In an interesting move towards reducing food waste, Unilever is using now the words 'often good after' along with 'best before' in certain product labels. Because many consumers don't understand the difference between 'best before' and 'use by' in food labelling, the company is using simple wording to help them avoid throwing away too much food by indicating it's still safe to eat after the expiry date. Image credit: Unilever Read more: https://foodingredientsfirst.com/news/often-good-after-unilever-adds-label-information-to-cut-down-on-food-waste.html

Malaysian company RiceStraws offers an affordable alternative to plastic straws, 100% biodegradable, and of natural ingredients that are edible. Straws are made of rice as the main material, and tapioca as a coagulant. They don?t dissolve in drinks, but soften up after 2-3 hours in hot drinks and 4-10 hours in cold drinks. They are certified according to food industry standards HACCP and ISO 22000, and are also Halal-certified. While in developed countries using plastic straws has been widely reduced, are consumers in developing countries ready to pay more for this change? Image Credit: NLYTech Biotech More info: https://www.ricestraws.net/

This startup based in Western Sydney took four weeks of using in vitro cultivation of animal cells, instead of slaughtering, to create the first ever cell-cultured kangaroo meat grown from stem cells taken from a kangaroo. They take a small sample from the animal, isolate the correct cells, encourage them to grow and differentiate in exactly the same way they would naturally, and bring them together to create rich food products. The startup wants to turn exotic clean meat into routine but adventurous meals, and has just won a grant from the NSW Government to turn it into a Minimum Viable Product https://www.vowfood.com/

CuanTec is extracting a protein called chitin from the shells of langoustines, and transforming it through fermentation into a natural biopolymer known as chitosan. This is used to make a clear food wrapper that can be later composted at home and has natural antimicrobial properties. The startup is currently at research stage but looking to finalise a round of financing. While this is not the first biodegradable wrapper produced from shellfish waste, other processes created materials that were unappealing to customers. https://www.springwise.com/innovation/food/biodegradable-packaging-cuantec-shellfish-waste

You would totally expect the Scots to have developed this nanoscale taster to test their national drink. The metallic 'tongue' is too small to see with the naked eye, but very stable and sensitive to changes in environment due to its chemical properties. The structure acts as 'tastebuds' that absorb light in different ways when different types of whisky are poured over them, with greater than 99% accuracy. Researchers are looking now to commercialise their technology https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2019/08/05/Scientists-have-got-it-licked-as-artificial-tongue-detects-counterfeit-whisky

If you are someone who loves to cook and a visual thinker like me, you understand the trouble of going through your measurement cups while cooking and trying to read the almost invisible measurement units. These measurement cups are designed to represent fractions with their shape, so what you see is what you get: a full cup is one, a half cup is half, a third looks like 1/3, and a quarter looks like 1/4. Just like a pie chart! https://www.yankodesign.com/2019/07/09/these-measuring-cups-are-designed-to-visually-represent-fractions-for-intuitive-use/