The Faculty of Biotechnology was filled with creative energy and scientific curiosity for the national final of the 4th edition of the Invent the Food of the Future Competition, an initiative that challenges primary and secondary school students to create innovative, healthy, and sustainable recipes.

On February 13, the Faculty welcomed the groups whose dishes had received the highest evaluations in each competition category, announced on January 7. In the final round, competed the most outstanding proposals  - 20 recipes evaluated by a jury of professors and specialists in nutrition and food sciences, including human nutrition, food technology, sensory analysis, and food sustainability.

“The numbers for this edition are truly impressive: 141 dishes created by 448 students, representing 37 schools from 24 municipalities across Portugal,” highlights Paula Castro, Director of the Faculty of Biotechnology at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. “These results demonstrate not only the importance of initiatives like this, but above all the enthusiasm, dedication, and preparation that these young students and their teachers devote to inventing the food of the future. This is not merely a cooking competition; it is an initiative aimed at inspiring vocations and encouraging interest in key fields such as food engineering and nutrition sciences,” she concludes.

Following the opening session, participants plated their creations in the Kitchen Lab of the Faculty of Biotechnology and presented sustainable, nutritious, innovative, and visually appealing proposals to the jury. Each dish was evaluated by three jurors, who assessed nutritional profile, sustainability, degree of innovation, and economic feasibility.

For the students, the food of the future “can be sustainable and, at the same time, tasty,” but also “healthy” and “equitable - food that everyone can access.” In a shared discussion and reflection, they spoke about the learning experience this challenge provided, pushing them to “step out of their comfort zone” and to “consider various scientific fields such as nutrition, ecology, and sustainability - something we are not used to doing on a daily basis.” They highlighted the importance of “teamwork” and the creativity involved in “reinventing a dish,” exploring wild plants and less conventional ingredients in gastronomy. For all these reasons, they emphasized that the experience represents a significant “addition to their academic and professional journey and to their CV.”

After this moment of sharing, participants attended a performance by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa’s female academic choir (tuna). The day concluded in the Arménio Miranda Auditorium, where the winners in each category were announced (listed below).

The initiative once again brought sustainability and innovation to the table, serving a more nutritious and healthier future, in a day seasoned with emotion, enthusiasm, positive nervousness, and the high quality of the proposals presented.

The challenge is now set for the next edition: to continue Inventing the Food of the Future.

Competition Winners
Inventar a Alimentação do Futuro

 

High School Recipe of the Year

Escola Secundária do Entroncamento
Group: Masterchef Biológico
Recipe: Lasanha da Horta
Group members:
Ana Carolina Lopes
Eva Santos
Maria Clara Marques
Teacher: Maria Adelina Correia
 

9th Grade Recipe of the Year

Escola Básica Professor Doutor Ferreira de Almeida, de Santa Maria da Feira
Group: SustentaChefs
Recipe: Tigela da Horta Sustentável
Group members:
Tomás Martins
Nicole Magalhães
Inês Familiar
Carolina Ferreira
Teacher: Inês Barbosa
 

"Sabor a mar" (Taste of the Sea)

Externato Marista de Lisboa
Group: As Ratatouilles
Recipe: Almofadinhas do Mar de Curgete
Group Members:
Maria Teresa Cardoso
Adriana Pereira
Leonor Mendes
Rita Gaspar
Teacher: Marisa Temporão
 

"Plantas silvestres comestíveis" (Edible Wild Plants)

Agrupamento de escolas de Santa Maria da Feira
Group: Arco culinário
Recipe: Urtigas à mesa
Group Members:
Heitor Araújo Nascimento
Lara Beatriz Marques Mendes
Diana Mota da Silva
Teacher: Elisabete Carlos Miranda

"Leguminosas luminosas" (Brilliant Legumes)

Agrupamento de Escolas do Cerco do Porto
Group: Cônios
Recipe: Pudim do Sol do Sul
Group Members:
Bruna Sousa 
Rafael Gonçalves
Teacher: Sónia Ramos
 

Street Food

Escola Secundária Júlio Dinis de Ovar
Group: Mosqueteiros à mesa
Recipe: Frango aos cones
Group Members:
Ianis Almeida
Rodrigo Oliveira
Rodrigo Andrade
Rodrigo Leite
Teacher: Tânia Almeida