Germany Serves 3D-Printed Food in Nursing Homes

Jun 03, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

In Germany, seniors are being served 3D-printed food.

The European Union has earmarked about $4-million in funding to assist with the development of 3-D food. Specifically “smoothfood,” food that uses pureed food, but makes it look more appetizing to eat.

Smoothfood is a new term that was created by a company called Biozoon in 2010. The food looks more like regular food, but its texture makes it easier for older people to eat food with less concern of choking.

Currently, there are only six choices available as smoothfoods, which include cauliflower, peas, chicken, pork, potatoes and pasta. Apparently, the food is cooked, pureed and mixed with a texturiser, then “printed” into recognizable food shapes.

Biozoon is reportedly working in collaboration with 14 companies from five countries. The group which is called PERFORMANCE stands for – personalized food using rapid manufacturing for the nutrition of elderly consumers. The hope is that if the concept catches on, it will lower costs for homecare providers. While the idea may sound cool, it isn’t without challenges. Regular pureed dishes presently take less time and money to make.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.