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This smart Tupperware connects to Alexa and warns you when food is about to go bad

This smart Tupperware connects to Alexa and warns you when food is about to go bad

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If you need more evidence that we’re living in an increasingly (and maybe unnecessarily) connected world, there’s a new Kickstarter for smart Tupperware containers that are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa. The Ovie Smarterware food storage system is designed to help you keep track of the food in your fridge so it doesn’t go to waste. The system contains several parts: a SmartTag that goes into an Ovie container, a clip for bags of food, or a universal connector for other forms of storage (like takeout boxes). You push the button to turn the tag on and tell the app what food it’s tracking by entering it manually or telling Alexa what you’re storing. You also need a separate hub that needs to be plugged into a wall and connected to the internet so they can all talk to each other.

Ovie says it plans to launch the system with Google Home compatibility as well and notes that the batteries in the SmartTag last for 12 to 18 months. Using a database of food spoilage times, the company says it can alert you when your produce or meal is about to go bad. The SmartTag assigned to each food item starts its own countdown once you begin tagging, but you also have the option to change the timing if you’d like.

The tag lights up in green to indicate the food has been freshly tagged and stays green until half of the expected duration of the food passes. When it’s yellow, that means the food is close to going bad, so it’s time to eat or cook it. Red indicates that the food should be tossed out. You can track what’s in your fridge and how long it will stay fresh in your app, which also gives you tips and recipes on how you can use what you’ve stored.

For most people, it should be obvious when produce has spoiled, but other food items may require smelling them, which is unpleasant. Other food spoilage-tracking apps exist, but the Ovie line seems to be the most immediately visual when you open up your fridge. The system starts on Kickstarter at $60, where you’ll get three Ovie SmartTags, three Smarterware Universal Connectors, and an Ovie Hub targeted for a February 2019 shipping. As with most crowdfunding projects, pledge at your own discretion.