Hershey and the 3-D printing company, 3-D systems, pledged their respective resources yesterday to the goal of producing quality chocolate through a three-dimensional printer, Cnet reported. In light of their joint announcement, University Herald presents the top four foods best suited for a "digital bake." With little to no knowledge of the 3-D food printing industry (a brief internet scan reveals mostly plans and few actual examples), here's the list:

4. Bagels: Everybody knows the key to a quality bagel is the water, which is why New York and its superior H2O produce some of the best batches in the world. (Do they even have bagels in other countries?) Imported NY water, a little flour, and a basic donut shape sound like a rather simple computation for your standard 3-D printing device.

3. Fruit Roll Ups: I'm not sure if this one counts since fruit rollups have been 3-D printed since at least this 1994 commercial (also at the bottom), which represents a childhood flashback if you're between the ages of 25-35. What other food bridges the divide between standard and 3-D printing better than this papyrus-shaped treat? For those of you thinking about cheese and their similarly convenient cut-out, consider the hardiness of a fruit roll up (example: how easily they get stuck in your teeth) compared to the swiss of cheese. A square of American would have to be printed with plastic just to survive the process.

2. Cereal: When's the last time a legitimately new cereal was invented (Obama O's doesn't count)? Smart Start (Obama's favorite)? A 3-D printing device and its infinite combinations could be exactly what this stalling industry needs, especially as research increasingly finds more evidence against a bowl of milk and some flakes. There are several reasons why you haven't seen a cereal commercial -- "Gotta have my Pops," "Me want Honeycombs!" "Heart Healthy Cheerios," "They're after me Lucky Charms!" etc. -- in maybe ten years: (1) long-established brands have relatively little competition and (2) they may no longer be "part of a complete breakfast."

1. Pasta: A dog wouldn't eat a stalk of uncooked pasta, which more closely resembles those toxic glow stick bracelets given as party favors at Sweet Sixteens than actual food. Plus, pasta in its rawest form is basically the same everywhere (speaking from my very un-palated background). Thus, makers could concentrate on mass production and innovative shapes without having to worry about a ready-to-eat, quality product their dog may sniff out and ingest from an un-guarded printer.

This choice is also backed by actual industry trends. According to the website aptly named "3-D Printing Industry," spaghetti maker Barilla has spent the last two years working with a Dutch company to develop a printer capable of producing pasta in a cost effective and convenient manner. Their dream is to outfit every restaurant with a "pasta printer."