Say Goodbye to Produce Stickers With These Laser-Printed Labels

Photo: Laserfood

We all know that when we purchase produce like apples or bananas, part of the struggle of eating one is removing those stickers that are often attached. We usually just peel them off and toss them in the trash, creating a lot more plastic waste that is honestly unnecessary.

These stickers don’t have bar codes and don’t scan at grocery checkouts — clerks have to input the fruit type and weight to register a sale. They’re literally just meant to showcase what company got the produce in question to the grocery store.

Produce usually comes with its own natural packaging already — the rind or peel. The little extra sticker for the brand that grew or distributed that fruit or vegetable is an inconvenience and a harm to the environment.

Turns out there’s a company that wants to get rid of these stickers and make our lives a whole lot easier, all while reducing their environmental impact on the planet.

A Spanish company called Laserfood is aiming to use laser-based printing to remove labels off of our produce. Called “Natural Branding,” the produce is naturally marked with a laser engraving and special “contrast liquid” to make the labels clear. This type of natural labeling doesn’t harm or alter the produce in anyway, and is completely safe to eat (although with most produce, we can just peel off the outer rinds/skins and won’t eat it regardless).

Laserfood developed this type of labeling to combat the use of food stickers that are often un-recyclable and use a ton of plastic. The company’s first major client, ICA in Sweden, will be able to remove 725,000 labels and save over 225 km of plastic, according to PC Mag.

If all of our produce (and food) across the world could be labeled in this safe, clean manner, it would save a ton of plastic and be great for the environment.

Let’s hope this laser-engraved branding continues to spread worldwide and forces those plastic stickers off of our food.