On the first night of CES 2025, Kirin Holdings, a Japanese company known for its beer and beverages, showed off its new electronic spoon that makes your food taste saltier. The company says its spoon uses a weak electric current to concentrate sodium ion molecules in your food, adding a stronger umami and salt flavor to low-sodium foods.
A limited supply of the Electronic Salt Spoon went on sale in Japan in 2024 for roughly $127 in American dollars, but Kirin hopes to sell the device around the globe in the coming years. The company claims this device can noticeably increase the “saltiness” of your food, without adding any additional sodium.
A crowd of people tried some soup using Kirin’s spoon at CES Unveiled in Las Vegas. TechCrunch did not try it ourselves, because there’s something about a communal tech conference spoon that just isn’t that appetizing.
While the spoon seems too good to be true, there’s some convincing research behind it that suggests it may be legit. The product launch of Kirin’s spoon marked the first commercialization of technology that won the 2023 Ig Nobel prize, a satirical award for unusual scientific research. The researchers behind it first published their thesis in 2011, but have since made spoons, forks, and chopsticks that pass electric currents into food.
Kirin says it created the spoon to help people consume less salt. This problem is especially relevant in Japan, where the country’s adult population eats more than double the World Health Organization’s recommended intake.
