Project Description

Hemp and Hope is part of Vinnova’s Future Prototypes within the Protein Revolution platform, a partnership between Planethon AB—a transformation and futures agency—and Fotografiska Stockholm, the contemporary museum of photography. Developed in collaboration with visionary scientist Andrew Merrie, Hemp & Hope is a Speculative Design journey that reimagines the future of food.

This project challenges and redefines the concept of superfoods, shifting the focus from individual ingredients to the broader food system and its collective impact. Using hemp as a case study, it highlights the crop’s multifunctionality and potential to enhance self-reliance, resilience, and innovation—critical qualities in a future shaped by volatility and water scarcity. Hemp & Hope aims to inspire policymakers, food innovators, and consumers, shaping new perceptions and choices that position hemp as the benchmark for the next generation of superfoods.

The project was structured around three key interventions:

1. AR Superfood Label – A digital tool redefining how we evaluate food.
2. Hemp Dinner Experience – A multisensory exploration of the future of food, co-created with Fotografiska’s head chefs, Martin and Elvira.
3. Magazine of the Future – A publication consolidating research, insights, and speculative futures.

Hemp and Hope is part of Vinnova’s Future Prototypes within the Protein Revolution platform, and formed as partnership between Planethon AB—a transformation and futures agency—and Fotografiska Stockholm, the contemporary museum of photography. Developed in collaboration with visionary scientist Andrew Merrie, Hemp & Hope is a Speculative Design journey that reimagines the future of food.

This project challenges and redefines the concept of superfoods, shifting the focus from individual ingredients to the broader food system and its collective impact. Using hemp the incredibly versatile SUPER crop with the bad rap sheet as a case study, it highlights the crop’s multi-functionality and potential to enhance self-reliance, resilience, and innovation—critical qualities in a future shaped by volatility and water scarcity. Hemp & Hope aims to inspire policymakers, food innovators, and consumers, shaping new perceptions and choices that position hemp as the benchmark for the next generation of superfoods.

The project was structured around three key interventions:

1. AR Superfood Label – A digital tool redefining how we evaluate food.
2. Hemp Dinner Experience – A multi-sensory exploration of the future of food, co-created with Fotografiska’s head chefs, Martin and Elvira.
3. BEYOND mag – A publication consolidating research, insights, and speculative future stories.

LABEL ME SUPER

Ideated as AR Superfood Label we present a new way of understanding what truly makes a food “SUPER”. By leveraging real-time data, it evaluates food based on environmental impact, transformative potential, nutritional value, social justice considerations, taste profile, and self-improvement benefits. Hemp serves as a prime example, demonstrating how a single ingredient can drive systemic change.

Through interactive scanning, consumers gain deeper awareness of food properties beyond traditional nutritional facts, empowering them to make more sustainable choices. The label was introduced as part of the ‘2041 THE RISE OF SUPER’ dinner experience, envisioning a future where government initiatives actively support the green transition toward healthier, more sustainable food systems.

EATING THROUGH TIME

In the heart of Stockholm, a team of visionary chefs at Fotografiska, the Swedish Museum of Photography, are redefining sustainable gastronomy by embracing an ancient yet overlooked superfood—hemp.

As part of our “Eating into the Future” concept, we curated an exclusive dinner series at Fotografiska Stockholm. Culinary innovators Martin Wall and Elvira Lindqvist crafted a remarkable four-course menu, showcasing hemp’s versatility and its potential to become a superfood of the future. Through bold flavours and creative techniques, these dinners offered a glimpse into a more sustainable and resilient food future.

2034 CROSS BORDER COLLABORATIONS

We are entering a world marked by escalating international conflicts and increasingly severe climate disruptions, which make our food systems ever more vulnerable. Following years of political unrest, European values are experiencing a renaissance, shaped by a diverse set of climate-driven priorities. One of the first major initiatives to address resource distribution is the Water Guardian Network. Initially an underground movement within the farming community, it has now established its first official presence through a water redistribution initiative within the tourism sector, aimed at balancing water impact across European borders. With growing urgency, the network has gained momentum, especially as food- producing industries rely heavily on coordinated water distribution, particularly between northern and southern Europe. In response, a new set of staple crops is gradually being introduced, tailored to adapt to evolving ecological conditions influenced by climate change and shifting water management practices. 

BREAD COURSE AND STARTER 2034 

Classic Flatbread with hemp spread: We made a classic flatbread bread, a potato bread with roots in Dalarna, where we replaced 1/3 of the flour with hemp flour/protein. After cooking, we brushed the bread with hemp oil and sprinkled on roasted hemp hearts. 

To accompany the bread, we served a spread made from hemp hearts that we mixed together with parsley. At about 70°C, the mass binds by itself and becomes fluffy, then we add water, salt and a little acid to the desired consistency and taste. A delicious and climate-smart alternative to butter.

For the bread, we served a spread made from hemp hearts that we mixed together with parsley. At about 70°C, the mass binds by itself and becomes fluffy, then we add water, salt and a little acid to the desired consistency and taste. A delicious and climate-smart alternative to butter.

Hemp with Nile Tilapia: Here we used white asparagus that fermented during the asparagus season this spring. It was paired with land-farmed Tilapia from Gårdsfisk, which may represent future luxury.  We topped it with some hemp oil.  We then did a Furikake made from roasted hemp hearts, our own sugar kelp from the allotment together with Nordic Seafarm and dried chili from the cultivation in the basement that Swegreen runs.  The dip was made with our own coffee-grounds soy, our broad bean miso, sea buckthorn and quince juice.

2041 THE RISE OF SUPER

After years of resource scarcity, our approach to food has transformed out of necessity, guided by a renewed sense of community and commitment to sustainable values. As certain foods gradually vanish from our menus, public understanding and care for food systems have expanded across demographics. Neighbourhood initiatives and skill-building programs in schools and community centers have spurred the emergence of new food labels. Backed by governments and industry partners, these labels educate consumers, enabling real-time, ecosystem-aware choices for more sustainable consumption. Nutritional value now holds equal importance to ecosystem impact, reflecting the hard-learned lessons of recent years. Hemp has taken on a unique role, replacing many staple crops due to its resilience and versatility. With regulatory changes and technological advancements, hemp is now at the forefront of the protein revolution.

MAIN COURSE 2041:

Hemp & Barley Risotto with 3D printed flank steak: Here we chose to make a risotto with a base of hydrothermic barley from Warbro mill.  We added a roasted pumpkin puree and roasted hemp hearts. We rounded it off with a little butter and soured it all up with quince juice. We topped with confit pumpkin, pickled pumpkin with mustard seeds and some shredded cheese representing what is likely to be a luxury ingredient in the future. We picked up the mustard tones with some mustard cress from our hydroponic farm in the basement. On the side we served grilled 3D printed flank steak glazed with a fermented pumpkin glaze. This incredible product was sourced from Redefine meat. In this meal, it was created out of Soy protein but in our future protoype, it would of course be made using hemp protein. 

2052 A NETWORKED WORLD OF PERSONALISED RESILIENCE

With advances in nanotechnology, preventative medicine, and microdosing, nutrition has become highly specific and precisely targeted. Our microbiome, behaviours, and consumption patterns feed into a system focused on personalised health and well-being. In response to climate challenges, national initiatives aim to keep populations healthy while reducing consumption and ecological impact. This shift has accelerated the adoption of resilient, adaptive food systems.

Hyper-local organisations and early public education have strengthened communities as active partners in the food supply chain. Across the European Union and beyond, the expansion of Guardian Networks secures food systems and resource distribution, adapting to rising climate migration and environmental disruptions. These networks coordinate efforts to ensure that resources like water and nutrient-dense crops are allocated effectively, creating a more stable and sustainable food landscape. 

DESSERT AND COFFEE COURSE 2052

Hemp with bread flour and sea buckthorn: We made use of leftover bread and made a bread flour cake together with roasted hemp hearts and hemp oil. We made a hemp ice cream with homemade hemp milk and some of the hemp powder, seasoned with a little cardamom. To add some zing, we’ve taken our Nordic favorite when it comes to acidity, sea buckthorn, and made a cream and put some of the berries in a sugar syrup. 

Hemp macaroons & a coffee biscuit: Two of the great luxuries of the future that we waste today are coffee and chocolate. For the coffee, we wanted to play with the almond tones of hemp and made macarons with roasted hemp hearts. We filled them with a chocolate ganache. We also made a classic biscuit with a base of roasted hemp hearts instead of almonds.

BEYOND Mag - the Hemp & Hope Special Issue

In the Hemp & Hope Special Issue of BEYOND Mag, we compiled insights from over 100 scientific papers supporting hemp’s potential as a future superfood across multiple dimensions. Complementing this research, we conducted expert interviews to deepen our understanding and project these insights into possible future worlds.

This magazine serves as a gateway to our extensive research, translating complex findings into engaging, forward-looking narratives. Spanning the next 30 years, BEYOND Mag brings these speculative futures to life—blending food, lifestyle, and science to explore the vast, interconnected landscape of hemp and future food systems. Through a network of experts, regulations, and innovations, we reveal the versatility of hemp and its role in shaping a more resilient, sustainable future.