New milk bottle label on the level but won't see the light

Mark Brownlee's invention was sparked by frustration at not knowing how much milk was left.

A simple label to help people detect how much milk is left in their light-proof bottles is unlikely to be used by Fonterra.

The company says the low-cost "LevelLabel" designed by West Auckland man Mark Brownlee "did not lend itself well to application in the bottling process".

Anchor's light-proof bottles sparked a consumer backlash when they hit the shelves in April last year.

At the time, Fonterra called the bottles its biggest innovation yet - but some consumers disagreed, and many said they thought the bottles were pointless.

Mr Brownlee spent the last year developing the LevelLabel after he became tired of not knowing how much milk he had left, although he is a fan of the bottles.

The LevelLabel contains a trace amount of a liquid that responds to pressure under the milk bottle.

The liquid moves up and down the gauge depending on how much milk is left in the bottle.

The additional production cost of the label is less than 1c per container.

"The idea was borne out of frustration of not being able to see how much milk was left in the bottle," Mr Brownlee said.

"I myself have hit the top of the fridge ceiling many times with the container, as I thought it was full, so I applied too much strength to lift it."

He said feedback so far has been extremely positive, and he was now looking to get the label on the market

Mr Brownlee said he had approached Fonterra and Meadow Fresh with his idea.

"Nearly everyone drinks milk so we think it's something that could appeal to many people."

Fonterra Brands director of marketing Craig Irwin said while the company was impressed with Mr Brownlee's creativity, it was not looking at adding the labels to its bottles in the near future.

"While we're not currently looking at creating something like this, we love hearing new and innovative ideas."

Mr Irwin said Fonterra continued to receive plenty of positive feedback on the Anchor light-proof bottle, he said.

"Sales show the product continues to be as popular as ever."