Reimagining corporate food museums as living labs: a heritage-driven model for sustainable, inclusive, and ICT-enhanced food innovation

Corporate food museums are increasingly recognised as strategic heritage infrastructures capable of mediating between industrial memory, territorial identity, and contemporary societal challenges. This paper proposes a conceptual shift that repositions corporate food museums from static repositories of brand heritage to Living Labs for sustainable, inclusive, and participatory food innovation. Drawing on the EU-funded GNAM project, the study adopts a qualitative methodology combining the mapping of Italian corporate food museums with an analysis of European Living Labs in the food and agri-food domain. The comparative framework informs the development of a heritage-driven Living Lab model articulated around three interconnected dimensions: cultural heritage valorisation, community engagement, and sustainable food system innovation. The model is empirically grounded through a series of design-driven workshops, technology-transfer activities, and digital engagement initiatives conducted within corporate museums and academic laboratories in Southern Italy. These include co-creation processes involving students, citizens, companies, and researchers; experimentation with food waste valorisation, biodegradable and hybrid materials, and 3D food printing; and the deployment of digital platforms and immersive virtual environments. The paper contributes to heritage studies by advancing a replicable framework in which corporate food museums act as active agents of sustainable transformation, linking cultural heritage, technological experimentation, and community participation.