Mori (US) extracts fibroin protein from silk using water and salt and applies it as an invisible, tasteless coating on fresh produce and meat. The coating slows dehydration, oxidation and microbial growth, extending shelf life.
It addresses cling film, and the sealed plastic packs that keep produce fresh, indirectly: longer shelf life lets retailers use less or alternative packaging and cut food waste. The coating is generally recognised as safe (GRAS) in the US, non-novel in Canada and approved in 12 countries; silk-coated spinach and kale are on US supermarket shelves, and the company raised a US$12 million Series A.
End of life is nil, since the coating is eaten with the food. A 2023 Nature Reviews Bioengineering article covers silk's role in food security, and Closed Loop Partners has published a case study.
Drawbacks: it reduces rather than eliminates packaging; silk farming (sericulture) raises scale and animal-welfare questions; it applies only to perishables; no cost figure was published.