A pair of entrepreneurs from the Netherlands, Elzelinde van Doleweerd and Vita Broeken, recently started Upprinting Food by combining a concern over food waste with 3D printing technology. Their approach involves taking food that might otherwise be thrown away, such as stale bread and cereal and combining it with fruits, vegetables, seasoning and other ingredients to create a printable puree.
This puree and printer give the food product a shape that can be baked in creating a crunchy snack. The duo says they've created a variety of both sweet and savory food samples. Upprinting is currently focused on restaurants, due to their access to residual food.
To move the company past the concept phase, the printer also needs to be upgraded for quicker production. From there, the approach could be utilized by retailers and wholesalers.