NEW SPHERICAL SNACKS WITH EDIBLE COATING ELIMINATE NEED FOR PLASTIC PACKAGING

A startup company is putting a new spin on snacking with a versatile product design that eliminates the need for plastic packaging.

Inspired by fruit skins, the small spherical "Foodberries" have an edible protective coating, boast high nutrition and promise "limitless applications," Knewz.com has learned.

"Through design principles and natural chemistries found in fruit skins and peels, we’ve created an entirely new class of edible barrier materials," the Foodberry website states. The outer shell can encase delicate foods like ice cream, yogurt and hummus without the use of plastic.

The protective coatings contain a mix of fibers, phytonutrients and minerals that surround "a nutritive and delicious core," the company says.

“There isn’t just a single Foodberry coating — it’s a library of materials, inspired by the same diversity of coatings and structures found in natural fruits, that all have protective and encapsulating functions,” Foodberry CEO Marty Kolewe told the outlet Packaging Digest. “From a thin grape skin to a thicker orange peel, and all of the variations in between, they can be produced in a near endless variety of sweet and savory of flavors and varying textures.”

The snacks currently come in five varieties, including peanut butter and jelly, bell pepper and hummus, and even "poppable" coffee, containing 10 milligrams of caffeine per piece.

“Our always on-the-go modern lifestyle has created demand for convenient foods that are easy, portable and highly craveable,” Kolewe said. “That convenience has come at the cost of decreased nutritional value, declining health outcomes and increased plastic waste.”

"Foodberries provide that convenience in a format that is inherently nutritious and sustainable, with a limitless variety that offers a glimpse into the future of regenerative and personalized food," the company's website explains.

The snacks have a high moisture content, plant-based fibers and phytonutrients for increased absorption and decreased inflammation, the website also states.

The startup says the perishable products typically last between 60 and 90 days, but this depends on the foods being used. Frozen Foodberries may last a year and a half, and shelf stable products can last even longer.

"From familiar foods like yogurt and hummus to the next generation of plant-based alternatives to the personalized foods of tomorrow, the Foodberry format is compatible with virtually any food imaginable," the company says.

Foodberry has patented the technology behind the edible membranes and commissioned two manufacturing lines out of facilities in Boston, Massachusetts.

After a successful test pilot, the startup is slated to launch its "coffee berries" in several hundred stores across the United States and Europe this year, according to Packaging Digest.

A multibillion-dollar food and beverage brand also reportedly signed a deal with Foodberry to develop and test unique product extensions within the snacks category.

Each day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world's oceans, rivers and lakes, according to the UN Environment Programme.

2024-03-20T23:50:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd