BioTip has developed a biochemical sensor which attaches directly to food and changes colour when safety limits are exceeded. We asked the company a few questions about this innovation, nominated in the Pre-Commercialized Climate category of this year’s Awards.
You’re a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2025. Congratulations! To start off, could you summarize your entry, in less than 50 words?
EyeD is a biochemical sensor embedded in a small sticker that attaches directly to food, acting as a miniature lab. It continuously measures microbial levels in real time and changes colour when safety limits are exceeded, signalling spoilage. The change can be scanned via a smartphone app for actionable insights.
Why do you think the judges were impressed with your entry? Tell us about what is innovative about your project and/or about its impact on packaging sustainability.
EyeD addresses major global challenges in food safety and waste with a remarkably simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-implement solution. It is the only sticker that continuously and directly measures the microbial load of perishable foods like meat, fish, and poultry. By targeting the root cause of spoilage - microbial growth - it achieves a high level of accuracy. This makes it the only affordable and precise solution capable of monitoring food quality in real time at the individual package level.
EyeD is designed to tackle the pressing issue of food quality in the supply chain, which contributes to massive waste and health risks. Every year, $300 billion worth of edible food is discarded due to reliance on inaccurate expiration dates. Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organization, unsafe food leads to 600 million cases of foodborne illness and 420,000 deaths annually.
Solving these global problems begins with addressing the everyday challenges faced by food producers, retailers, and food service providers. For instance, producers and retailers can reduce product returns, while retailers and food services can ensure higher-quality inputs, gain greater control over their supply chains, and optimize inventory management. Furthermore, EyeD quality stickers enhance market positioning and product differentiation by adding measurable value to foods with verified high quality.
Finally, can you tell us about the ongoing development of your project, e.g. how your innovation/initiative has been received by the industry, or what the next steps are in commercialization/product development?
EyeD is poised for global scale-up, having already proven its value through
successful commercial pilots. The technology is FDA-compliant for direct contact with moist foods, ensuring safety and regulatory readiness. EyeD is backed by strong global intellectual property protection. The current production line supports a capacity of 20 million sensors per year, with the flexibility to scale up as needed.
Pilot programs have been successfully completed with food producers, boutique butcheries, and major food service providers in Brazil and Israel. Additional pilots and ongoing discussions are underway in South Africa, the U.S., and the EU.
BioTip is now entering the commercialization phase of eyeD and is proud to be a finalist for the 2025 Sustainability Awards - an important step in our mission to drive global change in food quality, safety, and waste reduction.
Next year’s Sustainability Awards will take place during the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht, Netherlands, 10-12th November 2026. You can find out more here.
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