One fascinating however ignored use of 3D printing is in particular meals for hospitals and care services. This can be a huge potential market, as by way of additive, meals may be enriched for explicit diets or wants. Moreover, 3D printing may very well be used to make nutritious and fulfilling meals for individuals who have problem chewing. Dutch agency Gastronology launched meals for dysphagia sufferers in 2024. A affected person who has bother chewing may very well be affected by a selected trauma or have ALS, MS, or Huntington’s illness, dementia, or a stroke, for instance. With these in care properties and below long-term care rising, and the broader labor power lowering, 3D printed meals might play an actual position in the way forward for care. By bettering particular person diets and meals expertise, and doing so with a lowered labor quotient, 3D printing may very well be used at scale all over the world.
Gastronology and its Dysphalicious product line are able to fill this hole with their 3D printed meals. Now they’ve made their merchandise obtainable for dwelling supply. This growth might assist make the difficult job of feeding long-term dysphagia sufferers somewhat simpler for households. As an alternative choice to countless purees and gels, Gastronology hopes to make all of it extra fulfilling, too.
Gastronology founder Peter Nieuwkerk stated,
“Dysphagia sufferers can solely eat pureed and thick liquid meals. That’s the reason these sufferers are sometimes supplied meals from a blender or meals within the type of pastes and gels. That meals, nonetheless, doesn’t look enticing and doesn’t have a pure style and scent. We consider that every one individuals have the best to wholesome and engaging meals. Lately, we’ve developed various wholesome and nutritious merchandise primarily based on potatoes and recent greens, which, because of 3D meals printing, are recognizable, look appetizing and are additionally tasty. This makes consuming a pleasing expertise for sufferers and residents of healthcare services, as an alternative of an annoying necessity”
Up till now, Gastronology had supplied its merchandise in hospitals, the place the corporate claims that,
“Sufferers, caregivers and medical workers are very glad. The meals will not be solely very tasty, but additionally has a excessive dietary worth. And maybe extra importantly, as a result of the product meets the IDDSI 4 normal for dysphagia sufferers, the chance of sufferers choking is minimal. Because of this, sufferers, for whom good diet is essential, regain the pleasure of consuming.”
Along with its pilot program with three care services and three hospitals within the Netherlands, Gastronology is partnering with QSTA, which can now supply its frozen meals for dwelling supply in packing containers of 20 servings. QSTA is a Dutch business-to-business meals supply platform, and for now, deliveries will solely be within the Netherlands. To eat the meals, a carer will defrost it, after which warmth it up in an oven. At the moment, the corporate provides eight completely different 3D printed merchandise: “cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, peas, haricot verts, candy potato, potato and beet.” QSTA will transfer to meat and different merchandise sooner or later.
Meals 3D printing is commonly seen as a novelty, and other people have a tendency to think about us all 3D printing meals at dwelling. Maybe that would work in some unspecified time in the future, however I do take into account this a significantly better enterprise alternative. The grocery store shelf is pricey, promoting is pricey, and shoppers are fickle. Traits are brutal, and big supermarkets and meals giants need to take you down. On the planet of care properties and hospitals nonetheless, you possibly can be an ally to the catering division or firm, whereas saving the insurer or hospital cash.
In an NIH paper we are able to see the issue and subsequently the chance: “The prevalence of dysphagia is roughly 10% to 22% in Individuals aged 50 and over. In sufferers over age 60 years, the prevalence is roughly 40%. A examine reported that 63% of aged sufferers who denied any historical past of swallowing issues demonstrated abnormalities in radiologic swallow research.” Think about as a portion of this inhabitants ages and leads to lengthy term-care. Roughly 2 to five% of aged persons are already in care properties. Within the US, over 1.1 million persons are in assisted dwelling. Within the coming years, it’ll turn into troublesome to fill positions in nursing and aged care the world over; within the face of accelerating demand, there are already shortages. In the meantime, wages are low and churn is excessive, save for large-scale deployment of robotic options, that are elusive.
3D printing might actually play a task right here. The chance in letting carers make nutritious, well-balanced, and fulfilling meals for tens of thousands and thousands of individuals is a major one. Extra individuals ought to take note of Gastronology, and comply with their lead right into a promising, useful market that would make life higher for a lot of.
Subscribe to Our E mail E-newsletter
Keep up-to-date on all the most recent information from the 3D printing trade and obtain info and provides from third social gathering distributors.
Add your 3D Fashions and get them printed rapidly and effectively.
