A new hand-held scanner which determines whether meat is safe to eat or not, is now being sold in Australia.
The ‘FOODsniffer’ is a small scanner which can be placed near raw chicken, beef, pork or fish to pick up ammonia, temperature, humidity and other volatile organic compounds. However, the US website for the FOODsniffer says it does not pick up the presence of gastroenteritis from bacteria such as salmonella, e.coli, or shigella.
Nonetheless, once it is placed over the meat, data is sent via Bluetooth to a smart phone app which informs whether the meat is fresh, needs to be cooked well, or is spoiled.
The FOODsniffer is targeted at both consumers and food businesses. It has already been on the market in Europe since 2015. Within Australia it will be sold by OnSolution which is a Sydney-based company that specialises in temperature loggers and other loggers.
The FOODsniffer can be purchased online for AUD $199.
