Business idea you can count on

We live in a throwaway society, disposing of items as soon as they’re rendered old, outdated or in need of fixing.

This attitude also applies to food, with many of us throwing things out even if they’re perfectly edible. Australians throw out an estimated $5 billion in edible food a year.

However, a UK-based entrepreneur has come up with a product called Count On It, which are self-adhesive food labels featuring scratch-off panels that allow you to mark the day your food was first opened.

This means that when you return to the food item later, you know exactly how long it’s been sitting in the fridge, freezer or cupboard.

Count On It founder Lyndsey Young has big plans for the business, which she started out of her own frustration at being unable to monitor the lifespan of her food for the benefit of her family.

“Ultimately we would like to see the Count On It brand become a household name and the range increased with carefully selected products, with the common aim of saving consumers’ time, money and effort – without impacting the planet,” she says.

Count On It provides a great example of transforming a simple idea into a product with potential mass-market appeal. What other examples of needless waste could an Australian start-up latch onto?