Module for VET Degrees on Gastronomy on “Sustainable Cooking”

"<< Background >>The fight against climate change can start on our plates. Our dietary choices wield the power to diminish the environmental impact of mass agriculture, industrial fisheries, and cattle breeding and, apart from pollution, food waste is a significant problem - protein that could be used for 72 million people a year being wasted due to the lack of insufficient management for the long term. Aligned with these concerns, the European Commission seeks to halve food waste through binding targets across the EU by 2023. In 2017, one out of five deaths in the EU was attributable to unhealthy diets. A healthy, plant-based diet reduces the risk of life-threatening diseases and the environmental impact The VET-ECOoking project promotes environmental sustainability through cooking practices. This initiative fills a gap in VET courses within the Cooking field by introducing a training module on sustainable cooking for VET trainees. The project addresses four main needs: 1) Environmental concerns, focusing on reducing food waste; 2) Human health, advocating for a healthier diet; 3) Labor market demands for qualified professionals in sustainable cooking; 4) VET's need for innovation and curriculum updates to meet current standards.<< Objectives >>This project aimed to develop a training module about sustainable cooking to be included in the national curricula for Cooking VET courses. The rationale behind VET-ECOoking was that all cooking professionals would be better equipped and prepared to deal with issues such as the impact of mass production on both humans and the planet, as enhancers of the gastronomic experience. EU member-states lack efficient VET offers concerning the provision of sustainable cooking skills. It was, therefore, important to upgrade the qualifications and abilities of future cooking professionals. In short, the goals were: 1. To create a training module on “Sustainable Cooking” for VET students in the field of cooking; 2. To develop hard and soft skills of VET students to prepare sustainable, high-quality gastronomy and raise awareness for the importance of fighting climate change; 3. To better prepare the VET students to address the challenges at the workplace, with a focus on greener dietary options; 4. To increase the notoriety of VET in the field of cooking; 5. To use cooking as a departure point to raise awareness for the sustainable development goals (namely no.s 2, 3, 6, and 12).<< Implementation >>The following activities were implemented to reach the project’s objectives:1. Benchmarking of existing curricula on sustainable cooking and other relevant related content in 4 countries with 12 initiatives being collected;2. Conduction of 107 interviews with experts in VET Training, Environmental Sustainability, and the Gastronomy Industry;3. Organization of 4 roundtables with 22 experts in VET Training, Environmental Sustainability, and the Gastronomy Industry;4. Identification and showcase 28 good practices on Sustainable Cooking;5. Production of 4 national and 1 global report on the “State of the Art and Good Practices concerning Sustainable Cooking”;6. Definition of the curricula for VET Cooking Courses on “Sustainable Cooking” (available in 4 languages);7. Creation of a VET module on Sustainable Cooking to be integrated into VET courses of Gastronomy (available in 4 languages);8. Development of a training platform with the contents and resources of the module (available in 4 languages);9. Conduction of 12 Evaluation and Validation Meetings with 39 experts in VET Training, Environmental Sustainability, and the Gastronomy Industry;10. Testing the platform's functionality and usability with 41 interested persons;11. Pilot test the module with 12 trainers and 110 trainees;12. Organization of an online show-cooking activity with trainers and trainees from all the countries;13. Conduction of 7 Multiplier Events and 1 Final Conference, with a total of 310 participants;14. Create a Final Publication titled “Promoting Sustainable Cooking to fight for a better World” (available in 4 languages). The previously established numbers were always surpassed maximising the project's impact. << Results >>The main results achieved were:• 4 National and 1 Global report titled ""State of the Art and Good Practices concerning Sustainable Cooking"" (available in 4 languages).• 1 VET module on Sustainable Cooking developed to be integrated into VET courses of Gastronomy (available in 4 languages).• 1 Training platform created with the contents and resources of the module (available in 4 languages).• 1 Final publication named ""Promoting Sustainable Cooking to fight for a better World"" (available in 4 languages).Operational results include:• 1 Project Management Handbook;• 1 Interim and 1 Final Report;• 1 Quality Management Plan;• 4 Quality Reports;• 1 Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation Plan;• 4 Dissemination reports.Transversal results encompassed:• Development of professional and soft skills of VET trainees for their better integration into the labor market;• Dissemination of good practices in the field of sustainable cooking;• Awareness-raising for the problem of food waste and overconsumption of resources;• Increased attractiveness of VET courses in gastronomy due to their update and innovative methods;• Bridging the gap between the needs of the labour market and the VET offer;• Contributing to the fight against climate change through simple changes in food habits"