"According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. The food loss and waste occur at various stages of the food supply chain, including production, storage, processing, distribution, and consumption."
This accounts for roughly 1.3 billion metric tons of food wasted each year.
To put it into perspective, this amount of food could feed over 800 million people who suffer from hunger.
In most Indian households, when beetroots are bought, the leaves and stems are thrown away, thinking that they are not edible, or not knowing how to consume them. This leads to a lot of food waste being generated, and a lot of nutrients being underutilized.
This project blends food design creativity - ‘designing with food’ and ‘designing for food’ with health consciousness, offering a unique way to appreciate the often discarded parts of beetroots and bringing about a different culinary experience.
Utilization of leaves and stems of a beetroot to create a soup premix, and packaging it for the masses, is a sustainable step towards reducing food wastage in India, promoting sustainability and enhancing nutrition.
STAGE 1 : FONDANT MODELLING
The beetroot components are made using edible fondant; a dough of corn starch and sugar, mixed with edible food colour.
STAGE 2 : SOUP PREMIX : ITERATING THE RECIPE AND METHODS
1. Stems and leaves of beetroot are thoroughly washed and dried. They are dehydrated in a microwave and then sun-dried for about 2 hours.
2. The dehydrated components of beetroot are finely powdered with black pepper, rock salt, citric acid, oregano, carom, cumin, cinnamon, etc.
3. The beetroot soup premix is ready. Add one cup of hot water per 15 grams of powdered premix, stir it and enjoy your hot cup of beetroot soup.
STAGE 3 : PACKAGING
