NFC

Although the best-before dates on our foods may stop us from eating spoiled items, they can also cause us to toss out food that's really still good. New phone-powered labels could help, by notifying users when the food is actually starting to go "off."

Although you may sniff meat to see if it's OK to eat, doing so is a subjective method of detecting spoilage, as it's dependent on the sensitivity of your sense of smell. Scientists have now developed a more objective alternative, in the form of a gas sensor that communicates with your smartphone.