for us. ICA selected sweet potatoes and avocados for the trial because the skin is not typically eaten and they often encounter problems with stickers falling off. The laser marking process is described as "Natural Branding", which a low energy carbon dioxide laser is used to quickly remove pigment from the outer skin of a fruit or vegetable, giving the product's name, country of origin and code number. ICA also claimed that the process has no negative effect on the taste, smell or shelf life of the fruit or vegetable. ==PETER HAGG ICA Sweden== It gives the product a natural bright light, which makes the pigments of the fruit's skin vaporize and it leaves a mark. And it's very delicate, because the mark is not going through the skin in any way, it doesn't affect the quality or taste of the product. In this way, around 217 kilometers of plastic wrap can be saved on packs of organic avocados sold to customers a year. However, laser marking can't be used on everything. For example, citrus fruit skin has a unique ability to heal itself, meaning the laser markings disappear after just a few hours. ICA said that later this year they may trial the technology on a product where the skin is eaten to test consumer reactions. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH