FoodUnfolded envisions the future of food through immersive VR at European Commission Open Day
On Saturday 6 May, FoodUnfolded – EIT Food’s global consumer facing platform and community – brought the future of food to the European public through an immersive 360° Virtual Reality experience.
The event aligned closely with the themes of the 2023 European Year of Skills, which set out to give new momentum to lifelong learning, empower people and businesses to contribute to the green and digital transitions, and support innovation and competitiveness. Held at the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels, the annual Open Day is an opportunity for members of the public to explore and engage with exhibitions and activities centred around various European projects and initiatives.
During the Open Day, FoodUnfolded engaged members of the public with Virtual Reality (VR) headsets which transported them into novel food systems environments, where they witnessed the latest innovations in farming and producing food. Some of the methods showcased, such as insect farming, face challenges from limited consumer acceptance, so this was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of embracing novel food ingredients and production methods.
The visitors, who were mainly families with children, were drawn to the sci-fi looking headsets. Throughout the day, there was much joy and excitement around the stand, particularly from young children who hadn't experienced VR before.
“Many of us see the food on our plate without knowing its story. With FoodUnfolded, we want to reconnect people with their food.
“With our VR experience, we immersed people from 4 to 94 years old in worlds that showed how we can improve our food system. They had a 360° experience in, amongst others, an insect farm and an Icelandic greenhouse growing tomatoes with geothermic energy.”
In the coming months, FoodUnfolded is organising more engaging public-facing activities, including the VR experience, dialogues, talks, quizzes, tastings and screenings of their latest food documentaries. Follow FoodUnfolded on Instagram (food.unfolded), website (foodunfolded.com) or sign up to the newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming FoodUnfolded events.
