ABSTRACT
Digital technologies increasingly contribute to food cultures and practices. Diet tracking apps, smart kitchenware, online ‘diet hacking’ forums – these are just a few examples from the burgeoning realm of technology products designed to datafy our experiences with food. Pivotal to this food-technology innovation is the Silicon Valley startup sector that has developed major interests in designing solutions for ‘better’ – sustainable and healthy as well as convenient and playful – food futures. The Silicon Valley startup sector has been on the cusp of food technology innovation since 2012. The Complete Foods (CF) diet came into a wider public recognition in 2013, along with the launch of the first CF product called Soylent. Participants had distinct motivations to follow the diet that most often revolved around their desire to improve their personal health and optimise their daily schedules. Besides CF recipes and experiences, forum users often share spreadsheets with their personal diet tracking data and medical records.
