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Project Topic
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Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern that has been widely described to positively affect health status by contributing to the prevention of obesity and most of the non-transmissible and chronic diseases. In recent years, a decrease in MD adherence has been reported, since cultural and social changes shifted people's lifestyle toward a western diet leading to inadequate intake of both macro- and micro-nutrients that have a pivotal role in achieving and maintaining a good nutritional status. In this context, it is important to investigate food consumption and implement corrective actions through specific design and production of new foods and development of specific educational strategies. The project objectives are to investigate MD adherence and dietary behaviours in the Mediterranean local communities (project partner countries) and implement corrective actions through designing new and healthy foods based on Mediterranean tradition, including some foods enriched with bioactive molecules, and the development of tailored and inclusive strategies (educational toolkits) to help population to shift toward Mediterranean healthy dietary behaviours. To achieve the project objectives, five complementary WPs will be structured: WP1-Project management and coordination. WP2-Perform specific nutritional and social surveys on the food habits of Mediterranean communities (project partner countries) targeting different groups considering age, socio-economic status, gender, educational level, occupation, attitudes, and belief. The attention will be focused on people's nutritional and health status, food habits and possible nutritional inadequacies, MD adherence, and factors able to have an impact on the adoption of healthy nutritional practices.WP3-Design and perform new, healthy foods to sustain people in covering nutritional needs: fortified extra-virgin olive oil, low-fat cheese, and milk derivatives foods (whey beverages, cheese snacks, fermented milks) enriched with bioactive molecules (vitamins, antioxidants). The bioactive molecules will be extracted using green methodologies from organic vegetables waste according to the circular economy model. WP4-Develop tailored and inclusive educational strategies to improve MD adherence, awareness toward healthy dietary behaviours, and sensitise people on the beneficial impact of a healthy diet. Specific toolkits will be designed by considering non-formal and innovative education methods. WP5 will concern the project communication, dissemination and results exploitation. The proposal addresses the specific challenge of the call since it aims to promote the physical and mental human health, in line with the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy and with objectives of Horizon Europe Partnership for Safe and Sustainable Food System for people, planet & climate, by promoting behaviours linked to the Mediterranean lifestyle. An existing network of stakeholders (including local farmer, smallholder, kindergartens, primary and secondary school, universities, no-profit organisation and retirement home) will be involved through a co-creation approach in which stakeholders and consumers will play a central role from the starting step of design processes to the production. Finally, this is an interdisciplinary project that involves food technologists and food biochemists with expertise in the study of new sustainable and healthy foods and nutritionists, sociologists, and computer scientists experts in tailored food educational strategies development.
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