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"Space Food X" Launches Aiming to create the world's first space food market
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Real Tech Fund, and Sigmaxis announced the launch of "Space Food X," the world's first co-creation initiative for the space food market, in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on March 27. They also unveiled "Lunar Dining Table 1.0" in Japan for the first time, envisioning local production and consumption of food on the moon.
"Space Food X" is part of JAXA's co-creation R&D program, the "Space Innovation Partnership" (J-SPARC). This program promotes organic collaboration among industry, academia, and government to solve challenges in food production and supply both in space and on Earth, accelerate market creation, and secure a share for outstanding Japanese products and services. Approximately 30 companies related to food, markets, space, and other fields are participating.
Dentsu Inc. participates as a marketing support company in the "Market Creation, Business Promotion, and Momentum Building" field.
Ms. Mizuki Komasa, Representative of Space Food X (Growth Manager, Real Tech Fund), stated, "By 2040, it is said that 1,000 people will live on the moon, making life in space increasingly realistic. This necessitates the 'space × food' category. It has the potential to become a market worth hundreds of billions of yen, demonstrating exceptional market potential." She expressed her aspirations: "Japan's strength as a nation with one of the world's richest food cultures can be leveraged here. We aim to create numerous solutions that will be useful not only in space but also on Earth, building a world where humanity can continue to live happily."
Deputy Representative Hirotaka Tanaka (Director, Sigmaxis; Organizer, Smart Kitchen Summit Japan) stated: "Conferences and communities proposing food innovation are rapidly increasing, connecting the world. Diverse industries and companies are showing interest in the 'food' domain. On the other hand, it's said that 30-40% of people have dissatisfaction with their meals, and the current reality is that we are failing to meet their diverse demands. Within this context, creating new things across industries holds great potential for business and solving social issues."
Deputy Representative Yuta Kikuchi (JAXA New Business Promotion Department / J-SPARC Producer) stated, "We have always considered what value we can deliver to the world using space. As space food evolves with the times, we are now also envisioning the creation of food that can be 'produced and consumed monthly' on the moon. We want to create things people will want to eat at their everyday dining tables. Japan is now entering an era of creating 'deliciousness' in space. We want to leverage the strengths of Japanese food culture to enrich the challenges in space, and furthermore, the future of food, people, and the Earth."
Following this, "Lunar Table 1.0," embodying a lunar dining experience for 2040, was unveiled for the first time. Designed around locally sourced ingredients for consumption on the moon, it featured seven menu items: sushi made with a 3D food printer, a salad of hydroponically grown vegetables, and a cultured meat steak.
Chef and future food researcher Hiroyuki Kuwana, who contributed to the menu creation, explained, "The overarching concept is 'circulation' – essential in the closed environment of space. The dishes are designed so that accumulated resources and newly implemented elements mutually feed back into each other, circulating within a larger flow." He added, "It was challenging because common seasonings we use couldn't be produced on the moon. On the other hand, it was incredibly exciting to create dishes while imagining myself serving them to guests on the moon."
Space Food X has set its initial activity period to end on March 31, 2020.
Official website: spacefood-x.com/
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