Food Design as a tool for the development of community co-creation strategies and the strengthening of regenerative tourism and sustainable gastronomy. Case study: La Mariposa, Usaquén

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61799/2216-0388.1949

Keywords:

Community co-creation, food design thinking, gastronomy, community tourism, Biodegradable packaging, food innovation, hiking

Abstract

Nature-based tourism often generates plastic waste due to the use of disposable packaging for portable foods. This study explores a sustainable alternative through community-based food design in La Mariposa (Usaquén, Bogotá), an urban laboratory for regenerative tourism. The objective was to co-create, together with local women leaders, portable foods wrapped in natural materials (banana, bijao, and achira leaves) to reduce plastic use and revalue territorial gastronomy. A qualitative approach was applied, based on participatory workshops using Food Design Thinking to ideate, prototype, and evaluate proposals. The results include prototypes of “hiking cakes” with biodegradable wrappers that demonstrated resistance and functionality, while reviving traditional culinary knowledge and strengthening cultural identity. The initiative fostered community empowerment and enriched the tourist experience with local narratives. It is concluded that co-creating foods with natural packaging is a viable strategy for sustainable tourism, although it requires supportive policies and further research on safety, seasonality, and institutional coordination.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Luis Antonio Marín Moncada, Professor

    Professional Gastronome. Specialist in Teaching and Education. Master's Candidate in History. Teaching and Research Faculty (or Research Professor), Fundación Universitaria Cafam – Unicafam, Bogotá, Colombia.

  • Sandra Juliana Enriquez Bernal , Professor

    Food Engineer. Master's in Social Studies of Science. Research Professor, Fundación Universitaria Cafam – Unicafam. Bogotá, Colombia.

  • Brayan Jair Niño Florez, Professor

    Gastronomy Technologist. Bogotá, Colombia. Email: brayan.nino@unicafam.edu.co. Research Professor, Fundación Universitaria Cafam – Unicafam, Bogotá.

References

[1] EPA – United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data (2018),” 2021. [Online]. Disponible en: https://www.epa.gov

[2] M. Kalina, E. Tilley, and M. Sillanpää, “The importance of advanced sustainable packaging in the circular economy,” Sustainable Production and Consumption, vol. 27, pp. 1227–1243, 2021.

[3] N. B. Salazar, “Community-based cultural tourism: issues, threats and opportunities,” Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 9–22, 2012. Disponible en: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669582.2011.596279

[4] G. Richards, “Food and tourism: the role of gastronomy in sustainable tourism,” Revista Turismo & Desenvolvimento, vol. 2, no. 17/18, pp. 1647–1988, 2012. Disponible en: https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/the-role-of-gastronomy-in-tourism-development/

[5] O. Fals Borda, La ciencia y el pueblo: nuevas reflexiones sobre la investigación-acción. Bogotá: Tercer Mundo Editores, 1987. Disponible en: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=608217

[6] F. Zampollo and M. Peacock, “Food Design Thinking,” The Journal of Creative Behavior, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 203–210, 2016. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302917120_Food_Design_Thinking_A_Branch_of_Design_Thinking_Specific_to_Food_Design

[7] F. Zampollo. ¿What is food design? A description of the 14 Food Design sub-disciplines and how these intersect.2023. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377951005_WHAT_IS_FOOD_DESIGN_A_description_of_the_14_Food_Design_sub-disciplines_and_how_these_intersect

[8] N. M. Forero-Cabrera, S. Gutiérrez-Pacheco, J. Rivera-Acosta, A. F. Silva-Dimaté, and C. M. Sánchez-Sáenz, “Hoja de plátano como envase de lulo para diferentes temperaturas de almacenamiento y sus efectos sobre las características poscosecha,” Agronomía Colombiana, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 107–115, 2017. Disponible en: http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/agron.colomb.v35n1.64135

[9] R. L. Pratama and Junianto, “Banana leaves as a natural food packaging: A review,” GSJ, vol. 9, no. 12, pp. 625–628, 2021. Disponible en: https://www.globalscientificjournal.com/researchpaper/Banana_Leaves_as_A_Natural_Food_Packaging_A_Review.pdf

[10] R. Scheyvens, “Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities,” Tourism Management, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 245–249, 1999. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(98)00069-7

[11] J. Gascón, “Turismo rural comunitario y diferenciación campesina: Consideraciones a partir de un caso andino,” Mundo Agrario, vol. 11, no. 22, pp. 1–19, 2011. Disponible en: https://www.mundoagrario.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/MAv11n22a01

[12] C. M. Gutiérrez-Aguilar et al., “Artifact as a node of heterogeneous relationships: A study with traditional natural packaging in cooking and food preparation practices in Antioquia, Colombia,” Philosophies, vol. 7, no. 5, p. 119, 2022. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7050119

[13] R. Scheyvens, Tourism for Development: Empowering Communities. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2002. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Regina-Scheyvens-2/publication/245617163_Case_study_ecotourism_and_the_empowerment_of_local_communities/links/57521f7508ae6807fafb76cb/Case-study-ecotourism-and-the-empowerment-of-local-communities.pdf

[14] M. Sicart, Play Matters. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2014. Disponible en: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262534512/play-matters/

[15] S. E. Silva, M. N. Bonilla, J. S. Hernández, and R. Pérez, “Alimentos vernáculos en vías de extinción,” CIBA, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 112–120, 2016. Disponible en: https://ciba.org.mx/index.php/CIBA/article/view/47

[16] WWF Colombia, “Informe sobre plásticos de un solo uso en Colombia,” 2024. [Online]. Disponible en: https://www.wwf.org.co.

[17] Y. P. Cardona, T. I. Niebles, and M. P. Jarava, “Desarrollo metodológico de la investigación acción participativa para la formulación de planes sectoriales de turismo con enfoque sostenible,” Revista CECAR, 2022. [Online]. Disponible en: https://repositorio.cecar.edu.co/handle/123456789/4762

[18] F. Zampollo, Food Design Thinking: The Complete Methodology. Independently Published, 2018. Disponible en: https://www.worldcat.org/title/1041926673 (enlace a ficha del libro)

[19] K. Goebel, C. Camargo-Borges, and M. Eelderink, “Exploring participatory action research as a driver for sustainable tourism,” International Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 425–437, 2019. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2312

[20] V. Martínez Quintana, “El turismo de naturaleza: un producto turístico sostenible,” Arbor, vol. 193, no. 785, pp. a396, 2017. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2017.785n3006

[21] SECTUR, “Turismo de naturaleza en México,” Secretaría de Turismo, 2016. [Online]. Disponible en: https://apps1.semarnat.gob.mx/dgeia/informe15/tema/pdf/07_turismo.pdf

[22] M. A. Socatelli, Fundamentos del Desarrollo Regenerativo y el Turismo Regenerativo. Fundación REImagine, 2021. Disponible en: https://campusuci2.com/REP/154/1542/09MAP/03/21.pdf

[23] A. Pauls, “Qué es el turismo regenerativo y cuáles son sus beneficios,” National Geographic Viajes, 2022. [Online]. Disponible: https://www.nationalgeographicla.com/viajes/2022/09/que-es-el-turismo-regenerativo-y-cuales-son-sus-beneficios

[24] G. Duarte. Estudio del desempeño mecánico de una matriz polimérica natural reforzada con fibra de (bijao) Calathea lutea; Universidad Industrial de Santander, 2017. Disponible en :https://noesis.uis.edu.co/items/14f723ef-9bf6-43c5-9706-b2fa958c3f06

[25] D. Armas-Ruíz et al. “Caracterización de propiedades mecánicas de las fibras de plátano de la corteza y el cuerpo del tallo”. Científica, 2017, vol. 21, núm. 21, pág. 21-26. Disponible en:https://www.redalyc.org/journal/614/61447568003/html/

[26] M. Morales y Y. Chaparro. Inventario de alimentos ancestrales envueltos en hoja de la región andina de Colombia. Universidad de Antioquia. 2020. Disponible en: https://bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/9bd918ab-c2d1-4964-be96-83cf34a5d59c/content

[27] C. Caicedo y M. Ascuntar-Rivera. “Caracterización experiencial de la hoja de achira: un abordaje exploratorio desde el diseño industrial”. Trilogía: Ciencia Tecnología y Sociedad. 2023. 15(31), e2875. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.22430/21457778.2875

[28] J. Nastasi et al. Pectin-based films and coatings with plant extracts as natural preservatives: A systematic review. Trends in food science & technology. Volume 120, February 2022, Pages 193-211. Disponible en: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224422000140?via%3Dihub

[29] L. Castillo- Rodríguez et al. Development of edible films based on pectin and essential oil extracted from orange (Citrus sinensis) peel using a central composite design. CyTA - Journal of Food. 2025. 23:1, 2525175, Disponible en: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19476337.2025.2525175

[30] S. Kalina et al. Potential use of plant leaves and sheath as food packaging materials in tackling plastic pollution: A Review. Ceylon Journal of Science. 2024. 53 (1) p. 21-37. Disponible: http://doi.org/10.4038/cjs.v53i1.8145

[31] R. Ángel Bravo. La trilogía del envuelto: Las hojas de las plantas como recurso utilitario en el contexto alimentario, más allá de la estética y la funcionalidad - Una revisión bibliográfica. 20 Festival Internacional de la imagen Inter-especies. Universidad de Manizales. 2022. Disponible: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359297552_La_trilogia_del_envuelto_Las_hojas_de_las_plantas_como_recurso_utilitario_en_el_contexto_alimentario_mas_alla_de_la_estetica_y_la_funcionalidad_-_Una_revision_bibliografica

[32] Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. Resolución 2674 de 2013. Disponible en: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Normatividad_Nuevo/Resolución%202674%20de%202013.pdf

[33] L. A. Marín Moncada, V. Martínez Guzmán, M. Á. Torres Villa, J. I. Cabrera Durán, D. C. González Villarreal y S. F. Amaro Cavada, Plazas de mercado: lenguajes y narrativas gastronómicas. Bogotá: Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, 2023. Disponible en: https://digitk.areandina.edu.co/handle/areandina/5921

[34] L. A. Marín Moncada, V. Martínez Guzmán, J. S. Ochoa Laverde y J. S. Wilches Bernal, “Lenguajes gastronómicos: estéticas y procesos creativos como objeto de expresión artística y sus interrelaciones poiéticas. Caso de estudio: actores y gestores del ámbito gastrocultural en Bogotá,” Beoiberística, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 279–298, 2023. [En línea]. Disponible en: https://beoiberistica.fil.bg.ac.rs/index.php/beoiberistica/es/article/view/beoiber-2023-7-1-14

Published

2025-09-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 33 (2025)

Section

Artículo Originales

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Mundo FESC Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

[1]
Marín Moncada, L.A. et al. 2025. Food Design as a tool for the development of community co-creation strategies and the strengthening of regenerative tourism and sustainable gastronomy. Case study: La Mariposa, Usaquén. Mundo FESC Journal. 15, 33 (Sep. 2025). DOI:https://doi.org/10.61799/2216-0388.1949.