Belgian ‘Space Bakery’ project highlighted at World Expo in Dubai

Belgian ‘Space Bakery’ project highlighted at World Expo in Dubai
Photo from Space Bakery

The Puratos Space Bakery project is taking centre stage at the Belgian pavilion in Dubai, where the World Expo is taking place.

This week is designated as “Flemish Week” there, and the innovative Space Bakery project is being put forth as an example of the region’s innovation when it comes to the Belgian food industry.

The Space Bakery’s mission to “bake bread on Mars” is somewhat tongue-in-cheek— their real goal is to develop sustainable ways to produce food in a closed system (such as would have to be done in space), meaning no oxygen and very little water.

“The project is much more than a scientific experiment,” Filip Arnaut, communications manager at Puratos, explained during his presentation in Dubai.

“Scarcity of raw materials including water, and infertile soils are also increasingly the reality on Earth. Circularity and resource efficiency are also the future of sustainable food production here at home.”

Puratos is a bakery supplier, and their project is focused on growing wheat in closed containers under specific conditions and circumstances, with limited resources.

The idea is that lessons learned can be applied to Earth agriculture, limiting its environmental impact by maximising space and minimising the resources used to grow and produce food.

Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon was supposed to be a guest speaker, but had to cancel in order to attend the emergency meeting regarding the return of certain coronavirus measures.


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