Target Developing Scanner That Will Tell Consumers About Their Food

LAKE CITY, Fla. (CBSNewYork) -- Target is developing technology to show when food was picked and how nutritious it is.

CBS2's Anna Werner reported Target is using a mass spectrometer that scans produce, identifying a sort of fingerprint of each item.

"It's going to let us know, and the customers know, what they're buying, where it's from, and how long it's going to last," food tester Calvin Solomon said.

The machine is a prototype of what Target hopes will one day be a scanner that will tell consumers everything they could want to know about their food.

Greg Shewmaker, Target's entrepreneur-in-residence, came up with the idea.

"We know less about the food we eat today than in any other time in history," Shewmaker said.

The wavy lines on the monitor measure a particular level -- like for vitamin C, antioxidants, or moisture – which can indicate the ripeness of each piece of fruit.

The hope is that a single scan will uncover information like where the fruit was grown, even down to which side got more sunlight, when it was picked, and how long it could be before it goes bad.

The team's ultimate goal is to eventually be able to track and identify all foods around the globe and then hopefully equip consumers with their own hand-held devices or smartphone apps to use to scan food.

"Think about if you say, 'Hey, our produce is fresher,'" Shewmaker said. "And guess what? We're going to arm you with the ability to fact check that."