TECH/PACKAGING SPECIAL..Now a food package that you can eat

Now  a food package that you can eat

London: Scientists have developed a new food packaging that can be eaten along with the items inside, an invention they say could transform how we eat and slash the plastic use.
    Developed by researchers in France, the edible packaging called WikiCells is designed to mimic how fruit and vegetables are ‘packaged’ in nature with a protective outer layer or skin you can eat. “The idea was to use the model of how nature wraps foods,” said Dr David Edwards, a Harvard professor who led the research.
    The team has developed a range of yoghurt pots, juice cartons, water bottles and ice cream containers that mimic natural packaging by enclosing food and liquid in an edible membrane.
    The containers are designed to be a similar shape to the fruits they copy and are created using an edible plastic, a combination of algae and calcium. This is mixed with food particles, so that the packaging tastes like what is inside.
    The packages can be used to keep both solids and liquids. The membranes can be washed under a tap and eaten, just like the skin of an apple, they said. PTI

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