If you’re still mystified by the innovations in 3-D printing then you will probably be interested to hear what a company in Germany is doing with nursing home menus. The company Biozoon has concocted a way to make real 3-D printed food that actually tastes good for the residents at many local nursing homes.
CBS News reports about the “Smoothfood” originally created by Biozoon. The 3-D printed food was created out of a need for elderly nursing home patients to have more palatable pureed food. Smoothfood is pureed but formed in a way that it looks and reportedly tastes like real food without the choking risks solid food may pose on an elderly resident. The six foods that are currently being offered by the company are cauliflower, peas, chicken, pork, potatoes and pasta.
In an effort to spread the word about Smoothfood and have it adopted in more places, Biozoon is now working with 5 countries under a program called PERFORMANCE (PERsonalised FOod using Rapid MAnufacturing for the Nutrition of elderly ConsumErs.) Though many nursing homes have preferred to stick with the old fashioned and more economical way of pureeing foods, Mathias Kück, PERFORMANCE project coordinator and owner of Biozoon, explains why he feels it’s important to give his method a try. He says, “We found that because the meals are more appealing in terms of appearance and taste, people look forward to eating again. This is why PERFORMANCE wants to bring the smoothfood concept to the next level and industrialise it. Only then can we cut costs and also make it available for home care.”
What do you think of the 3-D printed food concept?
Do you think something like this can make eating more enjoyable for the elderly population in nursing homes?
Interesting concept, but why not spend the extra money that's spent on the 3D printing technology and hire extra staff to spend extra time and effort into making tasty food that is easier and safer for the patients to eat. Wow, these folks are near the end of their lives, but not worth the extra effort into lovingly making hand-prepared foods for their patients?
I think the technology is amazing but I don't trust it at the same time. It reminds me of Star Trek when they told the computer what they wanted to eat and it appeared. Freaky ! It seems like a great idea to help the elderly eat their food yet it doesn't seem like it would be as healthy.
It is a cool concept, but I cannot help to wonder if it is really safe. If the food is actually being made out of pureed versions of food, it seems okay. But, I still feel like there may be other things added to this food. I don't know, the idea rubs me the wrong way.
That is pretty cool~!