NASA announced Wednesday it is funding construction of the world's first ever 3D food printer.

One company, Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC), believes the answer may be in 3-D food printing, and it has been selected to receive a $125,000 grant from NASA to construct a prototype.

"Long-distance space travel requires 15-plus years of shelf life," Anjan Contractor, engineer with SMRC, told the news website Quartz. "The way we are working on it is, all the carbs, proteins and macro- and micro-nutrients are in powder form. We take moisture out and, in that form, it will last maybe 30 years."

The food printer is fed on cartridges of powders and oils containing all the nutrients needed for a healthy diet - which work in much the same way as a standard printer's ink cartridges.

"The way we are working on it is, all the carbs, proteins and macro and micro nutrients are in powder form. We take moisture out, and in that form it will last maybe 30 years," Contractor told news site Quartz in an article posted Tuesday.

Contractor is starting work on building the prototype pizza printer. Check out his chocolate printer below: