The "Foodathon" event, part of the Irish Bioeconomy Week celebrations at TU Dublin
The "Foodathon" event, part of the Irish Bioeconomy Week celebrations at TU Dublin, took place successfully on Friday, October 17th, 2025, at the Central Quad lab (CQ-109) on the Grangegorman campus. Organized by a group of dedicated research and final-year students—Nisha John, Emmanuel Osei Dua, Catherine Moreilli, Allex Elliot, Cory Flyn, Hafsa Chaouche, and Katherine Chirko—under the guidance of their supervisor, Azza Silotry Naik, the event was designed as a vibrant and engaging introduction to food science for primary school children.
The event drew 19 girls to the first session at 11 a.m. and 18 to the subsequent session at 12 noon, all from Sixth Class at Stanhope Street Primary School.
Participants experienced hands-on experiments that revealed the secrets of food preservation, including distinguishing between chemical and physical methods such as drying and water activity analysis. The young explorers acted as food detectives by decoding food labels and expressed their creativity by crafting tasty plant-based recipes, such as Beetroot & Spirulina Hummus Bowl, Protein Power Blaas, Green Spirulina Protein Smoothie, and No-Bake Spirulina Energy Bites. Additionally, they enjoyed an interactive game of Food UNO, which made learning about food nutrition and its environmental impact both fun and engaging.
The immersive experience aimed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and empower children to make smarter, informed food choices.
