March 3rd, 2016: Canadian University Dubai (CUD) professor, Dr. Franziska Apprich, is aiming to bring space food into the diet of UAE residents as a way to encourage healthy and nutritionally balanced eating habits.
With more than 60% of UAE residents considered to be overweight, Dr. Apprich, Assistant Professor in the School of Media and Communication Studies, believes that the food products manufactured especially for consumption by astronauts during their space missions could help to tackle the growing global obesity crisis.
According to Dr. Apprich, space food has the perfect balance of nutrition and convenience to help transform our unhealthy eating habits. She was one of five entrepreneurs shortlisted to pitch her idea to a panel of experts at the Innovation Hub, during the recent Gulfood Conference 2016.
Explaining the concept, Dr. Apprich said, “The UAE has seen all kinds of trends in cuisines, and the country is a driver for innovation, so it would be great to bring space food to Dubai. The food has specific requirements in terms of providing all the needed vitamins and balanced nutrition, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume.”
As former Dean of the School of Environment and Health Sciences at CUD, one of the leading Schools in the region, Dr. Apprich developed an interest in food storage and preservation, as well as nutrition, when she supported the accreditation process for the University’s Associate Degree in Food Safety, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health for Dubai Municipality.
As the only representative from the education sector, and representing the School of Environment and Health Sciences, Dr. Apprich pitched alongside some of the region’s major food companies in the Dragon’s Den style competition, and was praised by the judges – among them Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Executive Director of Dubai Science Park; and Nicholas Couvaras, Managing Director of F&B marketing company KROMA – for the enterprise and innovation of her idea.
With her expertise in advertising and communication, Dr. Apprich believes that branding is the key to making the initiative a success. She continued, “Obesity is a big problem in the UAE but if we can make nutritious food fun by creating a space game around it, more kids would eat it and enjoy it. We could even arrange a competition with star chefs to make it more delicious, or create a floating restaurant that would bring outer space to our own neighborhoods in Dubai.”
Beyond the food itself, and as part of the School’s engagement in innovation, Dr. Apprich also points to a number of technologies and processes that have been developed for space, and have found a practical application on earth.
She revealed, “Materials and food packaging techniques used to protect space food are now used to protect our own food in grocery stores, and a development for meal service aboard Apollo spacecraft is now serving hot plates to patients in hospitals. We have adopted and adapted NASA-led advancements in food packaging, preservation, and preparation, why not the food itself?”
Gallery
