Source: Elzelinde van DoleweerdA Dutch startup is 3D printing discarded food in a bid to address the mounting issue of global food waste.

Designers Elzelinde van Doleweerd and Vita Broeken formed the 3D food printing company called Upprinting Food, planning to turn food waste into 3D printed edible creations.

Recognizing the growing food waste issue where discarded food is accumulating in landfills worldwide, the two found a method for converting food waste into 3D printing ink.

The team works with foods such as breads, fruits, vegetables, rice, spices and herbs, pureeing them together, and then feeding the paste into a 3D printer. The paste is extruded into previously established shapes of the designers’ choosing. The 3D shapes are baked and dehydrated to extend their shelf life.

The Upprinting Food website offers recipes for 3D printed creations and has partnered with restaurants to accept their food waste while offering their 3D printed creations as menu items.

Food waste is largely a global issue, with major contributions coming from restaurants, hotels, schools and grocery stores, where leftovers are discarded or foods are deemed too ripe or too unattractive to serve to customers.

Other high-tech efforts have been made to address the food waste issue. Researchers from Iowa State University’s Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology developed software called eFeed Hungers, which redirects leftovers from restaurants, grocery stores and individuals to those in need via software. A team from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand is turning food waste into chemical components that may be used to make bioplastics. And, researchers at Cornell University in New York are attempting to turn food waste into green energy.