Fair Food for a Smart Life: FAIRFOOD has been approved!
On September 2020, the Spanish Erasmus+ National Agency – SEPIE communicated the approval of the FAIRFOOD – Fair Food for a Smart Life proposal, under the KA2 Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices – Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training.
There is wide evidence that a correct diet is a source of health and longevity, although socioeconomic changes have led many people to eat poorly with serious risks and long-term costs. Hence, the convenience of returning to traditional food, simpler and healthier, but in danger of being lost due to the change in nutritional habits fostered by globalisation, is of paramount importance.
The purpose of FAIRFOOD project is to contribute to the improvement of health through a nutritional education inspired by the way our ancestors ate, with natural products, typical of the territory, treated in a simple way and consumed in its season, while contributing to preserve a European culinary and cultural heritage and to stop climate change. The rich European gastronomic culture counts on the Mediterranean diet, an intangible heritage of Humanity.
FAIRFOOD brings together universities, experts in the agro-food sector, consultants and educators for a triple objective:
- Identify and preserve ancestral knowledge about products and traditional modalities of production, conservation and consumption of food at risk of disappearing, in the regions of the project, as a way to preserve this cultural legacy.
- Disseminate this knowledge among the population in general and especially among the youngest, through face-to-face and online training programs, and being present in social networks, with the collaboration of opinion leaders and influencers.
- Encourage entrepreneurship and business continuity of this type in rural areas, respectful of the environment, to improve their appeal and competitiveness, attract and fix population.
To achieve its objectives, FAIRFOOD will develop:
- FairFood OER online platform for knowledge and training on traditional healthy food, with 3 sections, available in 5 languages (Spanish, English, Italian, French and Portuguese).
- FOODPEDIA, a repository of ancestral knowledge about native foods, crops, techniques of treatment and conservation, consumption, etc., respectful of their nature and health, including culinary recipes and traditional preparations, delivered in 100 fiches to make them easily accessible.
- FAIRFOOD TOOLKIT, a set of 10 courses at two levels (basic and advanced) on healthy eating based on natural and nearby foods, targeted at students of high schools (basic) and professional and university training in gastronomy and nutrition (advanced).
- TEST & VALIDATION, with the training of 250 students face-to-face and the testing of materials and levels in both the online and offline modes.
The desired results point to an improvement in food education of the population, especially among young people, and to a greater awareness of the value of this cultural heritage. For the rural world, recovering and maintaining these activities is fundamental for the survival of many towns and populations, creating competitive and sustainable businesses and decreasing depopulation. For the environment, going back to less aggressive modes of production means reducing environmental impact.
FAIRFOOD will be co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme of the European Commission and will be implemented between 2020/22. The project, led by the University of Malaga, brings together 6 partners from 4 countries (Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium).
In the Project, IHF asbl brings its expertise and experience as a key social player in international and European projects. In particular, IHF asbl ensures the “European Dimension” of the Project as it carries out all the technical tasks from a “European Perspective”, i.e. carrying out analysis of relevant EU policies and initiatives; extrapolating EU relevant case studies, lessons learned and best practices.
For further information on FAIRFOOD and other IHF asbl initiatives:
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