Edible Packaging: Finally, Branding You Can Eat

Modern day grocery stores are a feast for the senses with colorful boxes as far as the eye can see stamped with brands and labels. But a new concept called WikiCells poses the question: who needs a box anyway?

Biodegradable packaging has been on the rise and the country’s first zero-packaging grocery store was recently opened in Austin, Texas, but WikiCells takes it one step further by putting food inside edible packages. Ice cream, puddings and yogurt are stored inside various shells and skins that not only protect the goodies inside, but also provide a hint of added flavor, like chocolate covered ice cream and yogurt stored in a skin with various nuts.

This wasteless packaging trend, along with the zero waste movement, presents an exciting landscape for branding and packaging in the future. Imagine walking into a grocery store to see a stand of edible yogurt balls right next to a pile of oranges (the original inspiration behind WikiCells). As the world moves away from packaging that screams brand names and slogans, companies will be forced to focus more on the products themselves and how to give customers what they need and nothing more.

The idea has the ability to move beyond food and incorporate different ranges of products - perhaps sponges covered in a water-soluble wrapper or brand-new shoes connected by shoelaces. Companies like Method and graphic designers already use packaging as a form of art and the transition to thoughtful, wasteless packaging will prove to be the next challenge for creative people around the world.

Do you think edible and wasteless packaging will catch on in the future? Let us know in the comments!