{ "title": "Thomas More researchers are cultivating the future of our food. \u201cDo dare to taste it!\u201d", "modified_at": "2026-09-07 13:40:52", "published_at": "2026-11-10 10:25:00", "url": "https://research.thomasmore.be/thomas-more-researchers-are-cultivating-the-future-of-our-food-do-dare-to-taste-it", "short_url": "http://prez.ly/VcOd", "culture": "nl", "language": "NL", "slug": "thomas-more-researchers-are-cultivating-the-future-of-our-food-do-dare-to-taste-it", "body": "

“If I’d known this before, it would have changed my life.”

What will you be eating in the (near) future? A sandwich, yesterday’s leftovers, something quick from the freezer? Ask yourself that question in ten years’ time. Chances are there’ll be something on your plate that sounds surprising today: a burger made from mealworms, a bar containing crickets, or a liquid breakfast that tastes like fresh bread. Fantasy and utopia? Not at all. At the Innovation Campus in Geel, where Thomas More is playing a leading role, that future is already being created. And enjoyed.

Researchers at Thomas More’s centres of expertise – Lieven De Maesschalck (Mobilab & Care) and Sabine Van Miert (Sustainable Biomass and Chemistry) – are crossing paths more and more often. “And we want to do that even more,” says Sabine convincingly. Lieven’s starting point is the care sector, whilst Sabine’s is waste streams. “Those two perspectives actually complement each other perfectly,” explains Lieven. What will be on our plates in ten years’ time? We sit down with Sabine and Lieven.

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Sabine Van Miert from the Sustainable Biomass and Chemistry Centre of Expertise. Just like her colleagues in the Mobilab & Care Research Group, she is developing the food of tomorrow.
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The need

Lieven’s story began with a problem. A residential care home came to us: residents with swallowing difficulties, a shortage of staff, and yet a demand for something fresh, nutritious and wholesome. “That’s how we started that research. And I’m talking about 25 years ago.” Cookbooks, clinical validation, testing in care homes. “We thought: that’s it, we’re done. But nothing could be further from the truth.”

It sounds simple, but it isn’t. A meal for someone who has difficulty swallowing must go down easily and still be tasty. Two things that rarely go hand in hand. And it has to be exactly the same every single time. “A chef works with a knob of butter, a pinch of salt. That’s never the same,” explains Lieven. That was precisely what wasn’t allowed here. So he sought standardisation and eventually found it in microwave technology.

What drove him all those years? “Impact! Because you can see that you’re making a difference to people’s lives.” He cites the example of people who lost ten kilos following a hospital stay and regained that weight thanks to this research. “That’s unprecedented. And then you see just how grateful people are.” One reaction in particular, from a cancer patient, struck him: “If I’d known this earlier, it would have changed my life.” Today, the result of that research is on the shelves: a specially formulated breakfast range in six flavours.

(Continue reading below the pictures)

The source

Sabine approaches the same issue from the other side. “Our focus is on waste. Although I shouldn’t really use that word. It’s about unutilised resources streams.” Her research group uses insects and microalgae as organisms that grow on these streams and convert them into valuable building blocks: proteins, fats and oils. For food, for animal feed, for technical applications. However, insects on our plates remain difficult in our Western culture. “It’s likely to remain a difficult prospect,” she says matter-of-factly. That’s why her group is looking just as closely at animal feed. “If we can use soya protein for humans and insects for animals, then you’ll see a shift.” Everyone wins, is the reasoning. “I really do think we need to look at it from such a broad perspective.”

That's gross 

Fifteen years ago, a snack bar made with crickets still sounded like science fiction. Now you can find them in grocery stores. “That bar itself has also evolved,” says Sabine. “At first, it was just a bar. Now it’s a tasty bar.” That’s the key. Western consumers don’t want to see any legs. “Ground up, processed into powder… they’re still willing to give that a go. But if they see the legs, that’s it.”

Perception, then. And that’s exactly where the two worlds intersect. Lieven sees the same resistance in healthcare. “The difference between a healthcare provider and a patient is enormous. The healthcare provider says: ‘That doesn’t look right.’ Until they’ve tasted it. Then comes the amazement.” His mantra, in the lab and at the bedside: “Try for yourself what you’re giving to people. ”Lieven discovered, together with celebrety chef Jeroen Meus – with whom he once hosted a webinar – that ‘tasting good’ counts just as much as ‘being safe’. “If only I’d known this when my brother was in Gasthuisberg,” Meus told him. “I just threw something into the blender, and it wasn’t nice. This is.” That’s exactly what it’s all about. “We’re not a commercial organisation. We’re impact-driven. You do it for that one end-user."

(Continue reading below the pictures)

The campus as a playground

Their two stories come together in one place: the Innovation Campus in Geel, where there is a strong focus on the ‘future of food’. “That’s no coincidence,” says Lieven. Construction is in full swing. Sabine’s team, together with KU Leuven, secured approval for the Insect Practice Centre, where farmers, researchers and companies learn to breed insects and scale up production. And then there’s the NutriWave Hub, a 2.5 million euro pilot plant that Lieven is helping to build. “A mini-factory where we carry out all our tests and where students can get involved.”

For both of them, this student involvement isn’t just window dressing – it’s at the heart of what they do. “Students aren’t just assistants carrying out tasks for free,” Lieven states firmly. “They need to be able to do something meaningful, something that will help them advance in their careers.” The students working with him come from a range of disciplines, from nutrition and dietetics to chemistry, speech and language therapy, nursing and biomedical laboratory technology. One is developing a formula for a specific target group, whilst another is investigating how honey extends shelf life.

What he sees them learning above all is the value of failure. “My first piece of research didn’t go as hoped either. I thought: I’ve failed. But no. It gives you insight into a path you can rule out. Research always yields new knowledge.” A lesson for life, he believes, which fits perfectly with the concept of lifelong learning that Thomas More stands for.

Sabine echoes this sentiment. “Students are involved in an ongoing project. They don’t know where it will lead, or whether it will succeed. And that’s exactly what they like: the feeling of being part of something that could become something.” Her group even lets nutrition and dietetics students compete for prizes: last academic year, with biscuits made from beer draff. Yet another waste stream. “Then they win an honour and we gain visibility. It works both ways.” And it extends beyond their own lecture theatres: together with the teacher training programme, her group is preparing teaching packs on sustainability, insects and algae, ready for use in the classroom. “That way, we also reach the teachers who will carry the message forward.”

There’s another reason why it matters. “The food industry is the largest sector in Flanders,” says Lieven. And for him, students are the best ambassadors: “To spread that impact and that knowledge, and in doing so give something back to society.”

(Continue reading below the pictures)

So what's next?

Let’s return to that menu in 2035. Will meat disappear? “It’ll stay,” thinks Sabine. “But there’ll be less of it. Alongside alternatives. A burger that’s no longer made exclusively of meat, but half mealworm or chickpea.” Not a utopia, but simply: a wider range, different ingredients, more choice.

For both of them, it’s all about choice. “It mustn’t be imposed,” emphasises Sabine. “The moment you make something compulsory, people lose interest. It has to stem from free curiosity". Lieven nods. ‘Know what you’re eating. And keep an open mind. Dare to try it.’ It’s the child in him who keeps asking: why this, why that.So, back to our opening question: what will you be eating later? A bar with crickets, a burger made from mealworms, a liquid sandwich? Who knows – thanks to a Thomas More student. In any case, don’t dismiss it straight away. Give it a try first. The sense of wonder will come naturally. And hopefully the appetite too!

 

 

 

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Just like her colleagues in the Mobilab & Care Research Group , she is developing the food of tomorrow.", "original": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/", "medium": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/-/preview/500x500/-/format/auto/", "small": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/-/preview/200x200/-/format/auto/", "thumbnail": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/-/preview/100x100/-/format/auto/", "square": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/-/scale_crop/200x200/center/-/format/auto/", "squaresmall": "https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/10211a1c-e3c8-41db-986c-d9191610b490/-/crop/3460x1931/5,77/-/preview/-/scale_crop/58x58/center/-/format/auto/" } ], "tags": [ "research" ], "author": { "first_name": "Marcom", "last_name": "TM" }, "format_version": 5 }