Lund University students develop food powder from waste

A group of Swedish graduate students in the Food Innovation and Product Design programne at Lund University have developed a way of using food products that are about to go to waste to enhance access of food to those who have limited access.

The students claim that the FoPo Food Powder made of dried, powdered, shelf-stable fruits and vegetables can be used during times of emergencies at places where access to fresh food and refrigeration is limited.

The powder that is created by using almost expiring food products is said to have a shelf-life of about two years.

Ingredients for the powder were sourced from farmers and retailers by the development team, which then experimented with different drying and powdering techniques.

Freeze-drying technique was zeroed in, after which the ingredients were grinded and sublimated. Though some vitamin and mineral density is lost in the freeze drying process, it still retains most of the nutritional benefits of raw food.

According to Smithsonian.com, the students said that they did not feel they were creating something revolutionary, rather they were trying to rethink the waste and distribution channels.

The team that came up with the idea comprised three students, Kent Ngo, Vita Jarolimkova and Gerald Perry Marin.

Speaking about the innovation, Ngo said: "When we found out that one third of the food produced was going to waste while people in the world were starving we couldn’t back out.

"Today a relief bag for humanitarian disasters contains various foods such as strawberry jam, peanut butter and peas in tomato sauce. We think that an easily transported pack of cheap dried food powder with high nutritional value would fit in perfectly."

FoPo is available in various flavors such as banana, mango, raspberry and pineapple and can be used in smoothies or as toppings for baked goods.

Currently, the team is running a pilot project in Manila, Philippines, where they are using calamansi, a citrus fruit to develop the powder.

The students will also work on the UN’s Initiative on Food Loss and Waste as an effort to help more people and countries benefit from the innovation.