Go ahead and taste this newspaper. In stark contrast to the content, it tastes bland and slightly acidic.
Newspapers taste pretty much the same when fresh. You can take my word for that, and chalk it up to insider occupational knowledge. I hasten to add that any flavours acquired after the papers are read at the breakfast table or in the bathroom, after they’ve caught mud in the porch or lined the birdcage, have not been subject to equivalent scrutiny.
But tasting the newspaper is the coming thing.
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An American ink supplier is poised to offer paper embedded with an edible film that smells and tastes like the product being advertised.
As reported in the February edition of Newspapers and Technology, US Ink, an ink supplier, sees its flavoured paper as a way for newspapers to offer something unique to readers, and combat the shift to digital news and advertising consumption.
“What scratch and sniff was for the fragrance industry, Peel ‘n Taste is for the food and beverage industry,” said Jay Minkoff, president of First Flavor, which is working with US Ink on the concept.
Flavours will be embedded on sticky notes and inserted or applied to newspaper editions. According to Newspapers and Technology, the flavoured bits will be enclosed in “tamper evident” foil pouches to protect consumers.
That’s going to be a pretty nifty promotional tool for some products. On different pages, readers may be able to taste candy or bacon or soft drinks. Your newspaper could become a full meal deal.
Anxious to assess the potential of this new concept for our advertisers and readers, I re-read the ads in last week’s issue. Victory Hybrid Canola. Bengal weed treatment for wild oats and foxtail. Roundup Transorb. Firestone farm tires. Credit 45 glyphosate. Draxxin cattle vaccine. Norac portable animal weigh scales. Augers, manure spreaders and seed drills.
Hmm, one begins to see a problem. Taste isn’t a factor in the buying decisions on any of these useful items.
Delve into the Classified ads and the options are no greater. Mower conditioners. Barbed wire. Appaloosas, baby chicks, tarps and water pumps.
Nothing you’d want to lick.
Our farmer readers produce all kinds of food, but much of it is in raw form that is then processed into other foods.
Food processors and manufacturers, take note. The wonderful flavours of prairie foods, in their many eventual forms, could find their way onto these pages for the enjoyment of all our readers.
We await, while salivating, your calls.
