Sri Lankan Scientist’s “Plastic Biscuit” Is Real Research, But Not an Approved Food

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Claims such as “plastic rice” and “plastic eggs” resurface on social media from time to time, so news that food can be made from plastic waste may sound like another piece of science fiction. Yet research on making biscuits from plastic waste has recently set off a heated debate online. This time we looked into Sri Lankan microbiologist Dr. Lahiru Jayakody, whom posts credit with a “plastic biscuit”. How is plastic actually used in this research, and was a real “plastic biscuit” made? Here is the post that carried the claim, and our fact-check.

Social Media Posts:

This post said that Sri Lankan microbiologist Dr. Lahiru Jayakody had astonished the world by discovering an edible plastic biscuit and gave further details of the discovery.

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Fact-Check:

International and local media confirmed the research

We first checked international and local media for reports of such a discovery. RNZ, The Guardian and Ada Derana confirmed that a research team led by Dr. Lahiru Jayakody at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the United States had successfully converted plastic waste into compounds that can be used to produce food.

According to these reports, the NASA-supported project enabled the team to produce protein-rich, edible 3D-printed cookies from plastic waste and discarded plant material. The cookie, called “µBites”, reportedly costs US$60 per kilogram to produce.

The µBites cookie is made in six steps

Raw materials: The researchers use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, commonly used in water and beverage bottles, and biowaste such as discarded corn stalks and leaves.

Breaking down into small compounds: A process called Oxidative Hydrothermal Dissolution (OHD) uses water, oxygen, high temperature and high pressure to break PET and plant waste down into small compounds that microbes can use.

The role of yeast: The carbon-containing liquid that results are fed to a bioreactor holding specially engineered yeast. The yeast uses these compounds to grow, producing proteins, fats, and acids, along with protein-rich yeast biomass.

Boosting flavour and nutrition: The researchers have also engineered other yeasts to produce vanilla flavour and aroma compounds, and to make β-carotene from the ethylene glycol in PET.

Adding other ingredients: The yeast biomass and other food compounds are mixed with fiber, starch, and sweetener to make a mixture suitable for cookies.

3D printing: The mixture goes into a 3D food printer, which prints the µBites cookie layer by layer. Microwaving the printed cookie gives it its final form. The researchers say their aim is a final product that looks and smells like an ordinary cookie.

A 2024 journal paper and a 2026 ACS presentation describe the research

In 2024, the journal Trends in Biotechnology published a paper titled “Next-generation 3D-printed nutritious food derived from waste plastic and biomass”00096-9). Presented by Dr. Jayakody’s team, it examines how materials from waste plastic and biomass can be turned into nutritious food through 3D printing. It appeared in the journal’s June 2024 issue and is also listed on PubMed.

At the ACS Fall 2026 meeting on August 24, 2026, the team presented its latest results under the title “Engineered yeast consortia for converting plastic and biomass-derived compounds into valuable food additives”. It described how yeast converted compounds from PET plastic and plant waste into vanillin and β-carotene, which were then mixed with yeast protein to make nutritious 3D-printed µBites cookies. However, the American Chemical Society (ACS) still describes the cookie as a prototype. Further research and approvals are needed before it can be offered to ordinary consumers.

“Plastic biscuit” is not an accurate description

The process shows that plastic pieces or plastic material are not added directly to the cookie. Plastic is first broken down chemically into small compounds, which yeast then convert into food compounds. It is therefore more accurate to call this an experimental cookie (biscuit) made by turning compounds from plastic waste into food ingredients through a biotechnological process, and not a cookie made of plastic itself.

The researchers say they aim to tackle food shortages and plastic waste

Quoting Dr. Lahiru Jayakody, a Sri Lankan microbiologist, Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) and head of the research team, SIU and the American Chemical Society (ACS) say the aim of µBites technology is to find alternative solutions to both food shortages and plastic waste. The researchers note that it could be used to produce food where the space and water needed for conventional food production are limited.

Dr. Jayakody says it could also help remote, resource-limited environments where supplying food is difficult. SIU’s examples include ships, especially submarines, and remote regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic. The researchers suggest µBites could serve as an on-site food production system when harsh weather blocks food deliveries by air or sea.

µBites was first developed as research linked to NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, with the aim of producing food from limited resources on long space missions. The researchers now say the technology could also serve resource-limited or disaster-hit areas on Earth, and extremely resource-poor environments such as the Moon or Mars. Finding a new use for plastic waste is another key goal. However, as the ACS explains, plastic pieces are not added directly to the food.

Dr. Lahiru Jayakody: plastic is not eaten, its components are converted

To clarify what circulates social media against the actual status of the research, we contacted Dr. Lahiru Jayakody, a microbiologist and Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, by phone. This is what he explained.

Dr. Jayakody said that social media claims such as “plastic can be eaten” or “biscuits are made from plastic” do not describe the actual process. Plastic pieces or plastic material are not added directly to food. The core idea of the research is that a special technical process breaks plastic down into its basic chemical components, which microbes then convert into other useful compounds.

Microbes turn the broken-down components into useful products

He said plastics such as PET can be broken down into their basic chemical components using thermochemical and enzyme-based methods. The main components of a PET bottle, for example, include terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. After the breakdown, these components are fed to microbes, which can produce the nutritional components and other products needed. He added that research has been done on genetically modifying microbes such as yeast so that they use the supplied components to produce proteins, flavorings, and other compounds.

He stressed that the aim of the final product is not “eating plastic”, but converting plastic’s basic components, including its carbon, into other useful products.

The final product contains no plastic or microplastics, he said

Dr. Jayakody said the process aims to break plastic down completely into its basic components, and that the resulting food product contains neither the original plastic material nor microplastics.

Tests so far have found no foodborne pathogens, but safety must be confirmed further

This is the most important question about research: is it already safe for humans to eat?

Tests so far: Dr. Jayakody said research to date has confirmed that the components of the final product are suitable for human consumption. The product was tested for foodborne pathogens, and none were found. He said the tests were not limited to the team’s own laboratories but were also carried out by accredited third-party food-testing laboratories.

Digestion and toxicity: Tests using human digestive system cells to check for toxic effects are also complete. Tests on the product’s protein properties, on how they break down during digestion and on how the body could absorb them were conducted using a simulated gut that mimics the human digestive system. He said he hopes to publish these results in the future.

Official approval could take two to three more years

Despite the positive results, Dr. Jayakody explained that the product’s safety must be confirmed further before it is offered to people as food. He said the required reports were being prepared and that approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a crucial step. Completing the full research and regulatory process and confirming that it is truly fit for human consumption could take another two to three years.

One more point deserves attention. According to the Newswise copy of the ACS release, although the researchers say the data indicate that µBites is safe, they are still awaiting institutional approval for human taste-testing. FoodNavigator also reported that no one has yet been officially allowed to eat it.

It is therefore not correct to regard µBites as a food already officially approved for human consumption.

Technology is not limited to space travel

Dr. Jayakody said a key goal of such research is to find out whether food can be produced in resource-limited environments. He noted that systems that produce food on site from limited resources could matter in future for long space missions, submarines, warships and regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as when natural disasters disrupt normal food supplies. The work also relates to the “circular economy” concept, in which materials are reused as useful resources instead of being discarded after use.

Plastic is a source material for µBites, not an ingredient

Plastic pieces are not added to the food. Contrary to what circulates on social media, nobody collects plastic pieces and adds them directly to food to make biscuits. A special process separates plastic’s chemical components, and microbes convert them into compounds needed for human consumption.

No plastic pieces: Dr. Jayakody said the final product contains neither plastic nor microplastics.

Still a prototype: The ACS describes µBites as a prototype. Further research and approvals are needed before consumers can eat it.

No official approval yet: The regulatory process, including FDA approval, could take two to three more years, so µBites should not currently be regarded as food fit for general consumption.

Dr. Jayakody also noted that when research is shared on social media, highlighting only a few words can misrepresent its true meaning.

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Conclusion:

Overall, it is real research that Dr. Lahiru Jayakody’s team produced 3D-printed µBites cookies using compounds derived from plastic, as confirmed by a scientific journal and international media. But the picture painted by the social media post, of “discovering an edible plastic biscuit”, is incomplete.

Plastic pieces are not added directly to the food. Plastic is first broken down chemically into small compounds, which yeast converts into food compounds, including protein. µBites is also still only a prototype. It has no regulatory approval such as the FDA, and even human taste-testing has not yet been approved, according to the ACS release and FoodNavigator.

So, while the post’s core claim is true, it is misleading if read as “an already edible plastic biscuit”.