The Undergraduate Culinary Education Study Program of the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), organized the VeggieVolution 2026 Culinary Innovation Festival, an exhibition showcasing students' innovative culinary creations developed from vegetables. Held at the UNY Auditorium on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), the festival featured 96 student-developed products promoting healthy, innovative, and sustainable food.
Carrying the theme "VeggieVolution," the festival served as a platform to disseminate the outcomes of the Food Product Innovation course while encouraging greater vegetable consumption through attractive, value-added culinary products. The exhibition highlighted students' capabilities in conducting research and development (R&D), from recipe formulation to product packaging suitable for commercialization.
In his opening remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Ir. Mutiara Nugraheni, expressed appreciation to everyone involved in organizing the event. According to him, the VeggieVolution theme reflects a commitment to transforming the culinary sector toward healthier, more sustainable, and more innovative food systems by utilizing fruits and vegetables as primary ingredients.
"As a higher education institution, the Culinary Education Study Program has the responsibility to foster innovations that integrate science, technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Through this festival, students not only create products with appealing taste and presentation but also emphasize nutritional value, food safety, sustainable production processes, and commercialization potential," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fitri Rahmawati, Head of the Department of Culinary and Fashion Engineering Education, explained that the exhibition represents the practical outcome of the Food Product Innovation course, which focuses on developing high-fiber food products using vegetables as the main ingredients.
"VeggieVolution is our response to the growing challenge of low dietary fiber consumption. Through this event, students demonstrate their competence in creating innovative vegetable-based products that are not only healthy but also attractive and commercially promising," she explained.
The festival chairperson, M. Ghanang Al-Ghifari, added that plant-based food innovation has become a rapidly growing global trend as public awareness of health and environmental sustainability continues to increase. Responding to this opportunity, the Vegetable-Based Culinary Innovation Exhibition provides a platform to encourage creativity and innovation in developing healthy, value-added, and sustainable vegetable-based food products while supporting increased vegetable consumption and the growth of Indonesia's culinary industry based on local biological resources.
Open to the public, the festival featured a wide variety of vegetable-based products, including snacks, desserts, beverages, and other innovative food items. Beyond serving as a learning platform, the event strengthened collaboration among students, lecturers, and the wider community in promoting healthy food innovation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Among the featured innovations was Crunchkin, developed by Wanda Febriana, a nutritious mini cookie made with pumpkin puree as a healthy snack for children and adolescents. Another highlight was Boringa, a pandan steamed cake enriched with moringa leaves, created by Malwa Hanifah.
Through VeggieVolution 2026, UNY Culinary Education students demonstrated that vegetables can be transformed into creative, marketable culinary products capable of meeting society's growing demand for healthier and more sustainable food choices.
