Master in Design For Food

𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

Layout, product placement, visibility, lighting, signage and assortment work together, shaping how people move through the space, what they notice and, ultimately, the choices they make.

From the architecture of an aisle to the position of a product on a shelf, every element is part of a larger system connecting 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿.

Looking at the supermarket through a food design perspective means moving beyond individual objects and asking a broader question: how does the system around food shape the way we choose, buy and eat?

Because food design doesn’t only happen on the plate or in the package.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱.
FoodInnovation

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

Ezio Manzini reminds us that design isn’t just about objects. It’s about people, relationships, and the systems that shape everyday life.
Sustainable food systems don’t happen by accident. They are designed.

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲?

We often think of taste as something that happens on the tongue. But the experience of food starts much earlier.

The color of a plate can influence how we perceive sweetness, intensity, richness and even portion size, before we take a single bite.

This is what 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 is about: understanding how every design choice can shape the way we perceive, interact with and experience food.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Every object. Every choice. Every detail. Every experience. Has been designed.

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗳?
Artificial Intelligence is already changing the way we produce, design and experience food.
From creating new recipes and reducing food waste to supporting farmers and developing more personalized nutrition, AI is becoming part of the food system.

But technology alone isn’t enough.
The real challenge isn’t asking whether AI will replace human creativity. It’s understanding how designers, scientists and food professionals can work alongside it to build food systems that are smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive.

👉 Swipe through the carousel to explore the opportunities, the challenges and some real-world examples already shaping the future of food.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝘼𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙?

We are pleased to invite you to the presentation of the Specializing Master in Design for Food by Politecnico di Milano / POLI.design in collaboration with Università di Parma.

• Parma – Aula K9, Polo Didattico, Vicolo Santa Maria
• May 20, 2025
• 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• The presentation will be held in Italian

A moment to discover the Master and its approach to designing innovative and sustainable food systems through design, food science, and humanities.

It will also be possible to attend online by registering through the link in bio and in the stories.

More info:
https://www.polidesign.net/it/formazione/business-design/master—design-for-food/

We look forward to seeing you in Parma!
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EN 🇬🇧
The Design for Food Master workshop has officially come to an end, marking the conclusion of this semester’s classes with an exciting challenge launched by and : designing a new “Lasagna Express” format.

A complex and inspiring brief that asked us to rethink an apparent paradox: how can a deeply traditional, “slow” product like lasagna enter the world of Quick Service Restaurants?
The concepts developed explored a variety of contexts, from comfort street food to special events and international travel hubs, shaping user experiences across low-tech, high-tech, and high-fidelity approaches.
Different visions, one shared mission: bringing one of the most iconic products of Italian culinary tradition into new markets and cultural contexts around the world.

A special thanks to for guiding and supporting the students throughout the workshop activities, and to for making this collaboration possible.

IT 🇮🇹
Il workshop del Master in Design for Food si è ufficialmente concluso, segnando la fine delle lezioni di questo semestre con una sfida stimolante lanciata da Surgital e Ca’Pelletti: progettare un nuovo format “Lasagna Express”.

Un brief complesso e ispirante che ci ha chiesto di ripensare un apparente paradosso: come può un prodotto profondamente tradizionale e “slow” come la lasagna entrare nel mondo dei Quick Service Restaurant?
I concept sviluppati hanno esplorato diversi contesti, dallo street food di comfort a eventi speciali e hub di viaggio internazionali, dando forma a esperienze utente che spaziano tra approcci low-tech, high-tech e ad alta fedeltà.
Visioni diverse, una missione condivisa: portare uno dei prodotti più iconici della tradizione culinaria italiana in nuovi mercati e contesti culturali in tutto il mondo.

Un ringraziamento speciale a per aver guidato e supportato gli studenti durante le attività del workshop, e a per aver reso possibile questa collaborazione.

Designing food retail today means working across multiple layers: space, product, logistics, and user experience.

Within the “Retail and Cultural Event System” module, students explored how food environments are shaped, from cold chain to point of sale, understanding how technical, spatial, and experiential aspects intertwine.

The module concludes with a shift in perspective: from efficiency to experience, and from isolated solutions to interconnected systems.

One of the key takeaways from last week’s Career Coaching Lab was simple yet powerful: people don’t remember words, they remember stories.

During the mock interviews, students worked on communicating themselves as a brand, transforming experiences into concrete examples rather than abstract skills.
Because a good interview is not about listing achievements.
It’s about making them memorable.

Understanding food through legal frameworks and global trade.

In the Advanced Food and Trade Law module, students explored how laws, trade, and culture shape food, protecting its quality, origin, and meaning in a global context.
FoodCulture

Over the past two days, our students explored the legal frameworks that shape how food is produced, protected, and communicated globally. Led by Michele Fino, Full Professor of Roman Law and Fundamentals of European Law at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the module offered a deep dive into European and international food legislation — from novel foods and geographical indications to food labelling and trade rules.

By addressing timely issues such as nutritional labelling systems, health-related information, and the protection of food as both cultural heritage and economic value, this module provided students with essential tools to navigate the complex legal landscape behind quality food products.