Edible tableware is not impossible. Spoons, knives, forks, plates and even the restaurant menu itself could be eaten in peace. They are new inventions that seek to contribute to the care of the planet, while doing business with their original proposals.
Already on, even the ticket or the burger wrapper. Beyond being biodegradable, they go directly to the crop. And although not all the proposals are truly ecological, the concept itself has great potential for sustainability.
Their strong point at the environmental level is what they avoid. Since they are alternatives to cutlery, paper, plastic and other polluting materials, their great eco-advantage lies in avoiding them.
Therefore, only if they succeed in replacing paper or metal or plastic cutlery, for example, could it make a significant contribution. Even so, each case is different and the environmental impact of the same should be assessed throughout the life cycle of the product.
Index
Edible cutlery
Narayana Peesapaty founded Bakey’s company in India, an invention that could rid us of thousands of tons of pollution. His proposal seeks to replace cutlery of all kinds, both plastic and metal.
His main objective is to make them an alternative to plastic ones, which in his country alone are thrown away in huge quantities: 120 billion spoons, forks and knives.
Its formula is none other than mixing millet, rice and wheat, forming a paste resistant enough to be able to come into contact with liquids such as soups, coffee, milk or hot infusions, without falling apart.
Finally, with the originality of having different flavorings (ginger, garlic, mint with ginger, black pepper and carrot with beetroot, among others) to make the food more palatable.
Let’s eat, packaging included
Fast food has also made its small contribution to these kinds of initiatives. Specifically, it has been the Brazilian fast food chain Bob’s that has launched to try a curious wrapper for its hamburgers.
So peculiar that you don’t even need to retreat to sink your teeth into the sandwich. That is to say, the thing is to dispense with the paper, replacing it with an edible material that fulfills the same function as that. Its appearance, as can be seen in the image, is surprisingly similar.
In addition to boosting sales, the invention shows that packaging can be much more environmentally friendly. If the example spreads, the paper saved will be translated into an important environmental gesture for all that pollutes the production of paper.
Another interesting initiative is the one proposed by Proinec, a company that offers edible films or coatings that are put in direct contact with food to extend its shelf life. They are made with essential oils of clove, oregano or bay leaf, among others, and avoid the use of synthetic polymers . Its use could revolutionize food packaging .
Dishes and containers
The containers ecological can also adopt forms of plates, cups or bowls. Basically, a result similar to that of ice cream cones is achieved in all its forms. However, the first attempts were somewhat unsuccessful, mainly because it failed fundamental high: the palate.
It was the reason for the failure of hamburger containers made of cornstarch. Unlike the paper that is used as an enovoltorio, with what is eaten along with the rest of the food, these containers were a kind of separate snack, and being unappetizing they were unsuccessful.
Diane Leclair Bisson has emerged as one of the new inventors of containers that are edible while still being rich. Although well thought out, the pizzas, tartlets, quiches or apple cakes are ahead of them … And, finally, if we continue on this path, we could have from a túper or a dish as an appetizer, dessert or garnish
Edible paper
Whether in creative ecological restaurants or other avant-garde establishments, the use of edible paper is a trend. A green menu card can be incorporated in several ways.
In the case of eco-restaurants, it will be due to their content, their ingredients (made with organic rice leaves and using eco-friendly vegetable inks), as well as avoiding the use of paper. A triple commitment that can hardly be achieved in any other way.
But not only that. These edible papers are a bet in all kinds of innovative establishments. It is played with aromas, flavors, ingredients, and the base is usually, in addition to rice, potatoes, corn and wheat.
In general, complex techniques are required that are usually carried out in each restaurant, although it is easy to foresee that this first phase will lead to the commercialization of different options.
In a way, restaurants act as testing laboratories for proposals that, if successful, will eventually become popular and carried out domestically. Fortunately, the trend for new food packaging is driven by very clear marketing interests, and since edible materials are on the rise, the environment may also benefit.
Conclusions
Each invention, in effect, has its own advantages and disadvantages . What pollutes a glass or porcelain plate cannot be compared to what cutlery does, the composition of which causes them to release toxic substances.
Or, for example, it is not the same to replace a biodegradable or compostable product than another made of plastic or reusable, three options that we have when preparing a picnic or a birthday party, let’s say. Therefore, also the eco value assumed by the surrogates will be relative.
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