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Monday, November 20, 2017

Wrappers You Can Eat!


Ever finish a cheese stick or any other dairy based snack and think, “Man I’m still hungry”? Well in the near future you can just grab its wrapper and chow down!  Two researchers at one of the locations of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) have developed a packaging material made from casein- a protein found in milk. With this, we will be able to package dairy products in this substance instead of using plastic! As for when this will be put in your local stores, the researchers predict in the near future. This innovation is so important because with it, plastic will no longer have to be used to package dairy items. Now with that out of the way allow me to take a 'bite' out of this idea (I'm sorry). Firstly, I believe the motivation for the creation of this was the department they work for and the ideal of bettering the lives of Americans. I believe this because On their website it states USDA works to increase food security...” This shows that they care about the food products that people are going to buy and that they work to improve the security of how food is packaged. I also believe this because this would eliminate the need for plastic wrappers in dairy based food. After its use, plastic gets thrown away off to landfills. But with this, we can decrease the amount of plastic thrown away every day by a grand scale. It can take up to 1000 years for plastic to degrade. Secondly, I believe this innovation is extremely important to the global community. This is because everyday thousands of little pieces of plastic are thrown away. Having this used as an alternative to plastic will greatly decrease the use of the un-eco friendly material. Also, It can do a better job than plastic. The milk based product is better at protecting food from oxygenation, which can help prevent food spoilage. Lastly, this invention will have a positive impact that will change the world. This is because food will now be packaged in an edible wrapper that we can eat along with packaged food, which will decrease the use of plastic wrapping, in turn leading to a large decrease of plastic materials. And another reason is that for many parents, there is a fear that small children will consume the wrapper to a snack and choke. But giving their child a snack that is not wrapped in a substance that could harm them, should give parents everywhere something to celebrate.
Work Cited
Bisaria, Anjali. “13 Incredible Inventions That Will Power The Future And Change Our Tomorrow For The Best.” Indiatimes.com, Indiatimes, 18 Apr. 2017, www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/13-incredible-inventions-that-will-power-the-future-and-change-our-tomorrow-for-the-best-275894.html. November, 13th 2017

Houck, Brenna. “Scientists Are Using Milk to Make Edible Food Wrappers.” Eater, Eater, 21 Aug. 2016, www.eater.com/2016/8/21/12575696/edible-milk-food-wrap-cereal-coating. November, 13th 2017

Rieland, Randy. “Here’s a Food Wrapper You Can Eat.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 30 Aug. 2016, www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/heres-food-wrapper-you-can-eat-180960287/.

“Food and Nutrition.” USDA, www.usda.gov/topics/food-and-nutrition.




6 comments:

  1. Based off of the information you found, you said that this innovation is so important because with it, plastic will no longer have to be used to package dairy items. Do you think that in the future this invention will grow in popularity and eventually be used all around the world? Could this prevent toxic waste?

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  2. would this be safe to eat? How much plastic and toxic waste would it save from land fills? If this was the new way of packaging how long would it keep dairy like milk good in your fridge or in the store?

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  3. Awesome, more ways to reduce waste. How could this change the economy, with plastics being used less and less? Are these wrappers more expensive than plastic wrappers? It could be a problem if foods cost more money just because they have a wrapper that you can eat (and that keeps it fresh for longer).

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  4. you said, "have developed a packaging material made from casein- a protein found in milk". Is this "edible wrapper" only made from casein or is there more to it? If there is more materials put into the wrapper, are all of these materials edible or can they become harmful to human consumption? Are these wrappers completely edible?

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    Replies
    1. The casein wrappers are, as one article on the topic puts it, a safe, biodegradable, edible film. So yes, they are perfectly fine to consume. It's main difference with plastic is, while it feels like it, it is not as stretchable. Great questions.

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  5. How will this affect how clean dairy products will be because that is the whole point of a wrapper and when it is edible what will keep the wrapper clean? Also when do you think this will be used in every day packaging?

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