BBDO Bangkok Tackles Thailand's Obesity Problem with AbsorbPlate

Who doesn't love Thai food? It's spicy, fragrant... but also very greasy. In fact, it's so soaked in oil that Thais have the second highest obesity rate in South East Asia - which means they're storing up health problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But when it's so easy to go for quick, delicious food, it's hard to tempt people away with a fresh salad.

That's why BBDO Bangkok, in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, created the 'AbsorbPlate'. It's an innovative piece of tableware that makes it easier for Thais to eat a little more healthily without giving up the food they love.

The plate features hundreds of tiny holes inspired by the texture of sponge make AbsorbPlate able to separate excess oil from food before people eat it. The plate can reduce up to 7 ml of grease or approximately 30 calories per plate. The plates were designed to be easy to wash. 

It's the latest project from an agency that's been gaining a reputation for its product innovation. Devastatingly simple yet ingenious ideas like MotoRepellent, a device that turns motorbike exhaust pipes into mosquito-killing machines, the Samsung 'Memory Recaller', and last year's gruesome 'Message from the Lungs' project (ink made from the lungs of dead smokers). Product development and a non-traditional approach to creativity is something that the agency's Chief Creative Officer Suthisak Sucharittanonta is keen to encourage within his team.