Tupperware was invented to keep food from spoiling, but Americans still waste 30 to 40 percent of their food due to spoilage, according to the USDA.
It's a problem that inventors at Ovie aimed to solve. Their solution is Smarterware, a combination of an electronic chip, called a SmartTag, storage containers and a Wi-Fi enabled Ovie base.
When users want to use their Smarterware, they press the SmartTag and tell their Amazon Alexa device or the Ovie app what kind of food they're attaching it to. The SmartTag can fit into Ovie's storage containers, clips or adhesive connectors.
The SmartTag's LED ring then turns green, for fresh. When it's halfway to going bad, it turns yellow and when it's gone bad, it turns red. Whenever the tag changes colors, users get a notification through their app, hopefully inspiring them to use the food before it goes bad. Ovie lets you know what you have in your fridge at any given time and its app can suggest recipes for meals using food that will expire shortly.
Ovie uses a database of food expiration times to determine whether or not food has spoiled. But Smarterware is not capable of telling whether or not your food is no longer delicious, which means if you buy under-ripe fruit, Ovie could show it as being rotten right as it gets to peak ripeness. It also could mean if your food got contaminated, Ovie could show it as fresh.
Ovie entered into the big leagues with its $75 Smart Container Kit. The global smart kitchen appliances market was valued at $371 million in 2016 and is expected to reach over $2 billion by 2023, with smart refrigerators covering more than 50 percent of the market share, according to Verify Markets.
Within the space however, it's competing with many smartphone apps that are free or inexpensive and have nearly the same functionality as Ovie. Fridge Pal, a free app, keeps an inventory of your food, reminds you of expiration dates, and lets you search for recipes. Many apps even let you scan the barcodes of foods you put in your fridge.
For about $200, you can buy a fridge camera from UK start-up Smarter. The camera allows you to actually see the contents of your fridge. It can learn what food you keep there without tagging items individually.
The most additional functionality the Ovie gives is the LED light ring, which begs the question: Can't you tell when your food has gone bad?
Smarterware was fully funded on Kickstarter and can be preordered there. Their packages range from an early bird special of $35 for three tags and adhesive connectors to $300 for 15 SmartTags, nine containers, connectors and clips. Shipment is expected in early 2019.
