Thursday Aug 25, 2022

FIJI Water Shifts to Recyclable Bottles + What you Need to Know About Cell-Based Chocolate

FIJI Water bottles, which feature an iconic square shape and vibrant branding, are now made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are also fully recyclable. In this episode of the Xtalks Food Podcast, Sydney talks about FIJI’s 100 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottles that replaced its virgin rPET 500-milliliter and 330-milliliter bottles throughout the US. However, the water business in Fiji has brought some dissent. While the export of mineral water added more than $100 million to Fiji’s economy, the company churns out bottles of water in a country where citizens don’t have access to drinking water. The team wonders whether bottled water will ever become a thing of the past and commends FIJI for making the switch.

Also, in this episode, Sydney talks about cell-based chocolate, which is made by growing cells in a similar way to cultured meat and seafood. To make cell-based chocolate, cells must be sampled through cocoa beans that are selected for their taste, smell, melt and performance. A part of the bean is incubated at a certain temperature in a completely dark environment. After several weeks in bioreactor tanks, the cocoa cells ferment and achieve a rich flavor, resulting in cell-cultured cocoa nibs. Several companies, including California Cultured and Fazer, have already entered the cell-based chocolate space, but they are far from commercialization. The team discuss whether they would try cell-based chocolate and whether consumer reception would be positive.

Read the full articles here:

Fiji Water Bottles are Now Made From 100 Percent Recycled Plastic

Is Cell-Based Chocolate the Next Big Food Trend?

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