Ethical perspectives on molecular gastronomy: food for tomorrow or just a food fad?

This paper is arguing the concept of molecular gastronomy and its derived culinary trend, note-by-note cooking, as a possible scenario for the 'food of the future' and sheds light on the controversial principles of molecular cooking. In the context of world hunger, poverty and rapid population growth, forecasted to 10 billion people by 2050, molecular gastronomy' s next trend, 'Note by Note cooking', come up with the solution of using pure chemical compounds rather than animal or plant tissues for designing new foods, but still trying to create the same taste, consistency, colour or trigeminal sensation. The approach is still in its infancy, but it gives specific examples of its sustainability. However, this new way of designing foods faces the 'food neophobia' of people worried about the safety aspects, nutrition, toxicology and economics. Therefore, this paper will focus on ethical questions that should be addressed: What compounds can be used? Is it sure that they aren' t harmful? What are the implications for traditional cooking? Will note-by-note cooking be more expensive than current methods of obtaining food?