Vegetables destined for waste turned into vibrant, child-safe crayons

SAITAMA – Locally grown vegetables that were meant to be thrown away due to their misshapen or damaged appearance have been transformed into vibrantly colored crayons. Astra Food Plan Co., a company based in Fujimi, Saitama Prefecture, that loans and sells equipment for converting food waste into powder, launched Oyasai Crayon (vegetable chalk). The company’s president said: “We hope that the use of these crayons will encourage people to think about vegetables that are thrown away.”

A set of colored pencils contains ten colors, with each color named after the vegetable or fruit used as raw material. Of these, three colors – orange for carrot, green for spinach and light brown for burdock – use vegetables from Saitama Prefecture as raw material. Because the crayons are made from natural ingredients, they are safe for children, even if accidentally placed in the mouth.

Founded in 2020, the company sells machines that convert food waste, such as Chinese cabbage cores left over from pickle making, into powder using superheated steam above 300 C. These machines have been adopted by facilities such as Yoshinoya Co.’s factories. , a beef bowl chain, and have attracted attention for their role in reducing food waste.

In May last year, Chihiro Kano, 37, president of Astra Food Plan, heard about Mizuiro Inc., an Aomori City-based company that produces crayons from rice and vegetables, at a meeting of startup founders. This inspired Kano to use vegetables from Saitama Prefecture to make crayons.

Astra Food Plan purchased a total of 600 kilos of carrots, spinach and burdock, which were about to be thrown away, from a local agricultural cooperative and farmers in the prefecture, among others, and processed them into powder. The powder is then supplied to Mizuiro as raw material for making colored pencils. Using Astra Food Plan equipment, vegetables can be powdered in large quantities, which helps reduce production costs.

The company’s superheated steam technology has the advantage of being able to sterilize and dry large quantities of food waste instantly. This technology also preserves the natural colors of the vegetables, resulting in vibrantly colored crayons.

The company plans to explore the feasibility of using other types of vegetables as raw materials for crayons in the future. Kano said: “We hope to raise awareness that even vegetables destined for disposal can be reused for non-food purposes.”

Oyasai crayons cost ¥2,200, including tax, and are available at Akachan Honpo stores nationwide and Mizuiro’s official online store.