Agricultural and Biological Research

Edible cutlery: An emerging sustainable approach towards a healthy future

Muskan Gupta and Divya Sanghi*

Objectives: To evaluate a better and sustainable replacement for the plastic cutleries and to expand the field of study for edible cutlery.

Background: Plastics are artificial organic hydrocarbon polymers that have been altered for human needs and functionality. They contribute significantly to environmental pollution on a global scale and now pose a serious threat to the entire ecosystem. By generating pollution in the air, water, and soil, the regular use of plastic items puts both human life and marine life in danger. Due to its excellent durability and affordable price, plastic disposable cutlery is becoming more and more popular as the number of food outlets grows. Numerous chemicals, including BPA and PET, which either directly or indirectly harm a person's internal organs, are included in this plastic cutlery.

The literature of review search was conducted between the years of 2012 and 2023 using the key phrases "plastic waste," "edible cutlery," and "biodegradable cutlery" in the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research-Gate.

Based on plastic waste and edible cutlery, 24 studies in total were located. 80% of the papers included in this study provided information on the proper use of edible cutlery as a superior and sustainable alternative to plastic disposables. 20% of the research' databases on edible cutlery contained ambiguous information. The review show that edible cutlery is still a relatively new idea, thus attention needs to be paid to how to improve its water absorption qualities, cost, microbiological deterioration, shelf-life, packaging, and marketing.

Conclusion: The edible cutlery has both eco-friendly as well as biodegradable characteristics with another advantage being nutritious and healthy with no health-risks. In order to reduce the negative impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, the public at large are being educated and safety precautions are being put in place. Numerous efforts are done worldwide to provide the best substitute for plastic disposals with comparable features, making it the most preferred to lessen the invasion of plastic garbage globally.