To contribute to the integration of Food Sustainability Education (FSE) in primary and secondary Catalan schools by:

(1) Analyzing the present situation.
(2) Identifying priorities and required actions.
(3) Compiling/disseminating materials/practices that promote this integration.

In the last decades, food habits have been changing, with an increase of consumption of red and processed meat, saturated fat, sugar, refined and energy-dense foods, together with low physical activity. This type of eating habits, together with low physical activity, are related to overweight and obesity, which can cause non-communicable diseases. In Catalonia 35.4% of the adult population are overweighed and 16.7% has obesity. Concerning children (6-12 years old), 24.4% are overweighed and 13.8% have obesity. To tackle this, in 2006, the Health Department of the Catalan Government launched a 10-years Comprehensive plan for health promotion through physical activity and healthy eating (PAAS in Catalan). Regarding education, PAAS established interventions that aimed at promoting a healthy food environment and physical activity for pupils in schools and encouraging health education. While a strong focus was placed on improving school meals and healthier food consumption in the published guidelines, little has been done to integrate food education within the curricula.

This proposal focuses on Food Sustainability Education (FSE). Food production and consumption are essential elements for the wellbeing of the population, which are facing global and local challenges. These include the growing food demand (due to global rising population), food waste, biodiversity reduction, pesticide use, water scarcity, and malnutrition issues, such as undernourishment and obesity. To tackle these global issues, policy initiatives on shifting towards sustainable food systems have been created, such as the Food Systems Summit 2021 (at the global scale), the Farm to Fork strategy (at the European Level), the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFFP) at the city level (in which Barcelona has signed the pact and this year hosts the 7^th MUFFP Global Forum, ); and other initiatives at more local scales, of which the UPF initiative on Planetary menus in the canteens is an example.

Besides the nutritional and health-related reasons, the adoption of sustainable food consumption habits is an essential step to reduce environmental impacts, as reported by the IPCC and the EAT Lancet Commission. Global food systems are responsible of 20-30% of the anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and they are resource intensive: they consume70% of the total global freshwater and 30% primary energy. In particular, an average Catalan adult emits about 2 tonnes of CO₂, consumes 146 m³ of blue water and uses 2,556 m² of land, related to the food she or he consumes in a year. Moreover, food losses and waste contribute to 20% of these environmental impacts. Tackling the problematics related with food production and consumption is necessary and urgent, not only for environmental concerns, but also for economic and ethical reasons.

Individual Food choices depend on a range of socio-economic variables, including purchasing power, as well as on the information available to the consumer. Education is an essential transformative factor of the behavior of future generations that in turn has the potential to impact on present-day family behaviors and to shape social food consumption patterns. Several studies show the importance of Education Sustainable Development (ESD) to enhance awareness and critical thinking among pupils. The UNESCO explicitly states the importance of integrating ESD in all curricula of formal education as well as in teachers’ education, as a powerful change agent. Moreover, UNESCO highlights that ESD should not only add new content, but educational centres should be spaces to learn and experience sustainable development. This is in line with the UPF Planetary Wellbeing initiative as a commitment of the university to tackling the major challenges of society in the 21st Century.

This proposal aims to contribute to a shift in educational programs and policies regarding FSE in Catalan schools. While there are numerous initiatives that integrate FSE at the individual school level and there are particular targeted programs for specific issues, such as school menus, we aim to contribute to integrate food related concerns to the educational system by prioritizing, raising awareness, assessing, generating knowledge and developing information and teaching materials targeted to Catalan schools. The specific areas that these materials shall cover will be determined in the exploratory phase. However, relevant topics such as nutrition and wellbeing; social, economic, and environmental impacts of food consumption and production; food ecolabeling literacy; food waste and loss; or, the impacts of food packaging, are foreseen as key issues to be incorporated in FSE.

WP1: Analysis of FSE in Catalonia

1.1. Analysis of the curricula, regulatory framework, and policies for FSE in Catalonia.

1.2. Networking and inventory of existing FSE initiatives in Catalonia.

1.3. Survey to schools and/or students: awareness, knowledge, and interest in FS(E).

WP2: Diagnosis of the required changes in FSE in Catalonia

2.1. Identification of FSE key topics (not) covered in the curricula.

2.2. Prioritization of food sustainability competences/objectives to be covered and mechanisms for their effective incorporation.

WP3: Development/compiling FSE resources

3.1. Compiling educational FS resources that: 1) raise awareness, 2) enhance curiosity, 3) encourage information search, and 4) develop understanding/critical-thinking

3.2. Developing/compiling assessment tools to evaluate the integration of FS in schools.

WP4: Dissemination and continuity of research

4.1 Sharing results.

4.2 Scientific publishing.

4.3 Internationalization: Research calls and cross-national studies