Edible Utensils Are Good For The Planet

Narayana Peesapaty of Hyderabad, India, recently developed edible utensils.  His company, Bakeys, uses millet, rice and wheat flours to make chopsticks, forks, knives and spoons, to replace the plastic variety that are used in billions of take out orders worldwide.  The utensils come in three flavors, plain, sweet and spicy.  They are not intended to replace metal cutlery, but are meant to be used for take out food.  Imagine how many plastic utensils are thrown away every year, just to sit in a landfill for the rest of time because they do not decompose.  The edible utensil is waste and chemical free.

Current plastic utensils contain polystyrene, or #6 plastic, which can leach a chemical called styrene.  Exposure to styrene can lead to eye irritation, headaches, fatigue and depression.  Most importantly, most companies do not recycle #6 plastic because it is not cost effective.  The edible utensils are great for the environment.  There is no recycling necessary.  Even if the consumer doesn't want to eat the utensil, it is biodegradable, and will not hurt the environment.  Congratulations to Mr. Peesapaty for developing a product that will help our planet.  I believe edible utensils will be seen everywhere in the U.S. in the not too distant future.  Cost is probably an issue right now, but over time, the cost of these utensils will decrease and they will become the new norm.  To keep up with food trends, I would expect to see gluten free edible utensils in the very near future.