Low-Energy Laser Etching May Replace Fruit Labels 475
MikeChino writes "How many times have you bit into a piece of fruit only to find that you're also chomping on a sticker label? The small sticky labels have long been the bane of waste-conscious fruit and vegetable eaters, but that might all change thanks to new technology that uses a low-energy carbon dioxide laser beam to etch information directly onto produce. No more peeling those annoying labels! So far the technology is being used on a number of fruits and vegetables in New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Rim countries, and it's currently going through the final stages of review by the FDA. Once the technology is approved in the US, researchers from the University of Florida and the USDA Agricultural Research Service hope that it will be used in Florida's massive grapefruit industry."
Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
No, they'll just etch "This unit not labeled for individual sale" on each one and make you buy them by the bag instead.
Boon! (Score:5, Funny)
This is particularly good news for me, because I can only eat foods that have been etched with a laser. Goodbye scurvy!
Corporate advertising. (Score:5, Funny)
"This Apple brought to you by Apple"
Finally. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What does this do, chemically? (Score:5, Funny)
Hmmm...You're right, we can't trust the FDA. We should rely on the geniuses of the Slashdot community instead. The ones who can read the summary and immediately come up with 10 or a dozen weaknesses that the professionals who've been thinking about the problems for years have somehow overlooked.
We should set up a vote. You know, take the top 10 highest-modded questions or something.
Re:Dude (Score:2, Funny)
You must be new here!
I don't want to know where it comes from . . . (Score:4, Funny)
. . . I want to know if it tastes good.
Fruit should be lasered according to how it tastes: "Good", "Great!", "Sweaty Tennis Socks", etc.
Re:An answer in search for a problem? (Score:4, Funny)
Seriously? You are worried about a couple of grams of stickers that come on a few hundred or thousand grams of fruit? You could probably eat bananas for a year and still fit the stickers inside your nose.
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Finally. (Score:3, Funny)
You're the one not wearing any pants.
Re:Corporate advertising. (Score:5, Funny)
That's nothing. If Apple starts making laser etched fruit trendy, soon they'll have a whole produce division! Couple that with genetic modification and one day I'll be able to compare Apple's Oranges to Orange Apples and.....oh no, I've gone cross-eyed....
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
fertilizing with human manure illegal
Shouldn't be. Human manure, especially that from politicians and lawyers, is some of the finest crap on the planet.
Re:Dude (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What does this do, chemically? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
Even better, you will soon be able to custom-engrave your fruit. Popular choices:
etc.
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:5, Funny)
"This Fruit Intentionally Left Blank"
Re:An answer in search for a problem? (Score:5, Funny)
1. A sticker when placed will be a nice breading gown for bacteria. Then the sticker is often pealed off after the fruit is washed.
My eyes, my eyes! Spelling! Punctuation! Please, tell me that English is not your first language... otherwise I hope you're still enrolled in English 101.
But on the bright side, you win Google Golf for "breading gown" [google.com].
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:3, Funny)
Great, now Apple will have to sell their MacBooks in packs of two.
Re:Wrong problem (Score:5, Funny)
Re:An answer in search for a problem? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Corporate advertising. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:3, Funny)
Deep Thoughts (Score:5, Funny)
Envy (Score:4, Funny)
Mmmm Massive Grapefruit (Score:1, Funny)
I LOVE massive grapefruit. They have more flavor than the massless variety.
Re:Dude (Score:4, Funny)
Arrogant tech nerds (myself included) are often suspicious of change. There's something just so satisfying about being able to say "Nuh uh, you're wrong!" or otherwise indulge in world-weary cynicism.
Besides, I like to think of Slashdot as being populated almost entirely by Andy Rooney.
Re:What does this do, chemically? (Score:5, Funny)
I live in New Jersey - I couldn't care less if it causes cancer in the state of California.
If the pharma industry is really hurting (Score:5, Funny)
can't they just take something for the pain?
Re:Wrong problem (Score:4, Funny)
Did she have any news about Ferris?
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:2, Funny)
Grapefruit interacts with many drugs - it can make many drugs way more effective than expected.
Please elaborate. Please!
Re:Lecture Fruit! (Score:1, Funny)
I totally read your post in a Jamaican accent