Eat Me! Edible & Biodegradable Plates in Italian Schools
Recently, there was a great story in one of Italy’s major newspapers la Republicca that I wanted to share. It seems that every year, in the city of Milano alone, children between the ages of 1 and 13 years old use about 13 million sets of plastic plates—in school cafeterias from kindergartens to middle schools—creating a huge impact on the ecosystem. If we count all the schools in Italy and the other cafeterias where plastic is used, the problem of what to do with the non-recyclable waste is enormous.
An Italian entrepreneur named Tiziano Vicentini from Trento came up with a brilliant idea: an edible plate, which he calls “Pappami” (literally, “eat me”). The plate, made with a kind of dough, is in large part edible, and all of it is 100% bio-degradable. The dish is shaped like a flower with an outer rim of “petals,” which are actually similar to crackers that can be broken off and eaten. The center of the plate is treated with a special nontoxic, organic material so that it can hold warm food without becoming soggy—even sauces and soups. The “plate” retains heat, but it also can be reheated in a microwave oven. Though the central part is not intended to be eaten, it is usable for animal feed or compost. The cost is appealing as well: about 30 cents per plate. The idea has been greeted enthusiastically, receiving abundant positive press, even internationally, and public approval; production will start next spring.
Of course, the idea has its antecedents; for 
centuries bread in all its various forms has been used as a sort of natural plate or container—from sandwiches to wraps to pocket bread. The idea of using organic materials for “dishware”—made from fruits and vegetables—actually was recently developed by a Dutch artist/designer named Geke Wouters. Her beautiful and intensely colorful plates and bowls are entirely biodegradable and edible as well. Nonetheless, Vicentini’s “Pappami” could be a breakthrough in popularizing the concept of edible plates on a mass scale.
