Join Aarhus University’s food science team for a flavorful journey into tomorrow’s food systems at Food Festival 2025 in Aarhus. From hands-on tastings to engaging research activities, AU FOOD invites you to explore how innovation, sustainability, and nutrition come together to shape what’s next on our plates. Here's what to look forward to at this year’s festival!

Serving up science, sustainability, and flavor

This year’s Food Festival in Aarhus is set to be more than a celebration of taste – it’s a showcase of the future of food. AU FOOD is bringing a full menu of curiosity, creativity, and cutting-edge research.

You can hear stories from local farmers and about urban food initiatives, participate in an interactive game to discover which foods contain iron your body can actually absorb, as well as tasting fresh cakes made with eggs vs plant proteins to see if you can tell the difference!

From cakes and surverys about cultivated meat to cucumber tastings and climate-friendly peas, the team from Aarhus University’s food science department invites festivalgoers to explore how science is transforming what we eat, how we produce it, what we think about it, and how it nourishes our bodies - all the while considering the planet and sustainability through an exciting mix of discussions, quizzes, tastings, surveys and more!

Interested in visiting us at the festival? Scroll along to see the full program of what you can experience at AU FOOD’s tent this year:

🧬 Cultivated Meat and Consumer Acceptance

What do people really think about meat grown from animal cells? Join us in a short survey that explores how information about taste, nutrition, ethics, and sustainability influences consumer attitudes. Your input could help shape the future of food!

🐓 HOPeS: Rethinking Poultry Production

Discover a new organic poultry production system that produces both eggs and meat with focus on sustainability and animal welfare. We invite you to share your thoughts, and join a discussion with us about how you think poultry and eggs should be produced in the future. You can also stop by and taste chicken from this whole new system in a consumer study!

🌿 Plants, Food and Sustainability

Think you know your Danish fruits and vegetables? Test your knowledge in a fun quiz and sample landraces and cultivars of horseradish, sea buckthorn, and black chokeberry. Learn how AU’s research is helping to build a more sustainable plant-based future.

🥼 Iron Bioavailability and Nutrition

Not all iron-rich foods are equal. Join the FooDIS project’s interactive game to discover which foods contain iron your body can actually absorb—and how smart food design can help fight iron deficiency.

🍰 HybridBake: Plant Protein Cakes

Can you taste the difference between cakes made with eggs and those made with plant proteins? Try samples from the HybridBake project and put your palate to the test. It’s a sweet way to explore sustainable baking!

🌆 FoodCLIC: Cities and Food Systems

Explore how Aarhus and other European cities are transforming the way we grow, share, and enjoy food. Wander through stories of local farmers, taste fresh produce, and learn about urban food initiatives that can build healthier, more sustainable food systems for everyone.

🥒 ECOCumber

See and taste cucumbers wrapped in different ways – then give us your feedback! The ECOCumber project invites you to explore innovative, sustainable, and reimagined packaging solutions that could change how we preserve freshness.

🫛 Klimæpro: Yellow Pea Tasting

Small but mighty, yellow peas are becoming a star in the climate-friendly food scene. This humble legume could help shape a more sustainable future! Visit us to try different locally grown varieties, share how much you like them, and help us evaluate their qualities.

🧠 Kokumimic Consumer Study

Join a taste experiment exploring how different compounds interact to shape flavor. It’s a fascinating look at the science behind what makes food delicious!

🎓 Explore Food Education at AU

Meet students and educators from AU FOOD and discover bachelor and master programmes in food science, nutrition, and sustainability - including the international Master in Food Systems and the SDC programme in International Food Quality and Health.

Whether you’re a curious foodie, a sustainability enthusiast, or just love a good taste test, AU FOOD’s program at the Aarhus Food Festival 2025 promises something for everyone! Come hungry for knowledge - and leave inspired by the possibilities.

We can’t wait to see you there!

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📍 AU FOOD’s tent will be located at “Kål&Ko” at the festival square, where you can find us all weekend (September 5th to 7th). All activities are free of charge once you’ve bought your Food Festival ticket.

🎟️ For more information about the festival and buying tickets, please refer to: https://www.foodfestival.dk/