The Latest 100% 3D Edible Printed Food

While it may sound futuristic, 3D printed food are now in the market. A lot of the work is still in its early stages, with researchers at Cornell and MIT developing 3D printers made specifically for edible products. But there are also some commercial projects underway.

Barilla, Hershey, and Mondelez International are just a few of the consumer food brands exploring the potential of 3D printing. At this year's SXSW, Mondelez International 3D printed custom Oreosbased on what was trending on Twitter with the hashtag #eatthetweet. SXSW attendees could choose from 12 flavors including banana, mint, birthday cake, and lime, and then select either a chocolate or vanilla base for the cookie.

The Oreo would then be printed in two minutes. Apparently the cookies tasted like regular Oreos, but they fell apart a bit too easily. The 3D printing machine was created by MAYA Design using a Delta Bot 3D printer, but at this point it will probably still just be a fun marketing stunt as opposed to something you'd see in a grocery store.

3D printing startup Structur3D created a 3D printer add-on called Discov3ry, which can create a paste from all sorts of materials, including plastic, silicone, wood filler, and yes, Nutella.