"""Ugly"" fruits and veggies...NOT! An innovative educational program towards sustainable consumption and food waste reduction"

"<< Background >>Our project fits into global trends drawing attention to the problem of food waste, especially in the field of the so-called ugly vegetables and fruits. Statistics show that every year one third of edible fruit and vegetables in the world are thrown away, mainly because consumers equate quality with visual attractiveness, and unusual, ""ugly"" products do not meet their expectations. This wasteful practice is due to the linear nature of our current supply chains, which operate on a ""take, make, use and dispose"" model. The project responds to multi-faceted needs. Firstly, there is an urgent need to change consumer perceptions of the appearance of fruit and vegetables. By educating both consumers and retailers, we can focus on the nutritional value rather than the visual perfection of products. The project's application was driven by the need to address the extensive wastage of ""ugly"" fruits and vegetables, the lack of awareness and training among food supply chain professionals and consumers, and the inadequacy of current VET trainer competencies in this area. By developing a comprehensive training program, the project aimed to foster sustainable practices and significantly reduce food waste within the European food supply chain.<< Objectives >>In our project, we implemented several key actions to meet the challenge of reducing food waste, with a particular focus on ""ugly"" fruit and vegetables. We have developed an innovative educational program for VET trainers involved in educating the main authors of the food supply chain. This program provides trainers with knowledge and awareness of the importance of properly storing these products to reduce food waste. The significant role they can play in reducing waste and promoting sustainable production and consumption was highlighted. Additionally, our goal was to make these trainers ""ambassadors"" among consumers by increasing awareness of the importance of reducing waste. We developed, pilot tested and validated UglyFruitsNOT! Training program for VET trainers. We supported educational efforts through digital and creative training and learning tools, such as an e- learning platform and digital interactive storytelling modules, supporting the professional development of VET trainers. Finally, we have assigned a key role to VET trainers to help promote the value of sustainability to professionals in the food supply chain, emphasizing reducing food waste and the importance of sustainable consumption.<< Implementation >>In order to ensure success and achieve efficiency in the implementation of the project, we have taken a number of structured activities. This included developing a comprehensive project management plan and signing partnership agreements to ensure clarity in roles and responsibilities. We built professional relationships, respecting various expectations, and prioritized practical activities and cooperation with field specialists. The steering committee and project teams were established for effective monitoring and control. In the initial phase of the project implementation, we have undertaken effective procedures for its management, including the Project Management Plan, Evaluation and Quality Assurance Plan, Dissemination Plan and the Sustainability and Exploitation Plan. Regular communication and meetings, both physical and virtual, were organized to ensure smooth coordination among partners. We conducted regular online meetings (at least once every 2 months) and held 3 f2f meetings (TPMs) aimed at monitoring the project's progress and maintaining a high level of partner involvement. The kick-off meeting in Poland facilitated initial discussions on project management, implementation, and quality assurance. The mid-term meeting in Germany focused on evaluating the progress and addressing challenges. The final meeting in Bulgaria summarized the project's achievements, discussed sustainability, and planned for the final report. Our main mission was to create an e-learning course and train VET trainers using an innovative training model so that they could use it to educate professionals in the food supply chain in reducing the waste of ""ugly"" fruit and vegetables and raise consumer awareness about sustainable consumption. We created a comprehensive UglyFruitsNOT! curriculum and handbook for VET trainers, providing them with the necessary tools and methodologies to train professionals in the food supply chain. Moreover, we UglyFruitsNOT! developed an interactive online platform to enable trainees virtual self-learning or to support blended learning for VET trainers. We elaborated on UglyFruitsNOT! State-of-the-art Report based on desk and field research that was created to understand the current knowledge and needs related to ""ugly"" fruits and vegetable waste reduction. To provide engaging, educational content for VET trainers and professionals we developed four Digital Interactive Stories.We also organized a short-term training event in Poland (Kraków) to pilot the developed training program with VET trainers. This event provided valuable feedback for further improvements and ensured that trainers were well-prepared to deliver the training program in their respective countries. Furthermore, we organized seven multiplier events across various countries (Portugal, Germany, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, and Poland) to disseminate the project's results and promote awareness among a broader audience, including VET trainers, various actors in the food supply chain, consumers, policymakers, and NGOs.Throughout the project, we also disseminated information about the project, its activities and results via social media, newsletters and leaflets to ensure the impact and sustainability of UglyFruitsNOT! results. During the project implementation period, we constantly control the quality of the project activities and results - regular surveys and progress reports. Among others, the results and project activities were also presented at the Conference ""Show your project! Show your product!"" organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System and Erasmus+ Vocational Education and Training.<< Results >>The ""UglyFruitsNOT!"" project aimed to achieve several objectives through a series of well-defined activities, resulting in concrete outputs and other significant results. All intended results of the UglyFruitsNOT project! have been successfully implemented, resulting in high-quality, innovative resources that effectively address the challenges of reducing waste from ""ugly"" fruit and vegetables within sustainable production and consumption. In the first stage of the project, a comprehensive State-of-the-Art report was developed containing a synthesis of current research on the knowledge, awareness and needs of specialists in the food supply chain in the field of food waste, sustainable development, consumerism and the problem of suboptimal products, with particular emphasis on ""ugly"" fruits and vegetables (PR1). This report also includes field research that examines the needs of these professionals and collects their narratives about practices to reduce the waste of ""ugly"" fruits and vegetables. In the next stage of the UglyFruitsNOT! project a curriculum and a handbook for VET trainers (PR2) have been developed, aimed at equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences to train specialists in the food supply chain. This training materials and program were pilot tested with the participation of VET trainers who provided valuable comments that led to its further refinements and improvements, in line with the experience and expectations of this project's target group. The third result of the project is the development of four modules containing digital interactive stories about ""ugly"" fruits and vegetables (PR3). These modules use elements of play, exploration, discovery and other game mechanics to provide a fun and engaging learning experience. Users can interact with these stories, learning through trial and error, increasing understanding and retention of the training material. Another result of the project is the e-learning platform (PR4) UglyFruitsNOT! created as an online tool to support both on-site and virtual learning processes. This platform hosts all developed content in digital form, including State-of-the Art report (PR1), curricula, a VET teacher's handbook (PR2) and interactive stories (PR3), providing a comprehensive and accessible source of information for VET trainers and professionals in the chain food supplies, as well as all those who want to acquire or deepen knowledge and skills in this field. All materials were published under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA), which allowed them to be freely used, modified and distributed with appropriate authorship designations. As part of the project, in addition to the previously described results, training was also conducted for VET trainers (LTTA). This training (C1) equipped trainers with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively educate specialists in the food supply chain in reducing the waste of ""ugly"" fruit and vegetables.The pilot testing during C1 provided valuable insights and feedback that were used to refine and enhance the training program, ensuring its effectiveness and relevance. In addition, 7 multiplier events were organized for VET trainers, professionals in the food supply chain (producers, farmers, distributors, grocery stores, food retailers, food service providers, consumers), policy makers and other stakeholders to promote the project and its results. Thanks to these actions, VET trainers experienced significant professional development, gaining key competences that allow them to integrate best practices in training specialists in the food supply chain in the field of reducing food waste, especially ""ugly"" vegetables and fruits. The results obtained and the results of the project had a positive impact on food supply chain specialists who, thanks to the acquired knowledge and skills, can become change agents who will appropriately influence the perception of ""ugly"" fruit and vegetables by consumers, promoting their consumption and thus reducing food waste and supporting sustainable consumption."