The Food Design Lab is a space for collaborative experimentation with a team of specialized professionals who seek to reestablish relationships with society through gastronomy and design with the sustainability of our food systems. The main objective is to bring new perspectives on contemporary food lifestyles to a space of experimentation, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Through innovation, knowledge and experiences, we want to reconnect consumers with local communities and producers.
Food Design Lab is a space for innovation, knowledge and food experiences based in Lisbon, Portugal. We operate in 3 distinct areas, the creation of food experiences that promote the gastronomic identity of local communities; food innovation through a laboratory equipped for the development of products and recipes for industry, restaurants and catering; and knowledge through workshops, courses, conferences and seminars with different specialists in the field of food, gastronomy and design. Within the experiences, FDL has several services “Cook with...” in which chefs collaborate in the creation of menus, the “Food Experience” where we create from the most straightforward concept (food truck) to the most complex (haute cuisine); and “Fine Dining” where our main objective is to demystify the idea and make it inclusive. In innovation, we operate with three different services “Food Product” for the industry but always with a commitment to ethics and responsibility towards the consumer; “Food Recipe” for restaurants and food establishments that want to adopt our philosophy “From Farm to Table”, and the “Food Science Experimentation” where we have a set of technological and laboratory equipment that allows us to test the best formulas for the concepts of sustainability, food waste and waste reuse... In the knowledge component, we have “Talks, Seminars & Conferences” that bring together experts around the table to discuss contemporary themes on food; “Research Projects” with the collaboration of educational and non-profit institutions, and “Short Food Courses & Workshops” for consumers and professionals (food waste, fermentation, circular food economy) that want to be informed and aware about food trends.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
As main objectives in the area of sustainability, the Food Design Lab has adopted the policy that products, services and food experiences should, whenever possible, resort to:
- Local production (valuing indigenous and often forgotten foods for culinary application).
- The preservation of the biodiversity of the ingredients used from the culinary perspective (food waste and food lost).
- Involve the different stakeholders along the food chain (producers, suppliers, retailers, communities and consumers); and
- Give consumers, producers and involved communities knowledge about the importance of co-collaboration and co-design processes for food experiences that create enlightening memories about the importance of the change currently required in our food systems from an environmental and social perspective (food literacy tools).
The project can be exemplary in this context through the work that we have been developing with multidisciplinary teams from different areas of knowledge. The collaboration between chefs, designers, producers and the industry, and the participation of the consumer in the co-creation processes for more sustainable solutions to local production and consumption. Through these premises, FDL has developed different activities and participations such as the "Forgotten Food Festival", which brings back to the consumer's table ingredients lost in time and which are part of our food tradition and identity but which are no longer used in our tables and kitchens. Or in creating gastronomic experiences such as "From the Forest to the Plate", whose main objective is to value the Portuguese forest its preservation and to find in it's seasonality the products that are susceptible to culinary application and production.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
From an aesthetic and experience point of view, the FDL, in addition to all the stated premises, adopts two introductory statements in the creation of products, services and food experiences, because as Apicius said, "First we eat with our eyes" and secondly because, as mentioned by Brillat- Savarin "Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are"). First, the aesthetic component is essential for food to communicate with us. The interaction between us and food is a non-verbal message that involves cultural, social and economic issues in different contexts and with varying levels of meaning. Whether it is a gastronomic experience or a product for the industry, the aesthetic component of food will always be an essential part of the co-creation between different stakeholders. Either because we want to preserve its natural appearance (ingredients) or because it may be relevant to hide its physical attributes, for example, in the consumption of alternative animal proteins (insects, for example). The FDL can be an example in this context because food is vital for the survival of individuals and for the construction of contemporary societies, which implies a degree of complexity of the social and cultural values involved when observing, for example, the daily practices production, preparation and consumption. What we eat throughout our lives leaves us with embedded memories that shape who we are, influence our present and future. Food experiences and memories speak through the senses, and they are physically realized through our bodies, reflecting a visceral awareness of ourselves. The activities that we have already developed within the FDL encompass the aesthetics inherent to what food per se is and the importance that experience as a concept of interaction has on the consumer, whether it is a snack purchased in a supermarket or an haute cuisine menu. Concern for the values we uphold must be holistic and inclusive.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
The philosophy and mission of the FDL are based on the principle of inclusion in the diet of different communities and citizens. The activities developed so far, “Forgotten Food Festival” and “From the Forest to the Plate”, are based on the principle of including producers, communities, designers, chefs and different partners. The possibility of enjoying food experiences is open to the public and was implemented in other regions of the country where the participation of local producers and citizens created a sense of co-creation and awareness of the proposed themes, the preservation of the biodiversity in the Portuguese forest. The use of raw materials and contact with local producers, the adaptation of menus according to their seasonality and the fact that they are indigenous are essential aspects of how the policies we adopt are inclusive of the entire holistic dimension of the eating situation. The main objectives of the FDL in this area are:
- to provide the different communities involved with tools that can articulate their thoughts and desires as individuals and express their doubts whenever necessary,
- present in an accessible and credible way different ways for people to make a change in their mindset regarding food systems problems, and
- Engage citizens, designers, chefs, producers, and industry more conscious about their role in culture, politics, and society either as consumers or creators.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary
Through sustainability, FDL develops its projects in a holistic perspective, from the producer to the consumer and subsequent food waste. It is investing in the use of indigenous products, working with local producers, using ingredients to their full potential, and reusing all types of organic waste whenever possible. By offering a holistic service, sustainability and the concept of circular economy are essential components. From an aesthetic point of view, it is crucial to present visual and sensorial coherence between the natural and the processed product and find new models for local diets that are appealing from an aesthetic, nutritional, and organoleptic perspective. In terms of inclusivity, the participation of communities and different stakeholders in the co-creation processes allows the development of products, services and collective experiences that value and connect the other areas of the projects. In this way, we have
- projects that allow a reflection on the current food system;
- explore the boundaries between design and food by combining design processes with food science, innovation and food technology in interdisciplinary contexts;
- promote critical and reflective thinking on important food system issues to develop projects at a local, regional and global scale in the development of products, services and food experiences;
- adopt an approach to design as a project activity that promotes the use and consumption of food responsibly and sustainably (society, culture, environment);
- create conditions for group or individual projects centred on society's interests and their motivations as consumers; and
- Develop food design projects in collaboration with public and private entities.
The FDL has developed projects that: 1) prefer the use and application of local food products, 2) the valorization of local biodiversity with the application of new culinary applications, mainly of forgotten and endagerous ingredients from Portuguese tables and cuisine; 3) working with local producers to avoid the loss of food that has no outlets for the market and often ends its life cycle in the production field; 4) valuing processes of co-creation and co-participation between stakeholders, communities, designers and chefs, 5) participation in social and environmental projects that involve different specialists (designers, biologists, producers, chefs, suppliers, retailers, non-profit associations); 6) the use of policies that avoid food waste as much as possible, not only through consumption but also through food processing; 7) enable a selection of ingredients for the creation of products, services and food experiences that have a small impact on food systems through different sources and production practices, whether from animal or plant-based protein; and 8) avoid as much and whenever possible the abusive processing and transformation of ingredients (the food must be tasty and healthy); promote new diets based on local, seasonal ingredients and with a small ecological footprint and that take into account public and individual health issues. The FDL is a growing project, a space for experimentation where reflection and criticism are promoted on the sustainability and inclusiveness of our food system, always to connect people and places where the evidence that the food system is broken is more evident.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.
The implementation of the FDL was only possible through a set of research projects developed between different non-profit, educational and business organizations that involved society and diverse local communities through co-creation and co-participation processes. From the activities designed so far, "From the Forest to the Plate" was the challenge launched through a non-profit association, "Planting a Tree", whose main objective was to create a gastronomic experience that reflects the association's concerns and the appreciation of Portuguese gastronomy—from a sensory and sustainable point of view, appealing to the consumption of indigenous raw materials, as an interdisciplinary project in which synergies were created by using environmental sustainability as a motto for the involvement of citizens and the organizations involved, which, due to their role in society, contribute to the visibility of the project and the dissemination of the concepts presented. Presented in different geographies of Portugal, we have always adopted the inclusion of local communities not only for the use of indigenous products but also for the knowledge and experiences that allowed us to create new bonds of participation in activities like this. The main benefit derives from the approximation between the different stakeholders in creating projects that, due to their local and regional dimension, can be adopted globally, always in line with the principles set out by the FDL.
The leading global challenge of the project is to “gain a voice” with consumers, producers and the food industry. As Food Design is an area of intervention with few theoretical (academy) and practical (market) applications, it is essential to create a local literacy program to understand what this new territory is and how it operates in the context of food. It will be the small local activities that can proliferate their benefits and advantages. Going from the local and regional to the global is one of our goals as a space for reflection, creation and discussion; however, this will only be possible if projects like the FDL have the support of other institutions with a more preponderant role in the public life of producers, consumers and industries.
The FDL is a new and unique project in Portugal, not only for the name it adopts but also for the services it encompasses as an agent of change for the problems we currently face with our contemporary food. The FDL adopts a holistic perspective on the development of products, services, and food experiences, focusing on production, preservation, consumption, sustainability, and food waste issues. Focused essentially on the challenges of the food system, we challenge ourselves to present and find solutions that respond to the challenges posed by the consumer or industry through tools, processes, and methodologies specialized in food design and food innovation. Different specialists with different approaches and backgrounds allow the development of activities that involve different places and people. Our food systems increasingly require critical and reflective thinking to create new knowledge, research, ideas and possibilities within our current diets.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.
The FDL, a collaborative space for experimentation that connects design, gastronomy and food, proposes that the results obtained with the various challenges are presented to society clearly and objectively. Whether the development of a product for the industry is born from real and concrete need and reaches the consumer through a branding and packaging project; or a gastronomic experience with an impact on society through their media and public exposure, not only by the press but also by the participating organizations and individuals. Our work methodology is mainly based on the question: How to approach the different problems of our food system?
1) Design products, services and food experiences for nature (find local sources and practices of farming and fishing) and preference seasonal ingredients.
2) While designing the concept, pay attention to avoiding food waste and food loss.
3) Communicate transparency with the consumer and avoid the maximum degree and transformation of food processing.
4) Create experiences (food meant to be delicious and healthy) and memories.
5) Assess the distribution, commerce and number of intermediaries.
6) Sustainable packaging and branding storytelling when acquiring and buying food.
7) Be aware of all the health issues, allergies and food diseases before consumption.
8) While appropriating and consuming food creates awareness of the food chain and its complexity.
@Food Design Lab, 2022
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