Eco-companies are pumping out cups, spoons, and straws that you can eat after you use them. Why it matters: While the “edible” angle is a bit of a cheeky marketing hook, there’s a serious trend here: A campaign to replace items considered biodegradable or recyclable with ones that are “home compostable.” - “We’re trying to revolutionise the way we eat our food by replacing single use plastic with edible cutlery,” says the founder of Incredible Eats, Dinesh Tadepalli, whose company makes spoons and sporks in flavours like chocolate and oregano chili.
Details: New edible products, made from ingredients like rice and sugar, include Strawberry-flavoured drinking straws for your smoothie (or margarita), oat-and-grain coffee cups (in regular or chocolate), and black-pepper flavoured spoonsthat pair well with soup or mac and cheese. - A company called Biotrem makes a remarkably complete line of plates, bowls, and cutlery from wheat bran.
Driving the news: Edible utensils and tableware are starting to crop up at major retail, dining, and entertainment chains. - Disney, Busch Gardens, Carnival cruises and Tropical Smoothie Cafes offer Sorbos edible straws. “You will soon see our straws in thousands and thousands of fast-food restaurants in the U.S.,” Ove Fondberg, a co-owner of Sorbos.
- T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods are selling Incredible Eats spoons.
- Lavazza coffee is being served in edible cups from cupfree.
The big picture: While companies and governments have been banning or phasing out single-use plastics, many alternatives aren’t much better for the environment. - Even biodegradeable products can take a long time to decompose, and most recyclables aren’t actually recycled.
- The brass ring: “home compostable” items, which don’t require the high temperatures or professionally managed conditions of an industrial or commercial composting facility.
Yes, but: Edible straws, cups and utensils are a lot more expensive than conventional ones — which means restaurants either must charge for them or build them into their prices. - Plus, edibles tend to dissolve (or get mushy or weird) after too much contact with food or drink.
- The forks and knives don’t cut or stab too well, Reviewers state.
- And some taste better than others.
The bottom line: It’s not an easy business to get right. Several start-ups have already gone bust because it’s tricky to manufacture edible straws, cups and utensils at scale and get retailers to pay extra for them. - But some companies are figuring it out, and there’s consumer interest in the sustainability angle and “fun” factor — meaning we’re likely to see a lot more of these products going forward.
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