Future

At present, 3D printers may not be producing great-tasting food or expertly cooking up elaborate meals from scratch. But they have the ability to do so and are getting better at their promise of better sustainability and nutrition.

One of the most exciting aspects of 3D-printed food is how sustainable and environmentally friendly it can be. 3D printing food enthusiasts have already started applying this technology in what’s known as ‘food recycling’; they take food waste and turn it into edible materials to fabricate other foods.

3D food printing represents a brilliant solution to solve the issue of food waste (a third of the food produced annually in the world for human consumption gets wasted or thrown away).

Some companies are already using 3D printing technology to create food for public consumption. In 2016 Food Ink began a series of pop-up restaurants in which everything is produced using 3D printing. Not only is the food 3D printed, but also are the utensils, décor, and even the furniture. Natural Machines makes the Foodini, a 3D printer designed especially for food, which has even been utilized by Zuckerberg Media’s science-based food venture Sue’s Tech Kitchen.

The future of 3D printing will be developed in the coming years. Undoubtedly, food printing can have many advantages, but whether the market is ready for such a big change and the technology will grow fast enough are the questions. Can 3D-printed food replace traditional meals? Certainly not today, but it may already be an interesting alternative to traditional meals, as well as an edible decoration limited only by our imagination, difficult or impossible to prepare in other ways. The rest is up to the technology development, lower prices of printers, the extent of the food components palette useful for printing, as well as development and availability of recipes. An important aspect in the promotion of 3D printed food may be the ecological and health aspects. Also, it seems to be the right solution to meet the needs of today’s consumers, who increasingly have too little time to prepare meals on their own, especially in small or single-person households. In the future, ready, healthy meals, tailored to their individual needs, will be waiting when coming home. It will be prepared by a previously programmed device thanks to 3D printing technology, or even the printers will be programmed remotely via mobile phone, from the office, or on the way home. Furthermore, no food will be wasted; a portion will be one, fresh and prepared especially for us, at a time when the need arises.