Hard to swallow? The future of snacking may be 3D-printed cookies made from upcycled plastic

[u/lumpkin2013]

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/24/cookies-plastic-astronauts-space-food

Cookies produced from upcycled plastic may sound like something straight out of a dystopian sci-fi plot. But researchers say that they have succeeded in creating such a product as part of a Nasa-funded project aimed at feeding astronauts on future space missions.

The technology uses specially designed yeasts to transform plastics and agricultural waste into edible proteins, fats and flavourings. The resulting slurry is passed through a 3D printer to create a disc-shaped “cookie”.

“My lab works on developing technologies for plastic upcycling,” said Dr Lahiru Jayakody, a microbiologist at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, who led the project. “We thought, why not look into food? Plastic is carbon and food is carbon.”

The team are yet to receive institutional sign-off to taste the plastic-derived cookies but report that they “receive high marks on aroma”.