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Spray-On, Rinse-Off Food ‘Wrapper’ Can Cut Plastic Packaging

Scientific American · Sam Jones · last updated

Packaging is essential for preserving and distributing many kinds of foods, but it often incorporates plastic—scraps of which already litter too much of the planet, posing a threat to wildlife and contaminating drinking water and soil. Now researchers say they have developed a nontoxic, biodegradable and antimicrobial food coating that could reduce food waste and foodborne illness without adding plastic to the environment. A new study shows this material can be effectively sprayed on individual pieces of produce, such as fruits or vegetables. Removing it is as simple as rinsing it off with water.

 

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