# Sustainable Carrot Smoothie Straws Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt is Testing Carrot Straws By Katherine Pendrill | Published 2019-04-24 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/carrot-straws References: [delish](https://www.delish.com/food/a27208002/bananas-smoothies-carrot-straws-earth-day/) & [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/GreenLeafsBananas/photos/a.308576985868657/2270435669682769/?type=3&theater) In honor of Earth Day, the fast-casual chain Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt has begun testing out carrot straws. While it may seem like a belated April Fool's Day joke, the new straws could actually be a clever and sustainable alternative to plastic straws. Just ahead of Earth Day, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt announced that it had begun swapping its plastic straws for hollowed-out carrot straws. As COO of Villa Restaurant Group Andrew Steinberg explains, "We’ve started testing a prototype for a carrot straw in the hopes that one day we may be able to serve all our nutritious juices, [smoothies and more](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pudding-infused-smoothie) with a healthy, edible, and ultimately environmentally-friendly straw option nationwide." With consumers eager for [alternatives to single-use plastics](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jacksons-super-veggie-straws), the new carrot straws could be a tasty (and healthy) solution. Image Credit: *Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt.* ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.2/10 - Popularity: 63% | Activity: 86% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Sustainable Alternatives to Single-use Plastics:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop and market edible or biodegradable alternatives to traditional single-use plastics in various industries. - **Innovative Food Packaging Solutions:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create inventive food packaging solutions that reduce waste and are environmentally friendly. - **Reducing Food Waste:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop sustainable approaches to reducing food waste, such as using food by-products in new products or packaging. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Food and Beverage:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop sustainable food packaging solutions, alternative edible straws or single-use utensils, or find value in food by-products. - **Hospitality and Restaurants:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop ways to reduce waste in restaurant and hospitality industries, by using alternatives to single-use plastics, or repurposing food waste. - **Consumer Goods and Retail:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create innovative sustainable alternatives to traditional consumer goods and packaging while also repurposing waste from food production. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Dynamic Carrot Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bolthouse-fresh-foods.md) - [Plastic-Free Straw Commitments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plastic-straw-free.md) - [Veggie-Packed Smoothie Pops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rabbit-food.md) - [Supercharged Banana-Free Smoothies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/revitalise.md) - [Carrot Bacon Strips](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/carrot-bacon.md) - [Organic Strawberry Banana Juices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/organic-orange-strawberry-banana-juice.md) - [Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Straws](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biodegradable-straw.md) - [Durable Juice Straws](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/capri-sun-1.md) - [Strawberry-Inspired Dairy-Free Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/strawberry-bananamilk.md)