SPACE FOOD EXPERIENCE
A JOURNEY FROM EARTH TO SPACE AND BACK FOR THE ITALIAN NATIONAL SPACE DAY 2024
To celebrate Italy’s National Space Day 2024, a culinary journey from Earth to Space and back will take the guests through the evolution of space food from the era of the cubes and tubes to modern gourmet meals.
Bringing back to Earth what they learned from astronauts the EAT freedom team will offer an event that is a time and a sensory experience at once.
Chances are, your life as Earthlings might be different afterwards!
LOCATION & DATES
MADRID
14 November
Aula Magna de la Facultad de Física
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Plaza de las Ciencias, 1
28040 Madrid - Spain
BERLIN
11 December
Embassy of Italy
Hiroshimastraße 1
10785 Berlin - Germany
BEOGRAD
19 November
Biosense Institute
Dr Zorana Đinđića 1
Novi Sad 21000 - Serbia
NEW DELHI
16 December
Embassy of Italy Cultural Centre
50-E, Chandragupta Marg
Chanakyapuri New Delhi
Delhi 110021 - India
SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS
22 November
Technology Innovation Park
Av. Doutor Altino Bondesan 500
São José Dos Campos
SP 12247-016 - Brazil
BUENOS AIRES
26 November
Telespazio
Avenida del Libertador 5926
C1428ARP Buenos Aires - Argentina
MADRID
14 November
Aula Magna de la Facultad de Física
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Plaza de las Ciencias, 1
28040 Madrid - Spain
BEOGRAD
19 November
Biosense Institute
Dr Zorana Đinđića 1
Novi Sad 21000 - Serbia
SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS
22 November
Technology Innovation Park
Av. Doutor Altino Bondesan 500
São José Dos Campos
SP 12247-016 - Brazil
BUENOS AIRES
26 November
Telespazio
Avenida del Libertador 5926
C1428ARP Buenos Aires - Argentina
BERLIN
11 December
Embassy of Italy
Hiroshimastraße 1
10785 Berlin - Germany
NEW DELHI
16 December
Embassy of Italy Cultural Centre
50-E, Chandragupta Marg
Chanakyapuri New Delhi
Delhi 110021 - India
ITALY’S NATIONAL SPACE DAY
Italy’s National Space Day was introduced by the Italian government in 2020 as an occasion to raise awareness on the Italian contributions to space exploration.
It is since then celebrated every December 16th to remember the launch date of Italy’s San Marco I Satellite Program, which established Italy’s position as the third nation, after the U.S. and the Soviet Union, to achieve a physical presence in space.
EAT LIKE AN ASTRONAUT
Facts, myths and science about space food
Calories matter. Burn calories. Eat calories. Achieve your (space) adventure goals.
As food-loving Italians who work in fields requiring scientific precision, we like to challenge this widely spread mindset.
Exposed to a stressful endeavour, our body switches to an emergency mode to cope with new environmental, physical, and mental factors. The food we take along can become key to determine whether we stay healthy and safe, and if we succeed in the end.
This is why in space exploration food is no longer required to be only nutritious, it must also be appetizing. We would argue that’s not even enough: it must be gourmet.
Meal development pillars
Taste • Health • Science • Circularity
TASTE
Rooted in the Italian tradition, our meals are prepared with carefully selected premium ingredients, that are processed gently to preserve their value, scent, taste and consistency while offering a long shelf life.
HEALTH
We prefer whole grains, high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and low processing temperatures. We make limited use of salt and sugar and we create our recipes as much as possible as single meals with a high variety of ingredients.
SCIENCE
We balance our treats inspired by the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate guidance and we apply the principles of nutrigenomics to help the body respond best to environmental stressors.
CIRCULARITY
We strive to reduce our environmental and social impact. We choose local ingredients and we work with suppliers who follow their seasonality. Beneath our production choices are careful considerations aimed at reducing waste.
EAT FREEDOM
The German startup that speaks Italian
Shortly after the foundation, EAT freedom was chosen to develop part of the customized meal selection of ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti for the Mission Minerva to the International Space Station in 2022.
Four unique dishes and one snack have been crafted, working closely with the astronaut and in collaboration with the team of nutritionists and doctors that follow the mission preparation. The meals are aligned with the company’s core principles while fulfilling the strict shelf-life and safety requirements for space flight.
SARA ROCCI DENIS | FOUNDER
An “accidental” entrepreneur, Sara is an aerospace engineer at heart determined to gear you up with functional, performing products of great value beyond delicious taste.
STEFANO POLATO | CHEF
Relentlessly passionate about creating lip-smacking delicacies you crave, Stefano is obsessed with the very core of your food experience: the ingredients.
FROM EARTH TO SPACE AND BACK
This immersive journey starts back in the days of the “cubes & tubes” to follow the evolution of space food; it continues with a practical demostration by EAT freedom’s chef and it culminates with a tasting of authentic astronaut food.
1. JOURNEY THROUGH
SPACE FOOD
2. LIVE SESSION
WITH THE CHEF
3. SAMPLING REAL
SPACE FOOD
MAECI
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Who are we, and what do we do?
The Foreign Ministry is responsible for the State’s functions, tasks and duties in matters concerning Italy’s political, economic, social and cultural relationships with other countries. Our duty, therefore, is to ensure that the international and European activities of Italy’s other ministries and government offices are consistent with the country’s international policy objectives.
The diplomatic-consular network
Our Ministry operates through a network of offices throughout the world: embassies, permanent missions to the international organisations, special diplomatic delegations, consular offices and Italian cultural institutes.
2023 EDITION
Zürich, Bruxelles, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, London
2024 EDITION
PARTNER
Collectibus is a consulting firm specializing in sustainability, the Italian partner of CSR Company International. The name “Collectibus” comes from Collective Impact, an organizational approach that brings people and organizations together in a structured way to achieve change.
The challenges posed by sustainability cannot be solved individually, which is why the Collectibus method foresees the active involvement not only of people working within companies, but also of strategic stakeholders (suppliers, customers, institutions, associations) who can contribute to the sustainable transformation of business models, and make it happen. Collectibus has many years of experience working alongside large and medium-sized companies and institutions.
The Collectibus team puts sustainability at the heart of their organizations’ business, innovating processes and products, with the goal of helping companies generate positive economic, social and environmental impact that take into account the well-being of communities throughout the supply chain.
Collectibus does this through an agile and open approach, characterized by experimentation, the involvement of partners who share the same values, and the design and implementation of sustainability projects developed based on the real needs of companies.
“But at the very instant when the mouthful of tea mixed with cake-crumbs touched my palate, I quivered, attentive to the extraordinary thing that was happening in me.
A delicious pleasure had invaded me,[…] filling me with a precious essence: or rather this essence was not in me, it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal.”
– Marcel Proust –