Edible packaging might sound a little science fiction, but it’s already real! These alternatives, in theory are the perfect zero waste packaging solution–simply eat your container or cutlery after you’re done with it rather than throwing it out! In this post, we’re highlighting three companies making strides in the edible packaging world. Read on to learn more!
Bakeys
Bakeys is the first edible spoon manufacturer, with their spoons made from three flours: rice, wheat and sorghum! Founded in 2010 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh by Narayana Peesapaty, the spoons are available in six flavours: sugar, ginger-cinnamon, ginger-garlic, cumin, celery, black pepper, mint-ginger, and carrot-beetroot.
These flavours not only make the eating of the actual spoon more enjoyable, but they can also impart extra flavour to what your customers are eating, so choose your flavour carefully! Bakeys is hoping to expand their cutlery selection to include other utensils like forks, chopsticks and soup spoons.
Stroodles
In a previous post, we highlighted Stroodles for their edible straws made of wheat as an alternative to their plastic counterparts. Since that post, Stroodles has expanded their edible packaging alternatives to include plates, bowls, spoons and even cups! The plates and bowls are made from 100% wheat bran, the outer layer of a wheat kernel, which often becomes a byproduct in the wheat milling process. The spoons are basically dry biscuits made from a combination of wheat, millet, oat, rice, barley and chickpea flour. As for their cups, they’re wafers just like ice cream cones!
Notpla
Notpla offers a selection of packaging products meant to “disappear back into nature without any harmful traces.” Their breakthrough project, Ooho is an edible water bubble! If you’ve ever wanted to eat a Tide pod, this is as close as you can get. The liquid-filled pods are made from a seaweed-based film that you can eat, but they also decompose naturally in 6 weeks. Ooho can also hold sauces, eliminating the single-use sauce packets you get with your takeout.
Challenges of Edible Packaging
Though edible packaging is available, these options often aren’t yet available at a large scale. Though these solutions may be useful for some businesses, they may not be economical for everyone. Since the technology is fairly new, the costs are potentially higher while operations scale up. Edible packaging options also have shelf lives that affect their ability to be consumed.
While LeKAC doesn’t currently offer any edible packaging solutions, we do have a wide variety of plastic-free packaging alternatives for all kinds of businesses! For more information, contact us today for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable consultants!
Though edible packaging is available, these options often aren’t yet available at a large scale.