New coffee cup lid alerts consumers to temperature
A disposable coffee-cup lid that warns consumers when the beverage is too hot to drink has been launched on the Australian market.
The innovative lid, given a Dupont Packaging Award this week, changes from dark brown to bright red when placed on a hot beverage, and changes back to brown when the liquid cools down.
The developer, Smart Lid Systems, says it is the first product of its kind that can produce strong colour contrasts at an affordable price for cafes and foodservice outlets.
It expects the lid to cost an extra US$0.01, making it a viable product for any outlet already offering higher premium paper or foam cups.
"None of the previous applications in this area had such drastic colour change on such a thin plastic lid," Nick Bayss, managing director of Smart Lid Systems.
The product looks set to attract significant attention from the global take-out coffee market - in the US alone, an estimated 50 billion drinks are served in disposable cups - and Bayss says he already has a list of distributors waiting for production.
Australia's largest cup and lid manufacturer Rema Industries has started production for the Asia Pacific region and Smart Lid Systems is also in talks with a Chinese company to make the lid for Chinese and global markets. It is expected to get under way in three months.
The lid is made from high-impact PS, which is mixed in the cold pellet state with an additive supplied by Japan's Matsui Foods. It is an approved food contact material by the US Food & Drug Administration and EU authorities. Developed over a five-year period, the lid can be made in any size, in either flat or dome styles. Logos and text can also be made to appear and slowly disappear on top of the lid, creating branding and advertising opportunities. "If a consumer takes about 20 gulps to finish his coffee, that's 20 different looks at the lid and its logo. Then there's also a captive audience as the consumer walks around in public," said Bayss. "Previously you tested the temperature of your coffee with your mouth. An instant visual warning for baristas and drinkers to overcome the cause of most spillages and human error has been long needed," he added. www.ap-foodtechnology.com
|
