Edible Wrappers?!!

As the semester progresses, I'm starting to feel the toll of university life. From Hall commitments to catching up on school work, I find it increasingly difficult to wake up in time for lessons every morning. (Especially 8am lessons). Of course, this results in a mad rush to get ready and run down to the canteen to get myself some nosh before breakfast ends. Inevitably, I'll be asking for takeaway which comes in a disposable styrofoam box.

In Singapore, where everybody seems to always be in a rush, takeaway styrofoam or plastic boxes are something most of us cannot live without. The worse thing is that these styrofoam and plastics will not be accepted by recycling companies according to NEA's guidelines because they have been contaminated by food & liquid waste. Which is really such a waste due to the amounts of these materials we use for food packaging.

Why not create more biodegradable packaging? Or even edible wrappers which is actually already a thing. I did a quick google search and stumbled upon this article which stated that a Harvard Professor, David Edwards developed an type of edible food packaging known as WikiCells in 2012. It is a container that mimics the natural covering of fruits and vegetables. Food, both solid and liquid can be contained by it. The Wikicell even has customized flavoring to match the food that it packages. Thus far, it has been used to contain icecream, yogurt, soft drinks etc. Actually, the WikiCell has two layers of shells. The inner (soft) shell is completely edible whereas the outer shall may or may not be edible, depending on the kind of WikiCell and how it reaches the consumer. A completely edible outer shell would allow consumers like us  to just wash and eat it like an apple. On the other hand, the non-edible but completely biodegradable outer shell can be peeled off like the skin of an apple.

(Image courtesy of http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/edible-food-packaging-cut-plastic-waste.html)

I find the idea really amazing and ingenious, as this eliminates the need for a secondary (usually plastic) wrapper, Which not only is a waste of plastic but has the potential to cause even more damage to the environment if not disposed of properly. As quoted by Professor Edwards himself, " It's as shippable as a standard package"

WikiCell Yogurt. Image courtesy of WikiCells

However, while I feel that the WikiCells have the potential to be a viable alternative to plastic food packaging, I think that consumers might be apprehensive towards actually eating the WikiCells, Thus, its might take some time for it to catch on in the market. It is psychologically difficult to accept as we have been so obsessed about cleanliness and so used to removing wrapping and washing our food before eating it. This applies especially to those WikiCells with completely edible outer shells. Futhermore, they might not have enough knowledge of WikiCells to accept the idea,

I don't think the average consumer would feel safe just washing the WikiCell before eating, knowing that it has been shipped as it is without additional plastic packaging.

If this would be the case, plastic packaging would still be needed in order to ensure successful sales of the WikiCell and thus defeats the actual purpose of inventing the WikiCell in the first place.

Seeing as how it has been 3 years since the invention of WikiCell, and it hasn't really caught on, to consumers it must not have seemed like a viable alternative to the standard plastic packaging.

All in all, I believe the success of this edible packaging invention really depends on us, the consumers.

References:

National Environment Agency of Singapore (NEA) Vox. "Recycling" 2013

Spector, Dina. "Harvard Professor Tells Us The Full Implications Of Edible Food Packaging." Business Insider. August 30, 2012