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„Midnight Snack @ Futurium“

food4future at the Long Night of Museums in the Futurium in Berlin

27.08.2023
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food4future coordinator Monika Schreiner at the Long Night of Museums in Berlin on 26.08.2023 (c) Julia Vogt

On the evening of 26 August 2023, the Futurium in Berlin opened its doors for a culinary and informative journey into the future of nutrition as part of the Long Night of Museums. In cooperation with the BMBF-funded joint project "food4future", the programme included inspiring lectures by researchers with vivid exhibits, scenic readings and culinary delights. A total of 5,700 visitors immersed themselves in the world of algae, jellyfish, insects and salt plants and were able to fortify themselves with the "food of the future".

 

The stage belonged to the food4future experts who shared their research and visions for the food of the future and answered the interested questions of the audience. Food chemist Prof. Susanne Baldermann (Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops IGZ, University of Bayreuth) opened the talk sessions with an insight into the fascinating world of algae. Her talk not only highlighted the ecological advantages of algae production, but also emphasised their suitability for healthy nutrition.

<p>Holger Kühnhold at the Long Night of Museums in Berlin on 26.08.2023 (c) Futurium, berlin-event-foto.de</p>

Holger Kühnhold at the Long Night of Museums in Berlin on 26.08.2023 (c) Futurium, berlin-event-foto.de

Afterwards, food4future coordinator Prof. Monika Schreiner (IGZ) highlighted the importance of - salt plants as sustainable food alternatives in times of climate change. She outlined how these often overlooked plants can become superheroes of nutrition and pleaded for more diversity on the plate and openness to new sensory impressions.

However, the sea has even more surprises in store, as Dr Holger Kühnhold from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) showed. The marine biologist spoke about the potential of unusual marine food sources such as jellyfish and sea cucumbers as sustainable food sources. In doing so, he showed how the sea could become a viable resource for human nutrition.

From macroalgae to "food jellyfish - the future of food from the sea became tangible. Giacomo Rossi from the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) explained that terrestrial organisms can also offer sustainable nutritional alternatives. He took the audience into the world of edible insects and illustrated how insects can play a crucial role in sustainability and nutrition. From closing nutrient cycles to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and resource use, insects can help address pressing challenges in our global food system - and taste good doing it.

<p>Algae gazpacho, bread with 20% mealworm flour with pesto & algae salad (c) Julia Vogt</p>

Algae gazpacho, bread with 20% mealworm flour with pesto & algae salad (c) Julia Vogt

The impulse lectures were framed by literary tidbits from the "improvisionaries", who staged texts by Hans Dominik, Lisa-Marie Reuter or Augustina Bazterrica, who drew the future of food with words from their own time with very different premises.

The brave among the guests could embark on a culinary voyage of discovery on the forecourt of the museum, where they had the opportunity to experience the taste of the future with a selection of "Future Food" tapas: From Algae Gazpacho to Mealworm Crepes.

About food4future
The research project "food4future - food of the future" deals with radical innovations for a sustainable food supply of the future. Ten partner institutions from science and industry, led by Prof. Monika Schreiner from the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), are working on the question of how future generations can be supplied with sufficient healthy food and which technologies are necessary to achieve this. Based on two extreme scenarios ("no land", "no trade"), flexible indoor cultivation systems for the urban production of alternative food sources - macroalgae, salt plants, jellyfish and crickets - are being developed.  The collaborative project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "Agricultural Systems of the Future" funding line with around 6 million euros.

About the Futurium
The Futurium is a house of futures. Here, everything revolves around the question: How do we want to live? Visitors can discover many possible futures in the exhibition, discuss them together in the forum and try out their own ideas in the Futurium Lab. We already know today: In the future, we will have to overcome major challenges. How can we get a grip on climate change? Which technologies do we want to use in the future? Does technology serve us - or do we serve it? How do we want to live together as a society - are there alternatives to "higher-faster-further"? The future is also created by our decisions and actions in the present. The Futurium, which will open in September 2019, would therefore like to encourage all visitors to engage with the future and help shape it.

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