GLASGOW, Scotland - Researchers are close to finalizing a packaging material that tells you when the food has turned bad, BBC News reports. Strathclyde University researchers are developing smart packaging that changes color when the food spoils. Annually, U.K. households toss around 8.3 million tons of food, most of which is not spoiled.

The wrapper made from "intelligent plastics," could be ready for commercial use soon. The Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept program is funding the product development.

"At the moment, we throw out far too much food, which is environmentally and economically damaging," said Andrew Mills, the professor heading the project.

The smart packaging will let consumers know when the food is close to spoiling because of damaged wrappers, the expiration or "best before" date is passed, or has not be stored at the proper temperature. Current freshness indicators are usually labels inserted into a package, but those labels can be costly.

The researchers came up with a way to incorporate the indicator into the packaging itself. The smart wrappers will be part of modified atmosphere packaging, which maintains food in certain conditions for a longer shelf life.

"Modified atmosphere packaging is being used increasingly to contain the growth of organisms which spoil food but the costs of the labels currently used with it are substantial. We are aiming to eliminate this cost with new plastics for the packaging industry," said Mills.

"We hope that this will reduce the risk of people eating food which is no longer fit for consumption and help prevent unnecessary waste of food. We also hope it will have a direct and positive impact on the meat and seafood industries," he said.