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British meal kit company trials edible packaging made from pea protein

Meal kit company Gousto is trialing the world’s first pea protein packaging as a vegetable stock cube wrapper this November. Made from engineered pea protein that has been dried into sheets in order to preserve food flavor and shelf life, the vegan, gluten-free packaging solution can be dissolved in hot water without altering the taste of the stock cube, according to the company.

If the company decides to roll out this packaging following a successful trial, Gousto estimates that this change will save 17 tons of plastic annually. However, for the time being, it is only available to Gousto customers between Nov. 6 through Nov. 12 as part of the Indian Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup recipe.

This plastic-free packaging alternative was created in partnership with Xampla, a spinout from the University of Cambridge and is the result of 15 years of research and a year of development.

“We’re working towards making all of our packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable, and these sachets made in partnership with our natural packaging experts, Xampla, will help us get there,” Gousto said in a Facebook post about the launch of this new packaging solution.

In addition to working toward reducing the number of possible microplastics associated with its packaging, Gousto has also been working on different aspects of its shipping materials to reduce the overall amount of waste it generates as a company. Last year, the company introduced its Eco Chill Box, an insulated packaging solution that the company said cuts its plastic by over 100 tons during its pilot year.

As a result of its efforts, the meal kit company said it has met its pledge to reduce its plastic use by 50%. With these improvements, the company claims that “a weekly Gousto box reduces your carbon emissions by a whopping 23% compared to buying the same food at a supermarket.” If the trial of its new edible sachet packaging is successful, Gousto will be well on its way to meeting its even more lofty goal of making all of its own-brand packaging fully recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022.