Travelling exhibition

A Taste of Science

Have you ever wondered why food spoils?

Give your visitors a look at how and why food decay happens, in this quirky and engaging exhibition. As they step inside an oversized pantry, they will discover why food goes bad, as well as the role scientific innovation plays in keeping food fresh, nutritious and safe for as long as possible. This exhibition, developed by the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, will get audiences squirming at the sight of rotting food, ew!

Space required

1,000 ft² (90 m²)
Multiple configurations possible

Languages

All elements are bilingual (English and French)

Target audiences

Adults
Intergenerational family groups
School groups

Fees

$2,700 per 12 weeks, plus shipping and applicable taxes

Exhibition highlights

Take a whiff and guess what’s been forgotten in the fridges in this smelly, hands-on interactive experience
Watch delicious foods go rotten in timelapse videos that will leave you saying, “ew!”
Discover the roles played by temperature, oxygen, water and pH in food spoilage across four interactive stations
Immerse yourself in an oversized pantry filled with cans, cereal boxes and tetra packs, and uncover how packaging helps keep our food safe and fresh longer

Support material

Educational resources for school groups, including a hands-on activity kit
Promotional resources
Detailed installation guide

Shipping and installation

The exhibition comes on 13 dollies
There is no crate storage needed
Assembly requires 4 people / 1 day
There are eight freestanding structures to assemble

Insurance

The borrowing institution must provide a valid insurance certificate.

Man with blue shirt and glasses reading from a red and yellow exhibit panel — A Taste of Science invites visitors to step into the living world inside their food and meet the microorganisms that contribute to or even speed up the decaying process. Bacteria, yeasts and moulds can be both harmful and helpful. Learn how to target the enemies and discover how to extend the shelf life of what we eat!

Wide angle view of the room with multiple panels and display cases. — A Taste of Science is an engaging array of oversized pantry food packages, whose “food labels”, display cases, and hands-on experiences break down the science of food decay.

White man with glasses and blue shirt and woman with orange hair and striped shirt look at round display case. At the top of the panel are the words "destroy the enemies" — Packaging, cooking, freezing, canning and fermentation are all good strategies for preserving food. Each slows the natural process of food spoilage by targeting the sensitivities of the microorganisms responsible for food decay. In this panel, visitors learn about other innovations such as preservatives and irradiation.

Woman with red hair slides open a small panel on a display to read text inside. The display is blue and yellow. — Cold slows enzyme activity and the growth of microorganisms, but does not kill them! Visitors will encounter two hands-on activities on this panel. A touchscreen allows visitors to see what happens to microorganisms at different temperatures. In this photo a brave visitor sniffs inside one of the fridge doors to guess what’s gone bad in the fridge!

Woman with striped shirt looks at a display case showing multiple different pots with large words above reading "Hot or cold, never lukewarm!". To the side of the panel is a large drawing of a thermometer. — Hot or cold, never lukewarm! On this panel, visitors learn about temperature-based preservation techniques and can take a look at canning equipment.

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Travel schedule

L’Odyssée des Bâtisseurs, Alma, QC: June 7 – September 18, 2027
Dorsay Community and Heritage Centre, Pickering, ON: October 10 – December 31, 2026
Lloydminster Museum and Archives, Lloydminster, SK: April 3 – June 28, 2026
Humboldt & District Museum, Humboldt, SK: January 6 – March 18, 2026
Lambton Heritage Museum, Grand Bend, ON: May 15 – October 25, 2025
Swift Current Museum, Swift Current, SK: January 4 – March 31, 2025
Diefenbaker Canada Centre, Saskatoon, SK: July 2 – November 2, 2024
Greenwood Mall, Greenwood, NS: March 6 – 17, 2024
miSci (Museum of Innovation and Science), Schenectady, NY: September 30, 2023 – January 7, 2024

Book now

For more information on this exhibition, its current availability, and to book it for your organization, please contact us at:

[email protected] | 1-866-442-4416 ext. 2147

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