Who Made the 'Plastic Food' in Food Courts, and Why? [Delicious Stories]

Recreating Texture with Plastic, Silicone, and Paint
Handcrafted by Artisans with Decades of Experience
Iwasaki Manufacturing in Japan Was the First to Commercialize

Editor's Note
It is said that the first confectionery was discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. This means that snacks have accompanied every moment of human history. From biscuits and chocolate to ice cream, we bring you delicious stories behind the treats we love.

Who made the plastic "fake food" displayed in glass cases at department store food courts, and for what purpose? These models, also called "food samples," are not just simple promotional props—they are now recognized as a legitimate form of craftsmanship.

There Are 'Artisans' Who Imitate Food with Plastic

Plastic food samples placed in the glass display window of a department store food court. Screenshot from the Diningcode website.

You can commonly find food samples at lounges or department store food courts. The types are diverse, ranging from rice, soup, pork cutlet, and tempura to rice cakes—all made from plastic. Food samples are produced at plastic workshops, and in Korea as well, there are numerous artisans dedicated to crafting food samples. Among them is Kyungtaek Hong, founder of Doorimodel, who has been featured in various media and boasts over 40 years of experience as a food sample artisan.

However, the true origin of food samples is Japan. Since the early 1900s, Japan has been making food samples using wax and various other materials, and today, food replicas are regarded as a part of art, just like actual cuisine.

The Origin: Promotional Samples Made from Wax

Takizo Iwasaki, founder of Iwasaki Manufacturing (left), and the first wax omelet rice he made. Iwasaki Be-I website

The first person to commercialize food samples in the world was Takizo Iwasaki from Japan. In 1932, Iwasaki established Iwasaki Manufacturing, Japan’s first food model workshop, in Osaka, producing a variety of food samples for restaurants. According to a 2013 local media survey, Iwasaki Manufacturing held about 70% of the Japanese food sample market, reaching the level of an oligopoly.

In Japan, even in the late 19th century, there was already a promotional strategy of displaying food samples outside shops. At the time, real rice balls, sushi, and rice cakes were displayed, but the problem was that foods made from grains spoiled easily. Iwasaki came up with the idea of making food models from wax that would not spoil and used them as samples, presenting his first work, a "wax omurice model," in 1932.

According to Japanese food media Baifood, in the early 20th century, Japan had just completed industrialization, resulting in an oversaturated urban population, but the illiteracy rate remained high. While demand for dining out was high, there were few literate adults, making it difficult to provide menus filled with text. For this reason, Iwasaki’s wax food samples, which allowed people to instantly recognize each dish at a glance, gained explosive popularity.

The World of Texture Created with Just Silicone and Paint

Food sample artisans replicate food texture and color using only plastic and paint. Iwasaki Be-I homepage

It is said that Iwasaki Manufacturing became so successful that it established a specialized factory for mass-producing wax samples in the 1950s. Later, the practice shifted to using plastic instead of wax, which melted easily in sunlight, and now there is a proliferation of food sample artisans all across Japan. There are even shops in Japan that specialize exclusively in food samples, similar to ingredient markets. At Kappabashi Dougu Street, Tokyo’s largest kitchenware shopping district, there is even a dedicated food sample section.

Although plastic molding technology has advanced to a remarkable level of precision today, most food sample artisans still insist on handcrafting their work. This is because the variety of food shapes requested by customers is too diverse to be expressed by machines. For premium dishes meticulously prepared by chefs, artisans are known to pay attention to everything, from the plating to the individual grains of rice, in order to perfectly replicate the original.

The range of foods that can be reproduced in plastic is virtually limitless. Artisans who have honed their craft for decades can replicate not only the stretchy texture of glutinous rice cakes but also fresh lettuce and juicy hamburger patties using nothing but chunks of plastic and silicone and some paint.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.