this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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While neat, it still seems like poor stewardship. Rather than some easy cultivated fiber product you have to raise dairy cows and extract milk for a disposable plate. Seems like poor life cycle cost tally
Probably more associated greenhouse gas emissions than the plastic one
Agreed, very quickly. So we can honestly say this idea aged like milk?
It is neat, and provides a backstop to prices and American dairy overproduction. It diversifies income streams for farmers, but yes at the cost of food. Remember the concerns of corn to ethanol. Food as fuel has human costs as does food as packaging.
Edit: and of course our plasticized environment is a total nightmare scenario.
Couldn't we use some yeast or e-coli instead of cows?
I would hope so, but no dairy alternative has seemed to replicate milk protein properly. But I'm sure there will be q day to replicate it almost exactly as it is.
There's already mushroom packaging, I can't imagine it would be much of a leap to plates.
I don't have an answer for the cost of life, but I have heard many times that milk and cheese is overly abundant in the USA.
I do agree that it should be much cheaper to use cellulose/plant composite for these things. The problem is sealing it.
Yes, dairy is cheap in the US, only due to government subsidy.
You don't have to raise cows to have milk, you can literally use the same fiber (Soy, Hemp) to use industrially to make this plastic
Just because it says 'milk' doesn't mean 'dairy'
Except they're using casein, which does mean 'dairy.'
It said milk protein, they were specifically talking about dairy milk, and not soy protien