Food waste has become a matter of crisis in the last years, and it seems like it’s only getting worse. Recently, two Dutch students from the University of Eindhoven founded the company Upprinting Food, which uses food waste as the basis for 3D-printed snacks.
Sounds like a fantasy? It started that way for these students, but now it’s actually a reality. The fact that shocking amounts of food are wasted worldwide was the main motivation behind the project.
Understanding that one third of good food goes to the landfills, the students decided to use unwanted produce and turn it into printable food. They used wasted bread and fruit and vegetables that were too ripe or not pretty enough to be sold.
The process itself is not complicated – the basic ingredients (bread, fruits and vegetables) are mashed, and then herbs and spices are added to the mixture which is blended well. Designs and shapes are created on the computer and then sent to the 3D printer and the device does the rest. Afterwards, the printed food is baked and dehydrated, and the resulting product is a nice crunchy snack.
These days, Upprinting Food are working on new recipes and collaborations with restaurants. Thanks to the two students, food that would have been thrown away is revived and fulfilling a purpose.
Need to see it to believe it? Check out this video: