After the overwhelming success of the first edition of Madrid Fusión Dreams #spainfoodtechnation, last year's space for discovering the infinite possibilities that technology, innovation and the foodtech system are opening up for gastronomy and nutrition, the congress will continue to imagine the future of food in 2025 with the second edition of this innovative format within the gastronomy summit. 

In a year in which Madrid Fusión pays tribute to the gastronomic revolution that took place in Spain three decades ago, the world's most influential congress also intends to address the new revolution that the use of the most advanced technologies is having on our world. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising many sectors, including cooking, food and nutrition. For this reason, the second edition of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation will focus on this new tool, which is generating as many admirers as critics. From the specific scenario of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation, in the form of a quadrilateral and open to the public for dialogue, the contribution that LA can make to the food sector will be addressed from different key perspectives during the three days of the congress. 

To this end, Madrid Fusión and the Fundació Alícia team - an organisation dedicated to technological innovation in the kitchen, the improvement of eating habits, the valorisation of agri-food heritage and a world reference in studies on the relationship between food and health - are proposing an outstanding line-up of speakers for this second edition of Dreams, including chefs, researchers from technology centres, innovation consultants, nutrition experts, public administration officials and foodtech entrepreneurs, among others. 

Among the chefs taking part in this year's Dreams are Albert Adrià, Rest. Enigma*; Juanlu Fernández, LÚ cocina y alma**; Oriol Castro, Disfrutar***; Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo, OBA*; Pepa Muñoz, El Qüenco de Pepa; Luis Alberto Lera, Rest. Lera*; Nandu Jubany, Can Jubany*; Diego Guerrero, DStage**; Mario Sandoval, Coque** and Javier Olleros, Culler de Pau**. 

The future that is already here

The opening day of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation will offer a futuristic vision exploring how AI can disruptively transform the food chain. Emerging trends and technologies that will shape the future of food will be discussed. For example, AI expert Cecilia Tham, CEO of Futurity Systems, will help us understand how AI can be applied to the day-to-day running of a restaurant and the benefits it can bring, from invoice management to menu creation. The great contribution that AI can make to achieving sustainable and environmentally conscious restaurants will also be discussed. These will be discussed by innovation and food consultant Héloïse Vilaseca, OSCILLUM CEO Pablo Sosa and international chefs Rodrigo Castelo (Ó Balcao, Santarem, Portugal) and Albert Franch, chef at Nolla, the Green Star restaurant in Helsinki that has become a global benchmark in the fight for zero waste. 

Not forgetting innovations in the food industry, presented by the CEO of Be Food Lab, Pedro Luis Prieto, and the application of AI in the sweet world, according to pastry chef Christian Escribà. This first day will also focus on the more social side of gastronomy. A round table of journalists, influencers and chefs will analyse how a restaurant achieves success and the influence of social networks on its clientele. They will also consider whether it makes sense to continue with tasting menus, whether menus are gaining ground in haute cuisine and what opportunities the world of gastronomy offers beyond the restaurant. 

Ferran Adrià will be one of the main protagonists of Dreams, with two sessions on the programme. The first, on Monday afternoon, will be an interesting debate on gastronomic styles, especially minimalism. Organised by the elBulliFoundation, it will be attended by Ferran himself, with the participation of renowned chefs such as Josean Alija (Nerua*, Bilbao), Artur Martínez (Aürt, Barcelona), Pedrito Sánchez (Bagá, Jaén) and Rubén Zubiri (Enigma*, Barcelona). 

What will we eat from now on?

From a perspective in which catering is a food, social and transformative heritage, the second day of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation will focus on the application of AI in the design of food products, highlighting how these tools make it possible to optimise innovation processes, improve product quality and adapt to new market demands.

The day will begin with an immersive session combining product and technology demonstrations, offering a glimpse of the transformative potential of AI in the creation of new foods, before exploring new food pathways with world-leading marine biologist Carlos Duarte. The Professor of Marine Sciences at King Abdullah KAUST University (Saudi Arabia), who was recently awarded the prestigious Japan 2025 Science Prize - the first Spanish scientist to win it - for his contribution to understanding how human activity affects the ocean and how we can restore it, will immerse us in the world of marine superfoods. More and more research is pointing to the sea as a source of sustainable food to meet growing demand while providing a rich and healthy diet. With Duarte, we will find out what these marine superfoods are and what role they play in the blue economy.

Other strategies for achieving more and more sustainable food will be discussed in the round tables on circular gastronomy and vertical farming. Vertical farming, as a way of securing raw materials in a sustainable way in a scenario of climate change, will be linked to this new circular gastronomy, which seeks strategies that promote sustainability in the different links of the chain. 

Sustainability is about balance, a balance to which Madrid Fusión Dreams also gives territorial value. This will be the central theme of a debate with several young chefs who have decided to return to their home towns to set up their own businesses. This is the case of Aragonese chefs Iris Jordán (Ansils*), Xune Andrade (Monte*, San Feliz, Lena, Asturias), Juan Carlos García (Vandelvira*, Baeza, Jaén) and Alejandro Hernández (Versátil, Zarza de Granadilla, Cáceres). 

On Tuesday, the elBulliFoundation and Ferran Adrià will once again contribute to Dreams, this time with a 360º approach to restaurant management, with a global workshop on marketing, communication and commercialisation applied to a restaurant. 

Better food

The third day will focus on the impact of AI on food and health, showing how these technologies can help improve allergen management, personalised menu planning, nutritional label interpretation and food sustainability assessment.

Rafael Urrialde, Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, will help us understand how AI works when applied to human nutrition, while Dr Serafín Murillo (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona) will talk about nutritional evidence in relation to diabetes. The use of fermentation and enzymes will also be discussed from a health perspective. 

The role of biogenetics in crop improvement and functional foods, as well as its social and ethical implications, will be part of the third day of Madrid Fusión Dreams, with a debate on how biotechnology could change our historical relationship with food through the introduction of techniques such as genetic modification. The National Food Strategy will also be the focus of a presentation by Ana Rodríguez Castaño, Secretary General for Agricultural Resources and Food Security at the Ministry of Agriculture.

This last day of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation will also be dedicated to a social group that is often forgotten and underestimated: the elderly. Under the title 'From Ageism to the Silver Economy', a roundtable will change the traditional perception of the elderly, from seeing them as a vulnerable group or a challenge to society, to recognising them as an opportunity for economic and social development. The so-called Silver Economy highlights the potential of an increasingly active and diverse population with new consumer demands, especially in sectors such as food, health and services.