Major exhibition on the Future Of Food opens at The Science Museum

• Glimpse the future of food in an illuminating new exhibition exploring how science is creating more sustainable ways of producing and consuming food;     

• The free exhibition features more than 100 historic and contemporary objects, from 3,500-year-old bread to McNuggets®, and cricket burgers to cell-grown salmon; 

• It reveals the scientists, food producers and communities exploring innovative solutions to our unsustainable food systems and how these could change food in the future;  

• Future of Food tells a global story of advances in ecology and biotechnology impacting food production, including seed swapping ceremonies in the Amazon, growing meat from cells in Japan, and using local radio to help control pests in Kenya; 

• Through thought-provoking objects and compelling interactive experiences, this exhibition asks visitors what future they want for their plates and the planet. 

Future of Food 
24 July 2025 – 4 January 2026 
Free, ticketed. Suitable for ages 7+  
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/future-of-food  

Today, Future of Food, a major new exhibition examining how science can help us find more sustainable ways to grow and produce, purchase and cook, eat and enjoy food, opened at the Science Museum. It features over 100 historic and contemporary objects that highlight major food milestones, from 3,500-year-old fermented sourdough bread to the first beef steak grown outside a cow. 

The free exhibition invites visitors to discover how our complex and interconnected food practices impact the climate, nature, and society. It explores how our everyday consumption can lead to more sustainable food production and showcases stories of farmers, scientists and community leaders driving positive change across the globe. 

On entering Future of Food, visitors will discover how science enabled growing populations to be better fed in the 20th century, delving into the ideas and technologies that transformed farming and also the challenging environmental legacy they left. On display is a fragile potato leaf, one of the few surviving specimens collected during the Irish potato famine. The blight disease rampaged through Ireland’s farmlands because they were planted as a monoculture: the same variety of crop grown on the same land. Also on display is Fritz Haber’s sample of liquid ammonia; one of the most significant scientific inventions of the 20th century, it helped feed billions through the creation of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Human ingenuity and our quest to feed more people led not just to the invention of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and increasing yields, but also to the exploitation of the sea, intensive factory farming and monoculture crops.  

After setting the scene with the stories and histories behind everyday foods, including margarine, potatoes, corn and McNuggets®, the exhibition invites visitors to explore potential routes to a more sustainable future of food. It reveals some of the scientific ideas, from cellular agriculture to agroecology, that could support sustainable food production.

An ancient Egyptian loaf of bread introduces humanity’s oldest biotechnology: fermentation. The sourdough loaf was found in the tomb of an Egyptian queen and appears alongside the first Quorn burger, a meat substitute which also relies on fermentation that was made in 1981. Today fermentation technology is being used to create a sustainable version of palm oil, with visitors able to see both the process in action as the yeast ferments food waste into ‘palm’ oil, and chocolate, peanut butter and other food products made with the oil.  

Visitors can explore how exciting developments in biotechnology could transform how food is produced, creating more planet-friendly and climate-adapted alternatives to animal products and crops. Fermentation is also being used to make dairy from microbes. Prototype products on display offer a glimpse into the near future where the taste and texture are indistinguishable from animal-derived dairy with a fraction of the environmental footprint. Cell-grown meat and fish, including the first beef steak grown outside a cow, are also on display alongside genetically engineered animals and crops such as a bird flu-resistant chicken and live potato and wheat plants, which are developing inside a working growth chamber.

Visitors can discover the history and future of ecological food production, with the exhibition exploring how ecology can be applied so we can farm and fish while supporting the natural world. Buoys, ropes and net used for growing seaweed and shellfish are on display, helping tell the story of a community-led farm in Pembrokeshire, whose vertical underwater ‘gardens’ regenerate the ecosystem. Visitors can also see the deep roots of perennial grass which can access more water and nutrients, and absorb more carbon, than grass which must be replanted each year. 

The exhibition uncovers inspiring stories of agroecology across the globe. It highlights a pioneering method of controlling pests with plants. Planting certain grasses that attract pests for egg-laying, but which stop larvae from developing, means that farmers are able to protect their crops and fertilise the soil with the grasses which can also be harvested to feed livestock. Developed in Kenya, this push-pull technology is now being used by over 400,000 farmers across Africa.

Future of Food also peers into the hidden world of life beneath our feet. On display will be two soil samples taken 178 years apart in one of the world’s longest running scientific experiments. By studying this soil, scientists recently found that synthetic fertilisers reduce the amount of bacteria that are helpful to plants. Alongside this will be objects from Norway’s ice-cold seed vaults, which protects our food supply from future threats, to seed-swapping ceremonies in the Amazon, which are regenerating the rainforest and providing food for indigenous communities. These stories spotlight both scientific and community efforts to conserve the genetic diversity of foods.

The exhibition invites visitors to consider the impact of the food we buy, cook and eat, and delves into debates around local food systems and global food trade. Visitors can see how blockchain technology could help shopping become more transparent by allowing access to a secure digital record that traces your food’s journey to the supermarket shelf. On display will be packaging for a prototype cricket burger, in development in Europe, which invites discussion around sustainable protein. The exhibition spotlights a trial in Cardiff, Planet Card, which aims to encourage the purchasing of organic food from small-scale producers to support seasonal cooking and shorter supply chains.

The exhibition has been designed with children in mind, with playful and interactive moments dotted throughout. Bringing together ideas from both biotechnology and ecology, a large multiplayer interactive game invites visitors to play together and create their own future for food. Selecting from a variety of food production methods explored in the exhibition, visitors’ choices are projected onto a colourful land and seascape to reveal how their decisions impact climate, nature and food production. Visitors can then watch as the choices of all those playing shape the imagined world in front of them.

Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘Our Future of Food exhibition is not just about what we eat, but also about how we produce, consume and connect with food. Our food systems need to change if we are to better nourish people and the planet, and the Science Museum is uniquely placed to engage audiences with this complex topic and showcase potential scientific innovations and solutions to the challenges we face.’ 

Rupert Cole, Lead Curator of Future of Food, said: ‘This timely exhibition examines potential sustainable routes for the future of food: the exciting scientific innovations shaping a new, positive future for people, nature and the climate. I hope the exhibition will inspire visitors to engage with new ideas and technologies that could transform our food system and encourage them to consider what future we want for our food and the planet.’  

Future of Food has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Coller Foundation (Principal Funder), Tate & Lyle PLC (Principal Sponsor), UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Major Funder), The Huo Foundation (Major Funder), Benugo (Major Sponsor), AKO Foundation (Associate Funder) and The Montreal Estate.

Jeremy Coller, Chair of the Coller Foundation, said: ‘We are delighted to support the Future of Food exhibition, which shines a long-overdue light on both the root causes of our unsustainable food system and the choices we can all make to bring about much needed change. In an age in which we feed 80 billion animals a year to feed 8 billion humans, the harms done to our people and our planet by intensive animal agriculture have become too great to be ignored any longer. Intensive animal agriculture is the number one user of antibiotics and fresh water worldwide and the number one cause of deforestation. Each year, factory farms and their supply chains emit more greenhouse gases than every car, plane, boat and train on the planet put together, yet we see little of the sense of urgency that is leading to the decarbonisation of the transport sector. But as this exhibit shows, from alternative proteins to regenerative agriculture, the solutions are in our hands. With innovation, hard work and common sense we can build a future of food fit for the 21st century and beyond.’

Nick Hampton, Chief Executive, Tate & Lyle PLC, said: ‘We are very proud to be sponsoring the new Future of Food exhibition. The world is facing a huge challenge to feed a rapidly growing population with healthier, more nutritious food and drink in a way that also protects our planet’s natural resources. Science and technology hold the answer, and it’s great that this exhibition shines a light on the challenges and opportunities ahead. At Tate & Lyle, our passion for science and tech has driven our transformation from a sugar producer to a company focused on reducing sugar, fat and calories, and adding fibre, texture and taste to make healthier food that millions of people love. Do come and visit the exhibition!’

Future of Food is open at the Science Museum until 4 January 2026. Aimed at ages 7+, the free exhibition is ideal for families, with interactive experiences to engage young minds.

Notes to editors

A menu inspired by Future of Food will be available at the museum’s cafes. Created by Benugo, the museum’s café operator and Major Sponsor of the exhibition, the new dishes will feature forward-thinking ingredients like fermented plant proteins, insects and dairy alternatives, reflecting how food might taste in the future.

About the Science Museum  

The Science Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, the world’s leading group of science museums that share a world-class collection providing an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Over the last century the Science Museum has grown in scale and scope, inspiring visitors with exhibitions covering topics as diverse as robots, codebreaking, cosmonauts and superbugs. The Science Museum was named a winner of the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year prize for 2020. sciencemuseum.org.uk. Follow on X, Facebook and Instagram. 

About The Jeremy Coller Foundation 

The Jeremy Coller Foundation addresses the consequences of intensive animal agriculture for human health, the environment, animal welfare and global sustainability with the aim of supporting the transition to a more sustainable food system. The Foundation’s flagship initiatives include The FAIRR Initiative (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return), the fastest growing investor network representing $75+ trillion assets, raising awareness of the material risks and opportunities around intensive animal agriculture; the Coller Animal Law Forum (CALF), which aims to accelerate law and policy globally in this area; The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); and the Coller Dolittle Challenge for Interspecies Two-Way Communication offering a $10million prize to research groups for major breakthroughs in interspecies communication. The Jeremy Coller Foundation also supports a number of initiatives in business and venture education and pensions innovation worldwide. jeremycollerfoundation.org.

About Tate & Lyle PLC 

Tate & Lyle partners with food and drink companies worldwide to provide consumers with healthier and tastier choices when they eat and drink. Supported by a 165-year history of ingredient innovation, the company provides leading expertise in sweetening, mouthfeel and fortification, developing ingredients and solutions that reduce sugar, calories and fat, add fibre and protein, and provide texture and stability. Science, Solutions, Society is Tate & Lyle’s brand promise and how it will achieve its company purpose of Transforming Lives through the Science of Food. Positioned at the centre of the future of food, the company innovates and partners to develop next-generation and new-to-the-world ingredients that make food and drink more nutritious, affordable and accessible to millions worldwide, while reducing its environmental impact. tateandlyle.com. Follow Tate & Lyle on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook or YouTube. 

About The Huo Family Foundation 

Since its inception in 2009, the Huo Family Foundation has given over $75 million to support projects in the UK, US and China. The Foundation’s mission is to support education, communities, and the pursuit of knowledge. Its current areas of focus are education; the arts; and science. Through its grants, the Foundation hopes to improve the prospects of individuals, and to support the work of organisations seeking to build a safe and successful future for all society. huofamilyfoundation.org.  

About the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 

BBSRC is the UK’s major public funder of bioscience research and innovation. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, promote economic growth, wealth and job creation to improve lives and livelihoods across the UK. BBSRC invested £481.6 million in world-class bioscience in 2023/24. We support research and training in universities and strategically supported institutes. BBSRC research, and the people we fund, are helping society address major challenges including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors such as agriculture, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. ukri.org/councils/bbsrc. Follow BBSRC on LinkedIn or YouTube.

About Benugo 

Benugo was founded in 1998 in Clerkenwell, London, by brothers Ben and Hugo. They had a vision of not just creating superb, natural food but of giving London something that was a real experience. This vision is still true today. The Benugo brand stretches from award-winning high street stores to cafes and restaurants within some of the world’s best-loved public spaces and high-volume visitor attractions such as Science Museum, Natural History Museum, V&A, Ashmolean, The British Museum, ABBA Voyage, BFI Southbank, Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and John Lewis stores throughout the UK. A strong retail discipline coupled with an independent and entrepreneurial spirit underpins the whole brand. benugo.com.

About AKO Foundation 

The AKO Foundation was established in 2013 by Nicolai Tangen, a Norwegian national, who had previously founded AKO Capital, an investment business. Since its inception, the Foundation has made grants totalling in excess of £300 million, principally to charities and charitable projects in the fields of art, education and climate. Having previously supported Our Future Planet in 2021/2022, Future of Food will be the Foundation’s second collaboration with the Science Museum. akofoundation.org. 

About Discover South Kensington 

Discover South Kensington brings together the Science Museum and other leading cultural and educational organisations to promote innovation and learning. South Kensington is the home of science, arts and inspiration. Discovery is at the core of what happens here and there is so much to explore every day. discoversouthken.com.