LIFE FOODPRINT is a project funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme that aims to promote sustainable food consumption and production practices. The project provides a variety of digital and offline educational resources and tools, including a carbon calculator, webinars, educational materials, and good practice guides. The project involves collaboration with schools and universities to integrate sustainable food practices into their curriculum, as well as with food producers, retailers, and policymakers to promote sustainable food systems.Target groups targeted by this project include:
Businesses operating in the Food and Hospitality industries of Cyprus
Professionals on sustainable solutions and practices to possibly prevent and reduce food waste through their application
Students following a programme related to the hospitality and food industry
Local authorities, NGOs and civil society organisations
Policy makers of the national government and large municipalities
General public including households, consumers, school children.
The project consists of preparatory, core, monitoring, communication, and project management actions. The preparatory actions include project management, mapping of the current situation, and communication planning. Core actions include developing a collaboration network, organizing workshops, and creating project materials. Monitoring actions will measure the project’s environmental, socio-economic, and awareness-raising impacts. Communication and dissemination actions involve implementing a public awareness campaign and transferring knowledge to stakeholders.
Strengths
Impact: LIFE FOODPRINT has the potential to make a significant impact in promoting sustainable food consumption and production practices. By providing educational resources and tools for consumers, food producers, retailers, and policymakers, the project can raise awareness and encourage behavior change towards more sustainable food choices. The project’s focus on carbon footprint calculation and reduction is particularly important in addressing the environmental impact of food systems.
Replicability: The educational resources and tools provided by LIFE FOODPRINT can be easily replicated and adapted to different contexts and audiences. The project’s emphasis on online and digital resources makes it accessible to a wide range of people, regardless of location or language. The project’s collaboration with schools and universities also provides a model for integrating sustainable food practices into educational curricula, which can be replicated in other settings.
LIFE FOODPRINT’s collaboration with NGOs, research institutes, and businesses across Europe is another strength of the project. This collaboration ensures a diverse range of perspectives and expertise are brought to the project.
Challenges in implementation
Behavioral change: Promoting sustainable food consumption and production practices requires behavior change, which can be difficult to achieve. The project’s educational resources and tools may not be sufficient to overcome ingrained habits and cultural norms related to food choices.
Funding and resources: Sustainable food systems require investment and resources to develop, and LIFE FOODPRINT’s funding is limited to the duration of the project.
Coordination and collaboration: The project’s collaboration with multiple stakeholders across Europe may present challenges in coordinating efforts and ensuring effective communication and implementation of sustainable food practices.
Policy and regulation: The project’s impact may be limited by existing policies and regulations related to food production and distribution. Changes in policy and regulation may be necessary to fully realize the potential impact of sustainable food practices promoted by LIFE FOODPRINT.
