Innovative food for the future: investigating public perceptions through participatory experiments

Interview with Madita Amoneit about the food4future participatory experiment

25.05.2023

Madita Amoneit is a research associate in the department of Responsible and Sustainable Innovation headed by Dr. Dagmara Weckowska at the Chair of Innovation Management at Freie Universität Berlin. In food4future, she investigates the influence and impact of general public and expert participation in research projects. She talks about the objectives of the recently launched second round of the food4future participatory experiment on the topic of future nutrition, the research questions it aims to answer, and the importance of public participation for the development of agrifood innovations.

What awaits participants in the food4future participatory experiment? And what distinguishes the online experiment from a survey?

Madita Amoneit: Put simply, an experiment examines the influence of one thing on another. With the food4future participatory experiment, we want to test whether and how the general public's opinion can influence the work of food4future researchers. The questions and answers from the experiment will be fed back to our colleagues in the project so that the findings from the online survey can be incorporated into the research. Participants can thus expect the opportunity to share their own opinions on new types of food made from algae, salt plants, crickets or jellyfish, as well as on new urban farming systems, as part of the participatory experiment. They can also express possible positive and negative consequences from their point of view. In doing so, they can be sure that the opinions they share with us will be passed on to those who are researching and also developing such types of food, if necessary.

What research question would you like to answer with the second participatory experiment? How is it different from the first one?

Madita Amoneit: We started the second round of the participatory experiment to gain an even deeper understanding of the perception of possible developments in future nutrition. In the first round of the participatory experiment, which ran from the end of 2020 to the middle of 2021, we gained a good insight into whether the general public in Germany saw food4future agrifood innovations as desirable and likely to have a positive impact on future nutrition, and generally viewed them as positive. This was very helpful in assessing where our journey can still take us. In the second round of the participatory experiment, we are now investigating certain factors that may influence the public's perception towards food4future agrifood innovations. One such factor may be the living environment, i.e. whether one lives in a rural or urban area, or the way one eats. In this way, we can learn which of these factors may possibly lead to a more positive perception or, on the other hand, to a more negative attitude towards the innovations.

<p>The second round of the participatory experiment started in March 2023. Illustration: food4future.</p> — The second round of the participatory experiment started in March 2023. Illustration: food4future.

Can you estimate who participates in the food4future surveys and whether there are sociodemographic frequencies for a group or even if some groups are not represented at all?

Madita Amoneit: We hope to create a low-threshold participation opportunity with the online survey and thereby also achieve our goal of obtaining a heterogeneous sample. We want to address groups of people as diverse as possible: people of different ages, different gender identities, people from different parts of Germany. This ensures that we can capture a wide range as well as variations in perceptions and perspectives towards our agrifood innovations. That's why, in addition to the general public, we have also invited experts from the food sector to participate in the second round of the participatory experiment - especially from the Agricultural Systems of the Future funding line. In this way, we can also uncover similarities and differences in opinions between the public and the experts.

What interests you personally most about the participatory experiment?

Madita Amoneit: I find it particularly exciting to find out what different people think and feel and how their needs differ with regard to future nutrition. We also want to strengthen the responsible research approach in food4future by including the public's perception at the early stages of research. Responsible research means, among other things, being aware of social responsibility. By feeding the public's opinions back to our colleagues, researchers can take them directly into account in their research. The topic of responsible research and how it can be promoted is very appealing to me.

<p>Madita Amoneit presents her project at a symposium of the Society for Applied Business Psychology in Essen. Photo: Private.</p> — Madita Amoneit presents her project at a symposium of the Society for Applied Business Psychology in Essen. Photo: Private.

You studied psychology. What made you decide to do research in the field of innovation management and participation?

Madita Amoneit: I got to know food4future during my studies and found the research project very exciting. Basically, psychology is the empirical science of human experience and behavior. When we at food4future think about future nutrition and innovative food from a sustainable production, the human factor must also be considered from the very beginning. Participatory research is very important here because it helps us to understand people's experiences and behavior by involving people directly in the research - sometimes even at the very early stages of research. This can help to adapt and align future developments, especially in the area of nutrition, to people's needs in a timely manner and at an early stage.

How is the response to the participatory experiment so far? Are you pleased with it?

Madita Amoneit: Yes, I am very happy. We already have over 1000 clicks on the survey, and so far just under 300 valid questionnaires. By valid questionnaires, we mean that the participants have answered all the questions, i.e. have gone through the experiment until the end.
I would like to invite everyone to share the experiment with family, friends and acquaintances! This is an opportunity to stimulate an exciting exchange about future nutrition with your own ideas and perceptions. The food4future experiment takes only ten to fifteen minutes and gives everyone the chance to help shape the future of nutrition. Interested individuals can still participate until the end of June.

_{Interview: I. Haesaert und J. Vogt/IGZ}

More information:
Enter the food4future participatory experiment "What will we eat in the future?"
Press release on the launch of the food4future participatory experiment
Project description "Participation of the public in research projects"
Research Group "Responsible and Sustainable Innovation" of Freie Universität Berlin

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