WORKPLAN
Objectives
The need to maintain the production of local foods characterized by a high nutritional index, update traditional food production methodologies by developing attractive tech-based approaches, promote healthy eating habits that meet consumers’ preferences and acceptability, as well as reducing the complexity of supply chains (Farm to Fork) must be addressed to ensure food and nutrition security. This is especially true in Mediterranean countries undergoing dietary and nutritional changes that affect their inhabitants’ health while creating many socio-economic and environmental challenges. These changes have happened despite the health benefits of consuming a Mediterranean diet
(MD) demonstrated in numerous epidemiological studies, and because dietary interventions are effective, it is essential to identify and address perceived barriers to healthy eating. PROMEDLIFE aims to increase adherence to the MD through a multi-actor approach by encouraging the adoption of a healthy eating lifestyle while decreasing the environmental and economic impact of food production and processing. It also aims to attain optimal food communication and education through training programs that target primary and (upper) secondary students as well as their families, from children to older adults.
Work Package 1 – Management and coordination
The objectives of WP1 are to ensure a high standard of supervision, quality control and overall coordination of project activities; to ensure technical and financial excellence of project implementation; to implement data management so that confidentiality is not breached; to control the project progress in relation to the established KPIs and monitor and manage potential risks.
Work Package 2 – Assessment of socio-economic, cultural barriers and drivers of food choices
The objectives of WP2 are to assess socioeconomic, attitudinal and cultural factors that support or determine food choices, with particular reference to healthy dietary patterns inspired by the MD in each country; to investigate consumer food preferences, knowledge and awareness about the MD; understanding motivation, attitudes, drivers and barriers of food choices, and evaluating the quality of food consumption habits in given territories.
Work Package 3 – Innovative and sustainable production and characterization of raw materials for the development of novel healthy foods
The objectives of WP3 are to develop novel Smart Farming technologies for Repron® saffron production; to identify innovative varieties for enhanced argan oil quality and production; to evaluate the nutritional, qualitative and sensory values of selected raw materials through a metabolomics approach; to define the bioactivity of the raw materials through an in-vitro approach; to identify and apply a traceability system for raw materials based on stable isotope, elemental fingerprinting and statistical modelling.
Work Package 4 – Innovative food transformation, healthy snacks production and scale up
The objectives of WP4 are to test and assess new products using selected technologies to maintain bioactive compounds and nutritional values; to define the nutritional, qualitative and sensory values of produced snacks through a metabolomics approach to test the keeping of the bioactive compounds and the nutritional value; to define the bioactivity of the produced snacks through an in-vitro approach to determine its trend after the processing; to scale up into the industrial application the production of the new functional foods maintaining the bioactivity and nutritional values of the unprocessed best raw materials and avoid reactions producing undesirable compounds; to redesign and standardise a traditional Moroccan recipe for producing Amlou.
Work Package 5 – Consumers’ empowerment and education
The objectives of WP5 are to develop and apply educational materials, interactive educational games and contents specifically targeted towards children, adolescents and families with caregivers to improve their awareness of a healthy and sustainable diet; to promote healthy diets inspired by the Mediterranean dietary model through socio-cultural actions and strategies, and appropriate information provided to consumers and policymakers; to pilot/exploit the Giocampus project methodology in the partners’ countries; to develop an IT tool and a specific claim to help consumers verify the direct link between products and the Mediterranean territory; to demonstrate the efficacy of a free trial food intervention in increasing adherence to a healthy Mediterranean dietary model, implementing an educational intervention in at least three Mediterranean countries; to explore the effect of sensory-based food education coupled with nutritional education programs to obtain a synergic increase in the effectiveness of promoting the adherence to the MD and the acceptability of the new snacks.
Work Package 6 – Dissemination, communication and exploitation of projects outputs
The objectives of WP6 are to disseminate PROMEDLIFE outcomes through a communication plan that guarantees increasing visibility of the project and its results among the target audience and broad public; to share the importance of the subject with the academic and research community interested in the topics addressed by the project and to stimulate further research; to maximise the dissemination and communication range and impact, providing information to multiple audiences, from academic and technical to broader audiences; to plan the long-term (sustainability) collaboration after the project ends, including upscaling and spreading the action through the application.