Future Foodies
Future Foodies is a workshop model and toolkit that enables young people to explore speculative thinking for sustainable foods. It provides educators with tools to deliver food education and design sessions, in which students become designers of future food scenarios. The outputs from the workshops can inform the creation of a School Food Policy, bridging the gap between student creativity and impactful changes.
ROLE: Research, Design
YEAR: 2023
5 Pilot Workshops
Young People aged 8 - 16
Summer 2023, London
Pilot Workshops
The research involved a series of five co-creation workshops conducted between July and October 2023 with young people aged 8-16 in London, UK. These workshops employed Speculative Design and AI technologies to engage students in exploring sustainable food futures. Participants were encouraged to discuss and prototype speculative future versions of current foods, considering the environmental impacts of their choices.
Concepts like Jellyfish Sushi and Insect Crisps were developed, prompting critical discussions about food futures. The iterative nature of the workshops allowed for continuous refinement of the toolkit, ensuring it met the needs and insights of the participants.
Future Foodies workshops follow a structured model inspired by the Human-Centered Design process. We guide students through three phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation.
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Inspiration: Students are introduced to the concept of sustainable food futures and explore various ideas.
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Ideation: They brainstorm and create prototypes of future foods, using both hand-drawn sketches and AI-generated images.
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Implementation: Educators and dietitians take these ideas and work on integrating them into a School Food Policy.
Students' Concepts
Ice cream made with cactus. Cactus provides a low-water, nutrient-rich ingredient that thrives in arid conditions, promoting sustainable agriculture in dry regions.
Cactus Ice Cream
Designed by Ella, 11.
Sushi made with jellyfish. Jellyfish serves as a plentiful and eco-friendly seafood option, helping to balance marine ecosystems by utilizing an often-overlooked resource.
Jellyfish Sushi
Designed by Greta, 8.
Ramen and Ghanaian Waakye fusion dish, made with jellyfish and vegan chicken meatballs. Jellyfish offers a sustainable and protein-rich alternative from abundant marine sources, while the vegan replacement ensures minimal environmental impact by avoiding animal farming.
Jellyfish and Vegan Chicken Ghanaian Waakye-Ramen
Designed by Gabriella, 15
Red velvet cake made with ladybug flour, topped with ladybug shavings. Insects offer a sustainable and nutrient-dense alternative to traditional flour, reducing the carbon footprint associated with conventional crop farming.
Red Ladybug Velvet Cake
Designed by Jael, 16.
A fusion dish incorporating food traditions from the cultural heritages present at school, adapted to local ingredients available in the UK.
Do-Bur-Su
Designed by Lucy and Halima, 14.
Crisps made with butterfly wings and spider legs. Insects provide a high-protein, low-impact food source that requires fewer resources than traditional livestock. Packaging made of seaweed is edible and zero waste, reducing plastic pollution.
Insect Chips, in Seaweed Packaging
Designed by Hazel, 16.
The workshops foster social imagination and participatory futures, encouraging students to think critically and creatively about sustainable food. By engaging young people in this process, we help them develop their food literacy and become proactive citizens capable of influencing the future of food systems.
The toolkit developed from these workshops is flexible and adaptable, making it easy to implement in various educational settings.
This project was featured at the London Design Festival 2023.
