No, your eyes and brain are not deceiving you. Yes, you read that right – 3D printing. Food.

There are more advancements than ever before in this niche field – from food companies and patisseries, to healthcare and even in space exploration! We asked Jashan Sippy, a food-architect and 3D food printing expert to share his expertise.

“At its simplest, 3D printed food is nothing more than typical edible ingredients processed in such a way that they can be extruded through a fine nozzle onto a surface,” he explained.

While the 3D food printing market is estimated to account for about 201 million US Dollars as of 2022, it is projected to reach a value of nearly 1941m by 2027 – that’s a whopping CAGR of 57.3% – and Asia-Pacific is projected to witness a significantly higher growth rate (60.5%) by 2027.

“Perhaps this is because China and Japan are leading producers of the 3D food printers,” Jashan noted.

Why we should 3D print food

Generally speaking, 3D printing is a clean, efficient, and reliable way to produce complex food at scale. “It’s convenient and offers consistent results,” Jashan stated.

You can customise and mass customise specific shapes, nutritional requirements, shapes and forms, colours, etc. You can have increased complexity of your finished product at no additional cost. 3D food printing extends from large food companies like Hershey’s and Barilla, to the food service industry (catering, restaurants, and health centres and retailers like supermarkets) to small food companies like patisseries, bakeries and chocolatiers. Arguably, 3D food printers could also make their way into our homes for their hyper-personalisation and customisation possibilities.

When it comes to the planet and addressing the climate crisis, Jashan points out, “We can transform lesser known (and possibly alienating) alternative ingredients like proteins from algae, meat offals, or insects, and even upcycle food waste into delicious, appealing products.

With 3D printing, you have the design freedom to create new foods entirely – we’re in control of the form, flavour, texture, colour, and nutritional value of the final products, as long as we process them in a semi-liquid state. “I ask myself, should we be doing nature’s work?”, Jashan posited.

When it comes to your role as a food technologist in the 3D food printing industry, it could take various forms. While the industry is only about 20 years old, Jashan foresees several job opportunities on the horizon in the sector. “You could work with one of the food manufacturing companies to develop the edible inks, or work on nutraceutically rich food development for the extraction and purification of the bioactive compounds from food. You could work on designing the food printers themselves, on the stability of food powders, or on food safety to eliminate the errors during manufacturing. You could even work on developing food cartridges for sale within supermarkets. The possibilities are so many!”

When we asked Jashan about how safe it is to consume 3D printed food, he said – “It’s completely safe to consume 3D printed food stuff as long as it’s been prepared in an appropriate machine in a clean environment, as in any other food service.”

While the technology is still new, it doesn’t stop pioneers and innovators from using it. The future is bright for 3D food printing!

About Jashan Sippy:

Jashan is a green-building certified architect specialised in the design for spaces for food. He is the founder of Sugar and Space, a creative agency dedicated to transforming the way we perceive food everyday. After pursuing an M.Sc. in International Business and specialising in entrepreneurship, Jashan founded Food Design Nation. He is the founding editor of FDzeeN: Art, Culture, and Design for Sustainable Food Systems and has served as the food and space correspondent for The Dutch Institute of Food & Design and Director at the Online School of Food Design. Jashan regularly hosts 3D printing food tastings and demonstration sessions, develops 3D printed food concepts for clients, and speaks globally about this emerging technology.

 

P.S. – If you want to learn in-depth how 3D food printing works, and want to develop your own concept for a 3D printed product or experience, check out Jashan’s training program 3D Printing Food. You can witness the creation of your edible 3D printed prototype and use the photos and videos in your portfolio, research project, on social media or for your funding application. If you’re already working on a 3D food printing project, you can book a 1-1 session with Jashan to get feedback and collaborate.