Students in Central Java develop smart lunch box

Surge in food poisoning cases inspires teens to create device that can detect spoiled food

- 

Amid a surge in food poisoning cases in Indonesia linked to a free nutritious meal programme, two 16-year-old high school students in Cilacap, Central Java, have developed a smart lunch box to detect spoiled food.

The lunch box by Alya Meisya and Felda Triana has been used to test the government-provided meals served at their school, SMA 2 Cilacap state senior high school, with the students saying their idea was inspired by concerns over the widespread food poisoning incidents.

“Seeing these reports, we wanted to create a device that can detect whether food is still safe to eat or has gone bad,” Alya said on Oct 2, as quoted by Kompas.com.

According to Alya and Felda, the device detects gases released by the food, as well as its temperature and colour.

To use it, a food sample is placed inside the box and sealed. Within three to five minutes, the sensors analyse the condition of the food, and, if readings exceed a safe threshold, the device issues a warning.

The results can also be monitored in real-time via an Android app.