#3DStartup: Gastronology’s 3D-Printed Food Can Help Patients With Eating Difficulties

Food is a basic fact of human life, and global trade means most people can enjoy cuisines and options from all over the world. However, not everyone can benefit from the rich variety of food available to us. What happens when eating is not so simple? For patients with dysphagia (the medical term for difficulty swallowing), meal times can be difficult and alternatives must be found to make food easier to consume. One company working on a solution is Gastronology, a Dutch firm founded in 2019 by Peter Nieuwkerk. The company develops 3D-printed food for these patients which is tasty and visually appealing, aiming to make meals a pleasure by replacing bland, blended options currently on the market. To find out more about their projects, we spoke to CEO Peter Niewkerk.

3DN: Could You Introduce Yourself and Tell Us More About Gastronology?

My name is Peter Nieuwkerk, and I founded Gastronology 3D Food Works in 2019. Gastronology 3D Food Works develops and produces food products based on the technique of 3D food printing. It builds on 3 pilars: recipe development, 3D modelling and development of industrial scale food printing. All recipes are developed by Masterchef Eugène Swalen. I have a long and reputable state of work with the Budelpack Group, an innovative company focusing on the co-packing of food products for multinationals like Mars-Wrigley, Nestlé, Unilever, KraftHeinz as well as many local jewel companies.

Peter Nieuwkerk is the CEO of Gastronology

Gastronology’s products are 3D printed food products, which are being sold frozen and packed. Our production process is as follows: In December 2022, construction started of a special ‘3D food print’ production site in Poortvliet (the Netherlands). The production process consists of a five-step process: processing (purée production), 3D food printing on an industrial scale in a conditioned room of a maximum of 6 degrees Celsius, a shock-freeze process, packaging in a similarly conditioned room and deep-freeze storage (-20 degrees Celsius). Food-safe production is a key factor in all these steps. That is why the complete installation will be equipped with a state-of-the-art Clean-In-Place system (CIP). The production site is expected to be open in the next few weeks, and the finished products will just need heating up.