This year, we will focus on a critical analysis of the food design discipline. We will research promising food projects with which designers raise questions about our current food system or about our role as consumers, and yet did not make it to the shelves of the supermarket.
The Supermarket of the Future
Promising projects do not always find their way to producers, the market and ultimately to consumers. Why is that and what can we do to advance these projects? Why is it not possible to scale up, and is that even desirable for every project? How can we strengthen the role and urgency of food designers in the food system? The Embassy of Food 2021 is based on research and analysis, and we hope this will also reveal the need for system changes.
During DDW21, the Embassy of Food will take the shape of the supermarket of the future. This “shop” will contain selected food design projects. Wandering through the supermarket you may wonder why these products or ideas have not been available already in the supermarket. Or you might be surprised by what could be on our plate in the (not-so-distant-) future. We want to show the great potential of existing food design projects and hope to interview visitors about their experiences, ideas and preferences and perhaps even make them more aware of their possible role and influence on the existing food system.
Next year, in 2022, we will take this idea a bit further and we will look at the supermarket of the future 2050. What will we find in the supermarket in 2050? What are we looking for in the physical store if we order all the regular groceries online and have them delivered at home? And what will the food system look like at that time?