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Katsuhiko Sakakibara sees a future where people can enjoy a meal and leave nothing, including their plate and cutlery. Sakakibara is the managing director of Marushige Seika Co., a small confectionery company in the city of Hekinan in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The company hopes to reduce the overwhelming plastic waste around the world, one plate at a time.
Sakakibara said:
If edible crockery became prevalent throughout society and replaced plastic, it would bring about a serious environmental benefit.
As polystyrene waste and ocean plastic are becoming an increasingly alarming global issue, manufacturers are forced to produce durable edible tableware as alternatives to disposable straws, cups, and plates. The Marushige Seika company is one of them.
Marushige Seika has been making the shells for the famous ice-cream filled “monaka” wafers since 1983. Now, the company is focusing on its environmentally-friendly products, such as the “e-tray.” In 2019, the annual sales of the e-tray edible plate product saw an extraordinary spike, tripling the figures of the year before.
Sakakibara initially came up with the idea of edible tableware around ten years ago when he attended a nationwide food competition where local foods are promoted. He noticed the massive piles of single-use plates and cutlery discarded by the many visitors who had sampled dishes from various booths. Disturbed, he wanted to do something to reduce the amount of waste. That’s when he decided to develop edible plates from monaka ice-cream wafers.
To ensure his product would stay intact when holding liquid foods, Sakakibara used a technique for making “ebi-senbei,” a hard shrimp cracker made from potato starch.
Sakakibara explained:
Potato starch tends to swell when baked, and I thought that, by baking it with metal molds while applying high pressure, the plates would be hard and resistant to moisture.
After one year and six months of trial and error, the e-tray design became a reality and an acceptable, saleable product. The 5-millimeter e-trays are durable and crunchy like an ice-cream cone. The edible plates also come in different shapes, including rectangles and ovals.
Sakakibara said:
Even if the plates are discarded and left uneaten, they will decompose faster than biodegradable plastics, or become food for animals.
However, he added with confidence that the plates, which come in flavors including sweet potato, ebi-senbei, corn, and onion, will be delicious. That means there will probably be no leftovers for your pets. Sakakibara notes that some people might not want to eat the plates after they’ve been on a dirty surface, but there are ways around that, like keeping your counters clean or hold it in your hand. Even if consumers don’t want to eat it, that’s fine because the point is that it’s biodegradable, so you can just throw it in the garden.
Back in 2017, Marushige Seika released their second edible product—edible chopsticks. Now, Sakakibara plans to make edible spoons, which he plans to launch by this summer.
Edible Plates And Chopsticks Made From Potato Starch In Japan – Intelligent Living
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