ATE Cookies®
The HungerNdThirst Foundation developed ATE Cookies® (Awareness Through Experience) in 2017 to simulate taste alterations and raise awareness of their impact. Changes in taste and smell—common side effects of chemotherapy—can reduce the enjoyment of eating, lead to food aversions, diminish appetite, and contribute to malnutrition. These changes can also negatively affect emotional well-being and social interaction, increasing the risk of isolation, depression, and inadequate nutritional intake.
ATE Cookies offer healthcare professionals, caregivers, and the wider public a tangible way to understand these often invisible challenges. By creating a shared sensory experience, the cookies foster empathy, spark meaningful dialogue, and promote better support for patients facing taste and smell disturbances.
Research shows that patients frequently associate altered taste with hospital food consumed during treatment, reinforcing long-term aversions (Bernstein, 1978; Boltong & Keast, 2012). These aversions may persist well after treatment ends, undermining recovery. Moreover, such changes impact quality of life and self-sufficiency, particularly in social settings like family meals or dining out, which can become distressing or isolating experiences (de Vries et al., 2016).
To date, over 45,000 individuals—including caregivers, healthcare professionals, industry representatives, university hospitals, and academic institutions—have used ATE Cookies to build awareness and better understand the lived experiences of patients. It is essential that these symptoms be openly discussed with patients and that their support networks are actively involved in managing the broader implications (Postma et al., 2017).