Food studies and food design: An evolving dialogue

Food studies is a relatively recent field of scholarly research that focuses on the cultural, social, economic, political and institutional issues concerning food in its material and immaterial aspects. The development of food studies underscored the significance of an aspect of life that had often been discounted as menial, tied to physical survival or too closely connected with the body and the feminine sphere of domesticity to be respectable and worthy of scholarly interest. This revaluation of the centrality of food has also been instrumental in the emergence of food design as a legitimate area within design. The expanding dialogue between the two fields in terms of theories, methodologies and practical applications can contribute to addressing the urgent issues that plague the contemporary food system, from sustainability to security and safety.