All You Can Eat Edible Packaging
September 09, 2014
(photo from animalfreegrub.com)
What if we could solve two of the world’s biggest issues — food shortages and excess waste — at the same time? Well, it could work if we just start eating our packaging. Now before you take a bite out of a roll of bubble wrap, you might want to keep reading.
For the past several years, designers and researchers have been developing edible food containers, and some of their work is finally ready for public consumption.
There’s an innovative new yogurt from WikiFood that has a thin membrane around it that acts as a natural container. Now “membrane” might be the least appetizing word imaginable, but it’s really just a shell made out of fruits or vegetables. WikiFoods plans to use a similar approach packaging other softer foods like ice cream and mousse.
Tomorrow’s Machine, a Swedish design group, is taking a different approach. They’ve created three products so far — basmati rice, a fruit smoothie and olive oil — in which the packaging becomes part of the food.
Like most major innovations, edible packaging is still very expensive, and inventors are still a ways off from having this ready for many foods on a large scale. (Even the edible yogurt balls still come in traditional carton, which WikiFoods says is in “intermediate step”.)
Reducing the amount of plastic in our food packaging means less waste, greater sustainability and less risk of plastic agents getting into your food. Better yet, this means that we’re one step closer to having Willy Wonka’s edible everything and finally getting a Chocolate River.
In the meantime, you’re more than welcome to eat paper and bubble wrap, but you might want to put a lot of sugar on it first.
There are biodegradable offerings that are cost effective for your packaging. Contact us to discuss options. You will not eat your profits and the Earth will thank you as well.
