Edible packaging for food retail and food service

Will we soon be eating not just the raspberries, but their packaging too? Some people may still shy away from the idea, but edible food packaging could at least help reduce our enormous volume of packaging waste.

Sustainable packaging is meant to conserve resources, close material loops, and prevent waste – and in the food sector in particular, it can become a powerful lever. In everyday life, food packaging is usually single-use, not reused, and circulated in extremely high volumes – even more so than for non-food products. At the same time, sustainable food packaging can have a positive impact on shelf life and product safety, helping to reduce food waste as well.

Edible packaging could have a major impact because it is consumed along with the product and ideally generates no packaging waste at all. Demand is rising as retailers and manufacturers feel pressure on several fronts: increasing disposal costs, stricter requirements around waste prevention and recycling, and growing customer expectations. This is exactly where edible films, coatings, and consumable single-serve formats come into play.

Edible packaging broadly falls into two categories:

1. Edible coatings
   Thin, edible protective layers applied directly to the product (e.g., fruits, vegetables, meat products). The goal: reduce moisture loss, limit oxidation, and extend freshness.
2. Edible films and molded formats
   Edible wraps, sachets, capsules, cups, or “bubbles” – used either as primary packaging or for single-serve portioning.

One important distinction: not every bio-based or compostable package is edible. And conversely, edible is not automatically the best solution for every use case – more on that later.

Whether it’s edible membranes for to-go beverages, functional freshness coatings for produce, or protein-based films, researchers and companies worldwide are driving innovative solutions that rethink packaging – as part of the product rather than as waste.

Algae are considered a promising raw material because they grow quickly and don’t require arable land. Their potential is especially evident in applications that must perform at high volumes.

In food packaging, seaweed- or algae-based materials are used, for example, as coatings or as film alternatives for takeout containers, sachets, or portion packs. Polysaccharides derived from algae – such as alginates – offer natural barrier properties and can be formulated to be moisture-resistant, flexible, or even water-soluble. This makes them particularly suitable for to-go, event, and convenience applications, where single-use packaging dominates and waste prevention is especially relevant.

Notpla specializes in algae- and plant-based materials. Its Ooho liquid bubble is an on-the-go hydration solution. Ooho is a natural, algae-based membrane that encapsulates liquids such as water, juices, cocktails, or energy gels. The capsule is fully edible and biodegradable. The technology is used at sporting events, tastings, and promotional activations – for beverages, energy gels, honey, sauces, or even frozen desserts. To-go concepts and promotional areas in brick-and-mortar retail or foodservice could benefit as well.

In the fresh departments of food retailers, sustainability isn’t determined solely by the amount of packaging, but also by shelf life and appearance. Fruits and vegetables quickly lose quality due to moisture evaporation, oxidation, and microbial processes – they shrivel or discolor and are left behind, even though they are still edible. For retailers, that means shrink, markdowns, more complex inventory management, and criticism over food waste. At the same time, customers expect fresh, flawless products with as little packaging as possible. Edible protective layers address this tension directly.

Apeel has long worked with an invisible, edible protective coating for fresh produce (Edipeel) and was named a “Game Changer” by Food & Wine in 2025, among other recognitions. The coating consists of plant-based mono- and diglycerides – naturally occurring simple fats that, unlike conventional waxes, do more than create a glossy finish: they extend freshness. Some of the standard waxes previously used are based either on animal-derived raw materials such as beeswax or shellac, or on petroleum-based substances such as polyethylene and paraffins.

Lidl Schweiz and Empa are developing a cellulose-based protective coating made from press residues (pomace) that is edible and designed to keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer. The coating is either sprayed onto the produce or applied via a dip bath. This layer could not only reduce conventional packaging, but could also be fortified with vitamins or antioxidants.

A number of other approaches demonstrate how versatile edible packaging could become. Researchers at the USDA are working on casein-based films made from milk protein that offer excellent oxygen barriers and are suitable as edible wraps for cheese or other sensitive products.

Rice paper is another proven example: thin, neutral-tasting wrappers for sweets or mochi dissolve in the mouth and eliminate the need for additional unwrapping.

In processed foods, the Freddy Hirsch Group uses an edible sausage casing made from alginate (derived from algae) that is consumed after cooking and replaces traditional casings – an approach that reduces packaging waste while maintaining the familiar texture.

Taking a different route, researchers at IIT Roorkee are developing edible cups made from kodo millet, stabilized with guar gum and hibiscus powder. These biodegradable cups are intended as an alternative to plastic cups and demonstrate that traditional, drought-resistant grains can also serve as a raw material base for sustainable packaging solutions.

Ketchup and sauce portions, energy gels, tastings, street food, or event catering – wherever single-use formats are functionally difficult to avoid, edible or water-soluble solutions can reduce waste immediately. In stadiums, at festivals, in travel catering, or in delivery services, collection and recycling systems often reach their limits. Consumable packaging can simplify disposal logistics and prevent visible litter.

Edible coatings are applied directly to the product and aim to reduce food waste. For retailers as well as foodservice operators with a strong fresh offering (salad bars, fruit counters, breakfast programs), this is often more economically relevant than simply swapping one packaging material for another. Longer shelf life means less shrink, more stable inventory planning, and lower product loss.

Edible food packaging offers a compelling narrative around sustainability, zero waste, and innovation leadership. At the same time, the demands for transparent communication are increasing: food safety, allergen labeling, sensory neutrality, and regulatory compliance must be clearly demonstrated to build trust.

In light of European requirements around recyclability and circularity, every form of waste prevention is gaining importance. Edible solutions can stand out as a consistent waste-avoidance strategy – and can be integrated where appropriate into a broader mix of sustainable packaging strategies, including compostability, recyclability, and reuse.

As appealing as “eat instead of discard” may sound, edible food packaging faces real hurdles – especially in terms of barrier properties (moisture), cost, scalability, taste or texture effects, and hygiene. That’s why many market-ready applications today are coatings or niche formats (events, single-serve) rather than universal plastic replacements.

Demand is not automatic either. Surveys such as the Buying Green Report 2023 indicate a generally high willingness to pay for sustainable packaging (including “82% willing to pay more”), but in everyday purchasing decisions, price, performance, habit, and trust often prevail.

Edible packaging is unlikely to become a one-size-fits-all solution – but as a toolkit and complementary approach, it is poised to grow in the food retail and foodservice sectors.

Sources: scientific review article in Trends in Food Science & Technology, scientific review article in Food Research International, GreyB Analytics blog article, Grand View Research market overview, Space Food Club blog article