Eat4D

What futures does 3D food printing hold? What can this innovation, at the crossroads of industry and digital technology, actually bring to food companies and consumers? This question marks the starting point of the Manger 4D (Eat 4D) living lab initiative, launched by the Centre Culinaire Contemporain in Rennes.

As part of this project, we supported this collaboration of industrial, institutional, and academic stakeholders through a Design Fiction approach, focusing on two key areas:

• A foresight, and at times unconventional, exploration of the new uses and practices enabled by 3D food printing.
• A critical and reflective inquiry aimed at helping the living lab participants to debunk myths and preconceived notions surrounding this technology.

Through a series of twelve design fictions, we illustrated the opportunities and controversies raised by the adoption of 3D food printing across various private and public sectors. We explored many aspects of this foodtech, including the quality of the taste experience of printed dishes, the implications of personalised nutrition, and the dilemma of intellectual property related to printable recipes and models.

The different scenarios we imagined were debated and iterated on with the partners of the Manger 4D living lab during a workshop. This creative projection session provided an opportunity to bring together various stakeholders connected to this technology to better examine the possible futures it might shape. Participants from diverse fields – from engineering to marketing, and, of course, gastronomy – were able to exchange their perspectives and expertise.