Fake Food - Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing Process

Today’s manufacturing technologies and high quality plastic materials provide realistic-looking fake food replicas, and approximately 95% of all fake food is still handcrafted. Artisans and highly trained craftsmen make realistic fake food, often painting them by hand to create a realistic look and feel. Some Japanese fake food manufacturers mimic the actual cooking process, employing chef's knives to chop plastic vegetables and real hot oil to fry plastic shrimp.

At the beginning of the production process, real food is dipped in silicone to create a mold. A liquid plastic of the correct color, typically vinyl chloride, is poured into the mold, then heated in an oven until it solidifies. When a food is not available or it would disintegrate or melt in the mold while the mold is setting up, a clay model of the food must be sculpted first. After setting for ten to thirty minutes, any excess vinyl buildup is trimmed off. Next, the replica is painted either by hand or airbrush. If the food has many parts, such as a hamburger or sushi roll, the item is assembled from many vinyl pieces.