Interest in haptic perception is growing within the food design community due to the expanding knowledge of multi-sensory experiences across the design spectrum. Our aim was to investigate how haptic perception can be explored, defined and illustrated by interweaving our professional experiences and methods that reflect creative strategies from our aesthetic disciplines: industrial design, culinary arts and hospitality. We developed and conducted a series of practice-based research methods starting with three playful ‘aesthetic labs’ (A-labs), followed by the ‘five basic features-method’ (FBF). This resulted in unfolding four distinct ‘haptic attribute models’: the first three are designed for the ‘hand’, ‘mouth’ and ‘nose’ with the gestalt intention to ‘make’, and the fourth model is designed to guide an ‘embodied presence’ session to facilitate ‘awareness’. The configuration and definition of attributes in each model relate to each author’s professional experiences and emotions, which strengthen the connection between our respective aesthetic disciplines. The models serve as creative instruments to inspire a hybrid food design community for food and non-food applications and support practitioners, educators and researchers interested in haptics. We are dedicated to prototype new haptic attribute models to support research in haptics that are rooted in professional subjective experiences and facilitate ways of connecting disciplines within and beyond the field of aesthetics. We invite readers to share insights gained from applying these models to further their development and relevance.

To improve meals for people with dysphagia, we explored the views of people with dysphagia, their supporters and allied health professionals on a range of food design strategies (e.g. food shaping and food presentation techniques), including 3D food printing. From November 2021 to February 2022, an online survey of (1) adults with dysphagia (n = 30) and (2) supporters of people with dysphagia and allied health professionals (n = 22) was conducted. The survey included multiple choice, Likert scale and open-ended questions. Data was analysed descriptively. Most participants across the two groups had used at least one food design strategy for texture-modified foods and none had used 3D food printing. People with dysphagia were less likely to use food shaping techniques in preparing their texture-modified meals than other respondents. Supporters of people with dysphagia and allied health professionals were more likely than people with dysphagia to use food shaping techniques and to consider that 3D food printing could improve the visual appeal and enjoyment of texture-modified foods. A range of issues impacting the feasibility of 3D food printing were identified. The use of food design strategies for texture-modified foods may increase the food choices and mealtime enjoyment of people with dysphagia. Further research exploring how people with dysphagia and their supporters engage with 3D food printing could identify further influences on their future use of these technologies.

The first designers specialized in food design in the Netherlands about 25 years ago. Since then, more and more designers have joined them and presented their work at exhibitions and events. In addition, specialized food design courses and curricula have been developed. However, interviews with professionals and scientists in the field of nutrition and public health show that the term food design is still largely unknown and often interpreted negatively, pointing to how food marketing manipulates consumers and seduces them into buying unhealthy products. Nevertheless, participants see opportunities for designers to support healthy and sustainable food choices by presenting them in a more attractive way or in more prominent locations. In addition, designers could improve food or optimize its packaging, improve nutrition education, redesign food environments and facilitate collaboration between stakeholders to achieve systemic change. However, to create impact, the public should better understand what food design is and how it can contribute, and designers should demonstrate that their interventions are effective.

The artefacts of tableware have been designed to facilitate the essential and ineluctable daily practice of dining in western and Chinese cultures. Apart from performing their function, the artefacts also reflect the corresponding cultures. This study investigated how the artefacts of fork and knife vs. chopsticks daily embody and present western and Chinese cultures, respectively, as evidenced by literature and everyday life practice. Owing to complementary considerations, this study combined etic and emic approaches by applying individualism and collectivism and Chinese cultural concepts including guanxi, mianzi and yin yang as the theoretical framework. Driven by individualism, fork and knife capture features of specialization, division of labour, equality and expressiveness in western culture. On the contrary, powered by collectivism, chopsticks epitomize attributes of harmony, unity and complementarity in Chinese culture. Moreover, instead of being objectified and passive artefacts, this article argued that fork and knife vs. chopsticks have implicitly and reversely shaped the thoughts and deeds of their users in their respective cultures.

Rituals are part of the consumer experience of goods, especially food and drink, and can contribute to consumer enjoyment of and fidelity to a specific product. However, we lack detailed description of food/beverage-related rituals and their potential impact on consumer perceptions, in particular whether and how communicating those rituals to consumers influences their attitudes. Here we use coffee as an example of a ritualized product within the UK market to explore this potential relationship and identify opportunities for design. In Study 1, we identified rituals associated with coffee preparation and consumption. In Study 2, we found that several procedural aspects of the rituals identified in Study 1 were not consistently conveyed in coffee advertising, indicating a potential gap in communication with consumers. In Study 3, we showed that communicating such rituals to consumers resulted in significantly greater willingness to pay for coffee, mediated by perceptions of social attention. This work connects growing interest in the psychological mechanisms of ritual with work on consumer perceptions and behaviour and carries significant implications for the design of messaging around food experience.

Disgust is a strong emotion influencing human behaviour in many domains, including food choices. For example, many western consumers are hesitant about eating insects. This is understandable as insects have been connected with the emotion of disgust. We conducted two design workshops to gain a better understanding of factors that can give rise to the emotion of disgust in the context of grasshoppers and explore alternative food design solutions. Based on the insights, we created four design fiction examples to illustrate how disgust can be an integral part of grasshopper consumption. We argue that changing the attitude of Europeans towards novel food items like grasshoppers requires exploring design strategies that neither solely focus on the sustainability benefits of insect consumption nor take disgust to be something that must be circumvented.

To qualify as food design, technological details must be placed in perspective of the all-encompassing challenge of designing a successful, tasty food product that contributes to a desirable society. Articles describing food product development typically focus on technological issues, while they should provide a broader, multidisciplinary perspective to inform food design. Furthermore, food design articles also consider the creative and developmental processes followed to innovate. Including a description of the future consumption context can complete the discourse.

A more plant-based diet will contribute to food sustainability. Achieving this change requires collaboration across disciplines which is not easy to achieve. This article illustrates how interdisciplinary collaboration in a large research project can be facilitated through a design-led innovation process juxtaposing approaches from design and science. Consumer insights were used in creative workshops to ideate and develop packaging and product concepts for plant-based food focusing on ‘environment’, ‘health’ and ‘Norwegian’ design imperatives. Learning loops of alignment – creation – feedback were applied to design and test six packaging prototypes of two product categories (Pea Porridge, Faba Bean Drink). Qualitative feedback was collected from 147 consumers and a quantitative survey with 1102 Norwegian consumers tested product expected liking and product-concept match. Younger consumers and users of plant-based products exhibited a higher expected liking vs. non-users and older respondents. Packaging design adopted for specific consumer segments can positively contribute to a shift to more plant-based diets. We show how a dynamic interdisciplinary innovation approach can be powerful to creating new product ideas, getting consumers’ input and fostering collaboration and learning among disciplines. We offer other researchers and the food industry actionable opportunity areas and design imperatives for their innovation activities around plant-based food.