If you are active on Instagram or other social media sites, there is a good chance you have seen pictures of a food museum. The fluorescent-colored walls and interactive exhibits give way to a complete sensory experience, and everyone is dying to go. There is a range to choose of different museums to choose from. There is the Museum of Ice Cream, which is touring around the country, and the New York Museum of Food and Drink (MoFAD). Internationally you can also find the Currywurst Museum in Germany and the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in Japan, just to name a few. It seems that food is the key ingredient to a successful art space.

While many may enjoy spending the day splashing in sprinkles and posing with a replica of ramen, is it fair to call these sensationalist locations museums?

The magazine HyperAllergic printed a recent feature about the economic benefits of claiming gallery status. "The trendy adoption of the word 'museum' has the potential to undermine the trust placed in cultural institutions, perhaps altering our relationship to culture, art, and commerce in the process," the author wrote. “Museum is a loaded word. Organizations like The American Alliance of Museums and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) uphold rigorous standards for accreditation, the official designation 'museum' can increase credibility and access to government and private grants.” Thus begging the question, are corporate-funded galleries banking off of the museum title? 

While the idea that art can be interactive and bright is valid, the oversaturation of food museums is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some art traditionalists.