Beyond Intention

An Exploration on How Precision Fermentation Technology for Animal-Free Cheese may Affect the Meaning of Cheese

Bibliographic Data

ID22434165
AuthorsRenske Bouma (Wageningen University & Research, corresponding author), Kasper Hettinga (0000-0002-9017-4447, Wageningen University & Research), Mariana Hase Ueta (0000-0003-3299-8429, Wageningen University & Research), Zoë Robaey (0000-0002-0501-2030, Wageningen University & Research)
Year2026
Volume11
Issue1
Pages16-16
Publication date2026-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFood Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2364-6853 • E-ISSN: 2364-6861
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s41055-025-00197-7
PMID41613362
OpenAlexW7125767862
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited59

How we think about food results from a myriad of aspects, ranging from production to consumption. The emergence of new food technologies brings new modes of production that could inaugurate new meanings to foods. This paper discusses precision fermentation technology, as it could enable us to make cheese with the same nutritional and sensorial properties as traditional cheese, without animals. This brings promises of lowering impacts of diets, while still consuming a highly nutritious food, cherished by many. Food design often focuses on nutritional and sensorial aspects of the product, but the meaning of food is dependent on more than its physical properties. As a means for normative reflection and guidance for the design of novel food, this paper offers a framework to systematically reflect on possible effects of technology on the meaning of food in our lives, and applied to animal-free cheese. How might the broad meaning of cheese change when it is produced by precision fermentation? What implicit intentions are involved, and what effects might happen beyond intention? The relational ontology framework for food by Deane Curtin is combined with the anticipating mediation framework for technology by Peter-Paul Verbeek. The combined framework is used to imagine several possible effects, building on the positionality of a food scientist developing this technology and with a background in Dutch dairy production. These anticipated effects are by no means exhaustive but form a starting point for continued imagination, reflection and discussion, especially for those involved in the development of novel foods.

Food processing · Food systems · Mediation · Normative · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease · Probiotics and Fermented Foods

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