Printed food????

So how do you feel about eating food that has been made just for you by a printer?

NASA has recently funded a study in Texas in the USA to investigate the potential of specially developed printers that will make food to recipes specifically set up for individuals.

There are already 3D printers being used for art and manufacturing, so this is really just a natural progression.

NASA is hoping that a 3D printer can be developed with the supporting materials to supply astronauts with their dietary intake on long space travels in the not too distant future.

Chocolate printing is already being done by a company called Choc Edge and the printer is now available for around £3000.

The current study is working on printing a pizza. The machine will make the base first and then a tomato sauce will be added and finally a layer of suitable protein. This protein may not be from traditional sources, but rather insects, and algae. This, in itself, will make people look carefully at this food.

It is adventurous and unusual, but work such as this is essential to ensure food security into the future. This is particularly important, as the earth’s human population continues to increase and our food supply is likely to not meet those demands.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach