Alimentarium

The Alimentarium, also known as the Food Museum, is a museum dedicated to food located in the Vaudoise town of Vevey, Switzerland. The museum is owned and operated by the Nestlé-funded Alimentarium Foundation, and is located in front of (and maintains) the Fork of Vevey.

Alimentarium

Established	21 June 1985 (1985-06-21)
Location	Vevey
Type	Food museum
Visitors	38,936 (2024)[1]
Founder	Martin Schärer
Director	Boris Wastiau
Owner	Fondation Alimentarium
Website	https://alimentarium.org

History

In 1921, the Nestlé company established its first administrative center in a neoclassical-style building located on the shores of Lake Geneva. The company's management remained there until 1936, when it moved to a new headquarters, and moved again in 1958 to its current location.

The creation of a museum dedicated to human nutrition was announced in 1980, with its grand opening initially planned for 1982 or 1983:^[2][3] the original building was then completely renovated and finally opened its doors on June 21, 1985.^[4]

To mark its tenth anniversary, the Fork of Vevey, an 8-meter tall stainless steel fork was set on the shores of the lake, in front of the museum, as part of a temporary exhibition.^[5] Removed at the end of the exhibition in March 1996, it was reinstated more than ten years later following a public petition.^[6]

As part of Nestlé's 150th anniversary, the museum was completely renovated in 2016, including the creation of an annex and a botanical garden dedicated to edible plants.^[7]

The museum is listed as a Swiss cultural property of national significance. It was established as a Nestlé-sponsored foundation and is governed by a foundation board composed of representatives from the company, the Federal Department of the Interior, and the Canton of Vaud, among others.^[8]

Collections

The museum's permanent exhibition is designed around the theme of "cooking, buying, eating and digesting" and also presents the history of the Nestlé company.^[4] It also offers many temporary exhibitions related to food, such as cooking workshops. The museum's restaurant also frequently offers meals related to current exhibitions.^[9]