Working on Food innovation Challenges

About the program

The minor uses a design thinking approach combined with systems thinking, cocreation with stakeholders and consumers and persuasive design tools for concept, product, packaging and intervention design.

You will work on several challenges in small interdisciplinary groups, including finding solutions for food waste challenges, developing healthy and sustainable food concepts (product, packaging, intervention) and new food systems. More specific examples include a) creating a persuasive food waste awareness campaign aimed at HBO students and teachers, c) creating a new product out of a waste stream b) developing a food product made from Dutch plant-based proteins that does not resemble animal products such as meat and milk, d) setting up a persuasive intervention for healthy and sustainable foods e) developing new food packaging that persuades consumers to avoid food waste.

Learning goals

During the minor, we will provide a foundation in processes, knowledge fields and skills, i.e.:

1. processes: food concept development, design thinking process, systems thinking, behavioural methodology, professional leadership,
2. knowledge: food waste, plant proteins versus animal proteins, healthy and sustainable food, future food systems
3. skills:  action research: cocreation, insights mapping, and interviewing skills with stakeholders and users, intervention design, creating prototypes, provotypes and interventions in food, packaging and communication.