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Starburst graphic for a "NEW! Food Impact Meter.

  • About Us

    Exploring Food In All Its Dimensions

  • EXHIBIT

    Selling Candy to Kids

    A History of Marketing Food to Children.

  • EXHIBIT

    Food Impact Meter

    See how your food choices impact your health and our planet’s health.

  • VIDEOS

    Video Vault

    Short videos, from serious to hilarious, reflect food’s major role in diverse films.

  • ARTICLE

    The 11 Most Impactful Events in Food History

    From cooking to synthetic food additives, human creativity has changed the world for better and for worse.

History • Culture • Nutrition • Farming • Climate Change/Environment • Social Justice • Animal Welfare

The National Food Museum spurs visitors to see food in a new light, envisioning a world where food and how it is grown contribute to healthy people, a sustainable planet, and a more vibrant culture.

NFM Publications
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Featured Articles and Reports

Our Mission

To celebrate and explore the transformative power of food to nourish people and our planet.

Food is culture, it is health, it is the environment, and it is community. The new food museum will celebrate the power of food to uplift, nourish, and inspire - and encourage us to come together to promote good health and protect our planet.

- Chef José Andrés

At the Museum

Future Exhibition Topics

How Food Can Enhance – or Undermine – Health

How Food Can Enhance – or Undermine – Health

Delicious Diets—Imported from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe

Delicious Diets—Imported from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe

Industrialized Animal Agriculture

Industrialized Animal Agriculture

Sugar, Sugar... The Silent Killer

Sugar, Sugar... The Silent Killer

Six People Who Changed How We Eat - For Better or Worse

Six People Who Changed How We Eat - For Better or Worse

Food Cultures Around the World

Food Cultures Around the World

History and Future of the Human Diet

History and Future of the Human Diet

What people are saying

“….a basic human need encompassing …science, health, and culture, National Food Museum will be a civic treasure and essential destination for people of all ages."
Art MolellaCurator Emeritus and Founding Director
Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
“A National Food Museum is a fabulous and important idea! Food can be a cause of good or ill health, and this museum can help tilt the balance toward health.”
Tom FriedenPresident and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives; former director of the CDC 
“In the quest to regain control of our eating habits …., there isn't a more powerful move we could make than to create this food museum."
Michael Mossauthor of Hooked and Salt, Sugar, Fat; former New York Times writer
"Food is culture, it is health, it is the environment, and it is community. The new food museum will celebrate the power of food to uplift, nourish, and inspire - and encourage us to come together to promote good health and protect our planet.”
Chef José AndresFounder, World Central Kitchen and Food Systems Advocate
“The Food Museum will be an important way of increasing public understanding of and support for a different, vastly better food system for all.”
Ricardo SalvadorFormer Director, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
“A museum that looks at our changing food opportunities and at the same time examines the diversity of foods and cultures will be a great addition to our heritage.”
Alan GoldbergProfessor of Environmental Health and Engineering, Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
“This new food museum looks like just what we need to teach and learn about the role of food in health and society. Even better, it looks like fun. I’m all for it.”
Marion NestleProfessor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, New York University, and author of books about food politics
"What a wonderful idea!  More than just about any other subject, food and its production has defined our world, no matter where we live. A museum devoted to the subject will be a great educational window on this critically important subject." 
Harold SkramstadPresident Emeritus, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village; Former Director, Chicago Historical Society (now Chicago History Museum)
"The food we consume, and the way we produce it, affects our lives, our health, billions of sentient beings, and our planet more than anything else we do. The National Food Museum will recognize that fact and help the public to appreciate its significance."
Peter SingerPROFESSOR OF BIOETHICS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, AND AUTHOR, ANIMAL LIBERATION NOW.
“I hope that everyone who cares about the impact of food on our health and our planet will join me in supporting the National Food Museum. The museum promises to be an informative, engaging means of encouraging adults and children alike to become an essential part of the solution to food-related problems.”
Daniel LubetzkyFounder of KIND Snacks

FAQ

ask us
anything

The National Food Museum is a nonprofit educational museum dedicated to exploring food from every angle—including history, culture, nutrition, agriculture, climate, sustainability, law, religion, and social impact. Through online exhibits, traveling exhibitions, educational programs, videos, and articles, we help people better understand how food shapes our lives and our planet.

Our content is designed for everyone—including families, students, educators, researchers, food professionals, policymakers, and anyone curious about how food influences our health, culture, and environment.

The educational content on the website is available free of charge. (Our coffee/tea mug is not.) We encourage visitors to explore our articles, videos, and exhibits and share them for educational purposes where appropriate

Educators can use the museum’s online exhibitions (some have Activity Guides) and educational resources to support lessons in science, history, nutrition, environmental studies, public health, geography, and social studies. New educational materials will continue to be added.

The easiest way is to join our mailing list. Subscribers receive updates about new exhibitions, articles, videos, educational resources, and upcoming events.

You can support the museum by making a donation, subscribing to our newsletter, sharing our educational content, volunteering for activities that match your skills, and spreading awareness of our mission to promote healthier people and a healthier planet through food education.

You can reach us through the Contact information provided on our website. We welcome questions, partnership inquiries, media requests, and feedback from visitors.

Articles and Reports

15 Jun 2026

Hamed Assabir Interview for NFM

In this video, Hamed talks about the food and lifestyle in his village, as well as in urban Morocco.
Assortment of colorful fresh fruits, herbs, and spices in small wooden bowls for healthy eating.

Articles and Reports

1 Jul 2025

Time Capsule of America’s Food System

In 1975, Catherine Lerza and I, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, edited Food for People Not for Profit (Ballantine Books), a comprehensive book about America’s food system.
Walter Willett during an NFM interview, visible via webcam.

Articles and Reports

28 Dec 2024

NFM Interview with Walter Willett

Discussion with Michael Jacobson and Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard professor and leading nutrition epidemiologist, on the impacts of food on the environment.
Farmer in a cornfield, arms crossed, looking at healthy crops. Sustainable farming in action.

Articles and Reports

10 Dec 2024

The 11 Most Impactful Events in Food History

The National Food Museum is interested in all aspects of food—the history of the human diet, the contribution of the food system to the climate crisis, recipes for healthier “plant-forward” cooking, and more.
A day's food for a family of five: milk, eggs, produce, bread, oats, flour, and rice.

Articles and Reports

20 Jan 2024

Dietary Advice in Graphics Over the Century

Over the past century, the United States Department of Agriculture, foreign governments, the World Health Organization, and many private organizations have provided dietary advice to the general public.
Smiling older man wearing glasses, promoting healthy aging

Articles and Reports

23 Feb 2023

Do We Need a National Food Museum?

After more than 40 years at the helm of the CSPI, Michael Jacobson is on to his next quest: creating a National Food Museum.

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