FDA: Nano packaging needs safety scrutiny

The Food and Drug Administration issued two draft guidances for the use of nanotechnology in food and cosmetics industries. 

Specifically, the draft guidance suggests the FDA may require food companies to prove the safety of any packaging using nanotechnology, according to reports. Such consultation can help FDA experts address questions related to the safety or other attributes of nanotechnology products, or answer questions about their regulatory status, according to the FDA. 

Nanotechnology is an evolving technology that allows scientists to create, explore, and manipulate materials on a scale measured in nanometers--particles so small that they cannot be seen with a regular microscope. The technology has a broad range of potential applications, such as the packaging of food or altering the look and feel of cosmetics. 

Read more

Please find enclosed my talk entitled: “Printed Intelligence in Packaging: Current and Potential Applications of Nanotechnology” given last April 28-30, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio, USA for the 2009 TAPPI PLACE Flexible Packaging Summit.

Printed Intelligence in Packaging

Reinventing paper packaging

Paper is not only the largest global packaging sector but is also behind some of the most pioneering innovations today. Elisabeth Fischer profiles technologies such as paper-based RFID tags, moulded paper and barrier solutions against cardboard oil migration that are leading the way towards a sustainable packaging movement in the years to come.

Paper-based packaging materials are behind some of the most ground-breaking developments in the industry today. Flexible packaging paper such as wraps, bags and pouches offer better barrier protection, higher tear and burst strength, exceptional print surfaces and are ideal for food and industrial packaging.

Also new packaging shapes and structures with paper as the main compound, such as moulded-fibre paper bottles and alternatives to plastic clamshells, are finding more and more users.

High-performance packaging such as active and smart papers with embedded chemicals and sensors, along with other anti-counterfeiting traits, are also opening up new opportunities in medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging.

Paper and paper-based packaging is the largest sector in the worldwide market for packaging, accounting for more than 40% of the worldwide market, valued at $429bn in 2009 according to figures from Pike Research.

With the sustainable and green movement also breaking through in packaging, paper-based materials have shown increasing popularity among processors, retailers and end-customers.

Here, Packaging Gateway rounds up some of the most innovative and sustainable alternatives to synthetic or petroleum-based packaging existing today:

1-     Moulded paper

2-     Smart paper with RFID technology

3-     The green bottle

4-     Barrier solutions against mineral oil migration

5-     Waterproof paper pallets

Read full article

Industrie forestière au Québec : Les emballages agro-alimentaires «sont un créneau porteur»

Les malheurs de l'industrie québécoise qui vit de la forêt se sont poursuivis en 2009. Mais ils sont de plus en plus nombreux à lui prédire une sortie en beauté de la crise. Sauf que ce ne sont pas tous qui en profiteront. Et que cela ne se produira pas nécessairement en 2010.

Pour Robert Beauregard, deux secteurs s'approchent «de la fin de la route». Le papier journal est de ceux-là, de même que le secteur des papiers fins, d'écriture. Mais, insiste-t-il, il y en a deux qui ont «un brillant avenir: tout ce qui est papiers hygiéniques, et le cartonnage et l'emballage».

Dans ce dernier cas, les perspectives optimistes s'appuient sur un dossier qui fait l'objet d'une mobilisation planétaire: la réduction des gaz à effet de serre. «Avec le rôle déclinant du pétrole, en marge des changements climatiques, les plastiques et tout ce qui est dérivé de la pétrochimie seront remplacés par d'autres produits. Les papiers cartons sont parmi les solutions de rechange évidentes.»

Luc Bouthillier le note. Les emballages agro-alimentaires «sont un créneau porteur». Imaginer des papiers «intelligents» ne relève pas de la science-fiction. L'universitaire donne l'exemple d'un emballage en carton où un signe de tête de mort pourrait apparaître lorsque la bactérie E. coli se forme sur de la viande hachée!
Innover

Au Conseil de l'industrie forestière, Guy Chevrette dit croire dans «une réorientation» des produits. Il y a dans l'air des projets pour la bioénergie, la fabrication de dérivés chimiques de la fibre ou la construction d'usine pour produire des granules pour le chauffage. «Mais, lance-t-il, tout ça ne se fait pas en criant lapin.»

Ce qui n'est pas toujours vrai, en tout cas, pas pour tous les produits, constate Luc Bouthillier. Quand la chaîne de restauration St-Hubert «a décidé de passer au vert, d'utiliser le carton pour ses emballages, de ne plus utiliser une once de styromousse, ça s'est fait en quelques semaines».

Cliquez ici pour lire l'intégralité de l'article.

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Nanotechnologie: les nanoparticules pour des emballages intelligents

Le Club MCAS - Matériaux pour contact alimentaire et santé - qui a tenu en début de semaine son 18è séminaire a réuni de nombreux conférenciers parmi lesquels Alain Mimouni du CTCPA invité à présenter les perspectives de développements des nanotechnologies liées aux matériaux d’emballage.

Selon lui, c’est principalement via les emballages «intelligents» que les nanoparticules pénétreront sur le marché, que ce soit au niveau de l'éco-conception (poids, résistance physique), de la sécurité et de la conservation des aliments (perméabilité variable aux gaz, bactéricides...) ou bien de la nano-détection (microorganismes pathogènes, niveau de fraîcheur. Les nanoparticules peuvent contribuer notamment à “améliorer des propriétés des polymères pour augmenter la durée de vie des produits, et servir à fabriquer des capteurs intelligents imprimés et des indicateurs pour les emballages flexibles» a-t-il précisé. Ainsi, l’intérêt des nanocapteurs semble «s’imposer comme une des applications intéressant la sécurité alimentaire». Les nanocapteurs intégrés à l’emballage alimentaire peuvent ainsi détecter les composés chimiques, les pathogènes et les toxines dans l’aliment, par exemple. Les capteurs nanométriques peuvent être imprimés sur l’emballage.

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Mais A. Mimouni a aussi souligné les points négatifs qui existent aujourd’hui concernant l’évaluation sur la santé de l’homme, et les nombreuses interrogations qui demeurent. «En deçà d’une certaine taille, les propriétés physiques et chimiques se modifient, et leur toxicité dépend de leurs niveaux de concentration. Aujourd’hui, on ne connaît pas bien les mécanismes de destruction» a–t-il déclaré. On s’interroge sur les interactions entre matériaux et aliments qui peuvent entraîner un phénomène de migration, et dans ce contexte, les nanoparticules incorporées au matériau peuvent migrer dans l’aliment. ll faut encore beaucoup d’études et une métrologie adaptée pour pouvoir parfaitement évaluer la toxicité effective des nanoparticules, a indiqué A. Mimouni. Les nanoparticules intéressent l’emballage et au delà.

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Précisément pour éclairer davantage les parties prenantes à ces développements, un débat public est organisé suite aux travaux du Grenelle. Des organisations professionnelles de l’emballage y participent.

Source

Pour les applications courantes et potentielles de la nanotechnologie dans l’emballage je vous invite à consulter la présentation intitulée : "Printed Intelligence in Packaging: Current and Potential Applications of Nanotechnology" que j’ai donnée dans le cadre du 2009 TAPPI Flexible Packaging Summit, à Columbus (Ohio, USA).

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Printed Intelligence: Sensor, RFID, e-paper and Photovoltaic

Cheap, sensitive sensors could detect explosives, toxins in water

A sensitive new Stanford-developed disposable chip detects low concentrations of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) and a close chemical cousin of the dreaded toxic nerve agent sarin in water samples. The research appears online this week in the journal ACS Nano.

A nanotube is a rolled-up sheet of carbon atoms that is only one atom thick. Every atom is therefore on the tube's surface. This makes single-walled nanotubes very sensitive to nearby molecules that would drift by in a water sample.

The chip itself is made of an inexpensive, flexible plastic substrate, rather than the more expensive, rigid silicon that underlies most computer chips. The researchers also use a thin polymer gate electrical insulator layer, which allows the device to operate on less than 1 volt of electricity.

Polymer memory products manufactured in roll-to-roll printing process

PolyIC and Thin Film Electronics ASA have jointly manufactured fully functional re-writable polymer memory products in a high-volume roll-to-roll printing process.

The high yield printing process gives leading production performance, and the resulting memory product meets low voltage requirements for consumer products, such as in the toys and games industry.

"PolyIC has developed and built up a roll-to-roll production process for printed electronics, and has successfully demonstrated its first printed RFID tags. Thinfilm's memory technology is complementary to our own technology, and by using our process and production technology, we have been able to successfully manufacture stand-alone Thinfilm memory products that satisfy our current customer requirements," commented Wolfgang Mildner, Managing Director at PolyIC.
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E-paper display market reaches $1.17 billion in 2014

IDTechEx find that the total market size for e-paper displays in 2010 is $131 million rising to $1.17 billion in 2014. This is the value of the display component, not the product. To date, e-paper display technologies have been used in more than $1 billion worth of products. Much of the growth is driven by e-readers following the huge success of Amazon's Kindle. However, much more is to come. IDTechEx find that in 2020 the market value will reach $7.45 billion thanks to the availability of flexible, color displays and faster refresh rates.

Tata group invests in a start-up producing photovoltaic solar modules

Tata group has invested in Flisom (Flexible and lightweight solar modules), a Switzerland-based company, to mark its interest in the solar photovoltaic industry and focus on developing the next generation of clean energy as a future growth area.

The plant will use superior technology and develop high quality flexible solar cells which in turn will produce electricity at ultra-low cost. These high performance and low-cost solar cells will create a significant impact on clean and sustainable solar electricity generation.

The global market for PV has grown at about 30% annually for over 10 years. The cumulative solar energy production still accounts for less than 0.1% of the global energy demand. PV growth is set to accelerate in the coming years as it becomes cost-competitive with the retail price of electricity in many parts of the world.

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WikiPak: Printed intelligence in packaging

Demands on packaging are continually changing: increases in functionality, improvements in economics and meeting environmental and legislative measures. Printed intelligence in packaging has potential to influence the packaging sector greatly, as it fits perfectly with the food safety strategy and brand protection.

According to VTT Technical Research Centre : Electronic, bio, chemical, optic, optoelectronic etc. functionalities created and manufactured by printing like 'continuously running' roll-to-roll methods, enabling cost efficient manufacturing/integration/embedding of simple intelligence everywhere.

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Printed intelligence are components and systems, which:

• Extend the functions of printed matter beyond traditional visually interpreted textual and graphical communications
• Perform actions as a part of functional products or information systems

Read more: Printed Intelligence in Packaging: Current and Potential Applications of Nanotechnology (Click here to download the presentation)

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Smart Packaging : printed electronics

Smart packaging – fiction or reality

'Smart packaging', which provides additional information to consumers in different languages, can read out instruction leaflets to visually-handicapped people, or play an advertising spot on printed foil monitors. Already the road to achieving this kind of electronic wizardry is mapped out. The key is intelligent ink. The strip conductors and components are made of organic polymers which are dissolved in a liquid phase, making them processible on a kind of inkjet printer.

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The declared aim of the developers here is to be able to offer such a chip for use in the mass segments of the beverages industry, at a price of under one cent. Within just a few years this should be a reality. These printed RFID labels will then be able to monitor temperature accurately all the time and store and transfer data. And it´s not only this kind of passive data storage that is at the threshold of large-scale industrial manufacture, so, too, are active electronic circuits made up of transistors, resistors, LEDs and capacitors also manufactured with inkjet printers. One idea is even to supply energy from printed batteries or solar cells. That is the key to animated images or advertising jingles.

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Printed electronics is opening up fascinating new potential: According to a report by market researchers NanoMarket, the market volume in electronic inks and substrates used in the manufacture of printed electronics, will rise from 1.1 billion dollars in 2008 to over 11.5 billion by 2015. And if visions can be valued in money, this shows one thing quite clearly: the smart future is already well under way.

Smart RFID sensors promise cheaper food and less waste

Lower food prices and less waste thanks to low-cost, smart sensors using Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technology could result from pioneering work at the University of Manchester, UK.

Scientists and engineers at The Syngenta Sensors University Innovation Centre (SSUIC) are developing technology that will allow more scientific ‘best before’ dates to be set by food producers and retailers.

Smart sensors integrated with Oyster-card type RFID technology are being used to track real-time stresses suffered by perishable goods from farm gate to retailer’s shelf.

Chemists, engineers and physicists have teamed up at the Innovation Centre to develop a system that uses battery-free RFID tags to monitor and record stress. The tags, costing about 10p to 20p compared with £20 for the current version, could lead to the wide scale deployment of the technology within three years.

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Printed intelligence: e-packaging and growth opportunities

Novel Applications for Print Technologies Provide High Growth Opportunities

Printed RFID, OLED displays and printed photovoltaics offer the greatest long-term opportunity for print equipment manufacturers, raw material suppliers and printers, according to a new study by Pira International.

The study finds that photovoltaics will offer potential for web-fed print experts to coat, print and finish large volumes to very high specifications. Huge volumes of low-cost, reasonably efficient solar panels will be widely used. Printers could be contract manufacturers in emerging countries with no power utility grid. There will be tremendous opportunities to develop and market the fluids and inks.

The study concludes that the pace of technological change will make the market very different from today, with print products commonly incorporating electronics or biomedical functions along with text and images. Print will be much broader than now, there will be major opportunities for printers and suppliers of printing equipment and consumables, but not in the usual places.

Brand enhancement by electronics in packaging

Electronic packaging, "e-packaging" addresses the need for brands to reconnect with the customer or face oblivion from copying. That even applies to retailer own brands.

IDTechEx has published Brand Enhancement by Electronics in Packaging 2010-2020. This report concerns the market for electronic smart packaging devices, increasingly known as "e-packaging". Global demand for these devices will grow rapidly from a mere $0.09 billion in 2010 to $7.7 billion in 2020. Most of this will involve consumer packaged goods (CPG) and particularly their brand enhancement.

At that time, only around 1% of the global expenditure on packaging will involve e-packaging devices but growth in applications and usage will rocket thereafter and, in the meantime, the prospect of a multibillion market in only a few years is quite enough to attract considerable investment by putative suppliers.

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Printed intelligence: upgrade packaging and printing

According to VTT Technical Research Centre (2008), Printed intelligence are components and systems, which:

• Extend the functions of printed matter beyond traditional visually interpreted textual and graphical communications
  
• Perform actions as a part of functional products or information systems
  

Organic and Printed Electronics Offer New Packaging Functions

In principal packaging serves product protection (conservation) and promotion. Organic and printed electronics could help manufacturers upgrade packaging plastics to active early warning systems or cardboard boxes to multi-media information carriers. Current trends and the latest developments in this area were on display last June at the LOPE-C, the Organic & Printed Electronics Convention, in Frankfurt, Germany.

First video in print to appear in American magazine advert

The World's first video in print advertisement will appear in next months edition of the American show biz magazine "Entertainment Weekly".

Broadcast network company CBS will run the ad to promote their Monday prime-time lineup in partnership with PepsiCo who will endorse Pepsi Max soda, state CNET news, which is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS. The magazine with the special inserts will be delivered to a limited number of subscribers in the New York and Los Angeles areas.

The screen uses thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) technology, protected with polycarbonate. It is 2.7 millimeters thick, with a resolution of 320x240, which has been in development at Americhip for the last two years. The battery lasts for about 65 to 70 minutes, and can be recharged with a mini USB cord - there's a jack on the back of it.

Réunion-débat : "Emballage dans la filière viande"

La réunion-débat organisée par le Pôle de Compétitivité InnoViandes, en association avec le Réseau Mixte de Technologie Propack Food le 10 juin 2009 consacrée à la problématique des emballages. La journée avait pour objectif de faire le point sur les différents aspects de la problématique des emballages dans la filière viande et produits carnés : performances, sécurité microbiologique, durabilité, règlementation, innovation, … et de débattre de l’adéquation des emballages et travaux de recherche-développement actuels avec les attentes des industriels de la filière.

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La problématique des emballages dans la filière viande

Les attentes actuelles des utilisateurs d’emballages de la filière viande sont :

• Des emballages recyclables et/ou biodégradables,
• un packaging (film/barquette/gaz/…) plus compétitif au niveau du prix,
• des emballages allégés,
• des emballages « transportables » économiquement,
• des améliorations dans la conservation des produits,
• des améliorations du visuel produit (non décoloration du produit au cours du temps),
• des emballages adaptés aux produits prêts à consommer (micro-ondes/four traditionnel/…), si cela est économiquement viable.
  

Télécharger la présentation complète de Stéphane MAROTEIX (ARRIVÉ)

Emballages actifs/intelligents destinés à interagir avec les produits carnés

L’objectif des emballages actifs est de prolonger la durée de conservation et d’améliorer la qualité et la sécurité de l’aliment. Les principes des emballages actifs sont :

• une action sur l’aliment lui-même et/ou sur l’environnement,
• Une modification de l’atmosphère intra-emballage par absorption ou dégagement de gaz, ue vapeurs,…
• une émission de molécules antimicrobiennes, anti-oxydantes,…

Les emballages intelligents sont de trois types :

• les capteurs (la concentration d’oxygène dans l’emballage peut donner une indication sur l’âge du produit) ;
• les indicateurs et les intégrateurs (de fuite, de fraîcheur, temps/température, de croissance bactérienne, de maturité) ;
• les traceurs (technologies d’identification par radio-fréquence).

Télécharger la présentation complète de Frédéric DEBEAUFORT (ENSBANA et Edmond ROUSSEL, LABORATOIRE STANDA) (NB : Voir ici et là les versions originales…!!!)

Dans le même ordre d’idée, une nouvelle invention suédoise, Tempix, un indicateur temps/température vient d’être lancé sur le marché. L’originalité de ce nouvelle étiquette intelligente est qu’elle est couplée au code barre. Si le produit a été exposé à de fortes températures, un liquide s’écoule sur le code barre, le détruisant et le rendant illisible au scanner.

The piece of goods reaches the customer, who by the naked eye can read off the Tempix temperature indicator. Furthermore, the bar-code becomes blocked if the product has been mistreated temperature-wise, which prevents purchase at the cash-counter.The Tempix time/temperature indicator is built up from an absorbent (paper label) and a container/label cover including an activator. The activator migrates in the paper when the set temperature is exceeded and erases the bar-code and the optical signal bar after the time period stipulated. Temperature ranges between -30 to +30 °C (-22 to +86 °F) with an accuracy of ±0,5 °C (±0,9 °F). (Source)

Inkjet Printing: Bioactive paper and e-paper

Bioactive paper research team develops biosensor that can detect harmful toxins

SENTINEL Bioactive Paper Network researchers working to develop inexpensive paper that can destroy, deactivate and detect deadly pathogens announced today that it has developed novel inkjet-printed biosensors that quickly and easily detect two test neurotoxins. The paper-based sensors provided reproducible results, after storage at 4º C for two months, showing the system is suitable for storage and use in the field.

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In a paper published in the July 1 issue of Analytical Chemistry, John Brennan and his research team at McMaster University describe a method for printing a toxin-detecting biosensor on paper using FUJIFILM Dimatix Materials Printer. The paper entitled, “Development of a Bioactive Paper Sensor for Detection of Neurotoxins Using Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing of Sol-Gel-Derived Bioinks,” has demonstrated that inkjet deposition is a simple, portable and cost-effective method of adhering biochemical reagents to paper. The research team has brought the concept of bioactive paper a significant step closer to commercialization.

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Gartner rewrites e-paper futures

Gartner has predicted the use of electronic paper could increase steadily over the next few years, but only if the cost of e-paper displays falls far enough to challenge print media.

E-paper is a display medium intended to mimic the appearance or ordinary ink on paper while being rewritable. The technology has been in the labs for at least 10 years.

Notably, HP is looking at development of new viewing surfaces using bi-stable liquid crystal displays which can hold their image even when disconnected from their power supply. It is also looking into the use of new light-emitting devices that incorporate nanocrystals in polymers which could be manufactured using inkjet printing techniques.

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Apple et son emballage intelligent

Apple s’intéresse au packaging de ses produits. Celui-ci a toujours fait l’objet d’un soin presque maniaque, mais Cupertino veut aller encore plus loin en permettant à un client intéressé par tel produit de le « tester » via un « active packaging ». L’idée est simple : pour fonctionner, un appareil doit être alimenté en énergie, ainsi que par des données. Le brevet protège un procédé permettant de recharger un produit (un iPod, mettons) à travers son boîtier de protection, tandis qu’une interface de réseau sans-fil, intégré à l’emballage, permettrait de distribuer du contenu comme de la pub, une vidéo, voire des mises à jour ou des applications.
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Seraient donc imprimés dans le packaging d’un iPod des circuits imprimés offrant une interface électrique, ainsi que tout le nécessaire pour recevoir et envoyer des données. Voilà un concept intéressant qui fera le bonheur des distributeurs… On hésitera désormais à jeter un emballage aussi rempli de technologies !

Source

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Nestlé rappelle les biscuits aux grains de chocolat TOLL HOUSE

Un cas de rappel de produits fait de nouveau les manchettes. Néstlé rappelle les biscuits aux grains de chocolat TOLL HOUSE. La présence d'E. coli serait en cause.

Nestlé USA’s Baking Division is initiating a voluntary recall of Nestlé® TOLL HOUSE® refrigerated cookie dough products. Nestlé is taking this action out of an abundance of caution after being notified that the Food and Drug Administration, together with the Centers for Disease Control, are conducting an investigation into reported E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that may be related to consumption of raw cookie dough.

Quand l’industrie agro-alimentaire se penchera t-elle sérieusement sur les possibilités offertes par les nouveaux emballages dits intelligents intégrant de nouveaux systèmes d'étiquetage ?

En proposant des dispositifs d’information qui « parlent » directement au consommateur, les emballages intelligents devraient permettre de garantir la traçabilité, la qualité et la sécurité des produits jusqu’au consommateur.

Certes, l’investissement nécessaire pour le développement et la généralisation de ce type d’emballage est loin d’être négligeable, mais c’est finalement peut être plus rentable qu’il n’y parait. En effet, ces nouvelles étiquettes, en plus de sauver des vies, prémuniraient les industriels de l’agro-alimentaire des pertes considérables occasionnées par le rappel massif de leurs produits, tout en évitant l’impact négatif que cela peut causer à leur image de marque. En somme, mettez de l’intelligence dans votre étiquette !

Vous pouvez consulter ici le dossier sur les emballages intelligents.

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Antimicrobial packaging: Antioxidants and Nanoscience

Olive extracts may slow spoilage of meats

Polyphenol-rich extracts from olive oil pomace may reduce the formation of off-flavours in meats by as much as 80 per cent, suggests new research.

The olive extract, obtained from the waste waters of olive oil pomace, performed better than a commercial antioxidant sourced from wine, according to findings published in the journal Food Chemistry.

“The polyphenol extract from the waste water of olive oil’s pomace significantly inhibited lipid oxidation in pre-cooked ground beef and pork. The antioxidant effect increased with the dose and was higher in beef than in pork,” wrote Sharon DeJong from Food Science Australia and Maria Cecilia Lanari from Argentina’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Investigation (CONICET).

Nanoscience to boost food safety, quality and shelf life

Nanotechnology promises big benefits for food safety, quality, and shelf life provided the challenges it brings can be overcome, delegates were told at the Institute of Food Technology's annual conference at Anaheim, California.

"There's great potential for nanoscience in food industry applications," said Bernadene Magnuson, senior scientific and regulatory consultant in food toxicology with Cantox Health Sciences International, Ontario, Canada. The technology, which harnesses the use of particles between one and 100 nanometers in length, could be used to provide anti-microbial coatings for food contact surfaces or packaging.

Other applications include using nanoscience to engineer sensors to detect pathogens and toxins in food or to register environmental changes. For example, nanochips in smart inks used for food packaging could register warnings if the temperature of the package rose above certain programmed limits.

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Report on Active & Intelligent Packaging, 2009

IDTechEx was recently asked to give the keynote presentation at the Active & Intelligent Packaging conference, held at the Campden BRI food and packaging research facility in Chipping Campden, England. Some of the presentations were related to Printed Electronics; others were about other innovative chemical propositions - some of these may be printed at some time in the future. The event was attended by several major players in the consumer products industry, such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Premium Foods, Barilla, and Pernod Ricard. Below are the highlights of the event.

Read more

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Les puces espionnes dans le collimateur de l'Union européenne

La Commission européenne proposera mardi de protéger les consommateurs contre les étiquettes électroniques dites "RFID", de plus en plus fréquentes sur les biens de consommation et parfois assimilées à des puces espionnes.

Protéger les consommateurs des puces espionnes est devenu un des objectifs de la Commission européenne qui publie ce mardi des recommandations contre les étiquettes électroniques dites "RFID".

Ces puces, qui peuvent être lues à distance et pourraient remplacer les codes-barres, apparaissent un peu partout : dans les péages de transport, les cartes de métro, les conteneurs de transport pour les pister le long de la chaîne d'expédition, les billets de spectacle pour les sécuriser... voire sous la peau de clients de discothèques qui se passent ainsi de cartes d'identité et de paiement. Ces puces pourraient permettre un jour au réfrigérateur de détecter qu'il n'y a plus de lait ou qu'il est périmé, et d'en commander directement au supermarché via internet.

Mais certains y voient aussi des puces espionnes dans la mesure où les données qu'elles contiennent peuvent être lues à l'insu de leur propriétaire. Et révéler ses habitudes de consommation, ses déplacements, voire des renseignements personnels, adresse ou date de naissance. "Aucun Européen ne devrait porter une puce dans l'un de ses biens sans savoir précisément à quoi elle sert, avec la possibilité de la retirer ou de l'éteindre à n'importe quel moment", avait souligné récemment la commissaire européenne chargée des nouvelles technologies, Viviane Reding.

Les recommandations publiées mardi par la Commission visent à permettre aux consommateurs de contrôler les puces présentes sur les objets qu'ils achètent. Bruxelles estime ainsi qu'elles devraient être automatiquement désactivées en magasin, sauf si le consommateur demande expressément à ce qu'elles restent actives. Selon des données de la Commission, 2,2 milliards d'étiquettes RFID ont été vendues dans le monde en 2008, dont un tiers en Europe.

Source

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La sécurité alimentaire et la lutte contre la contrefaçon : les nano-emballages intelligents « imprimés » à la rescousse ?

Islem A. Yezza, Chargé de Projets emballages intelligents et écologiques à l’Institut des Communications Graphiques du Québec a donné une présentation intitulée : “Printed Intelligence in Packaging: Current and Potential Applications of Nanotechnology” dans le cadre du 2009 TAPPI Flexible Packaging Summit, à Columbus (Ohio, USA).

Cliquez ici pour télécharger la présentation

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Printed Intelligence in Packaging: Current and Potential Applications of Nanotechnology

Back from Columbus. Very interesting Symposium on Nanomaterials for Flexible Packaging. Here is my speech :

Printed Intelligence in Packaging

Take home…Think outside the box

Demands on packaging are continually changing: increases in functionality, improvements in economics and meeting environmental and legislative measures.

• Nano-printed intelligent packaging is the results of “Thinking Outside the Box”.
• Nano printed intelligence has potential to influence the packaging sector greatly, as it fits perfectly with the food safety strategy and brand protection

Take home…Nano-Printed Intelligence

• Printing technologies enable cost-effective, mass production of smart labels integrated in flexible packaging
• Much of the technology is still confined to the lab
• Consumer acceptance of the use of printed nano-materials in packaging is very important and will be greatly dependent on the demonstrated benefits and safety of the new packaging products

Think Big…Think Nano!!!

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Mettez de l’intelligence dans votre étiquette

Après la première édition de Prospective dédiée à la nanotechnologie, voici le deuxième numéro dédié aux imprimés intelligents.

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Les progrès technologiques ont permis le développement d’emballages dits intelligents intégrant de nouveaux systèmes d'étiquetage. Ces nouvelles étiquettes mettent à la disposition du consommateur une information claire et objective sur l’état de conservation d’un produit. En proposant des dispositifs d’information qui « parlent » directement au consommateur, les emballages intelligents devraient permettre de garantir la traçabilité, la qualité et la sécurité des produits jusqu’au consommateur. Le développement des procédés d’impression combinés à de nouveaux détecteurs/senseurs laisse présager un avenir très prometteur en termes d’applications et de possibilités pour l’imprimerie.

Cliquez ici pour télécharger l’intégrale du deuxième numéro de Prospective.

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RFID News: Market and printed intelligence

RFID Market Forecasts 2009-2019

In 2009 IDTechEx find that the value of the entire RFID market will be $5.56 billion, up from $5.25 billion in 2008. This includes tags, readers and software/services for RFID cards, labels, fobs and all other form factors. The majority of this spend is on RFID cards and their associated services - totalling $2.99 billion. The market for RFID is growing and a large amount of this value is due to government-led RFID schemes, such as those for transportation, national ID (contactless cards and passports), military and animal tagging.

RFID tags from UPM Raflatac connect a French magazine to the internet

The French publication Amusement is bridging the divide between traditional print and online magazines. Each 700 g copy of the magazine focusing on new technology and lifestyle is equipped with a UPM Raflatac RFID tag - providing readers with a link to exclusive content online.

The latest issue of Amusement is the result of a joint effort between French high-tech company Violet and GS1 France. NFC tags (size 15x15 mm) from UPM Raflatac are fixed in the middle of the first double page of Amusement's fourth issue. The NFC tag is designed to work with Violet's new 'Mir:ror' RFID interrogator, which plugs into a computer's USB port. When the magazine's RFID-tagged page is brought near the interrogator, the tag's unique ID number is scanned and exclusive online content launched.

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