SUSFOODEDU - For a Sustainable food education in multicultural settings. Policies, education practices and teachers’ training

Acronym: SUSFOODEDU 

Title: For a Sustainable food education in multicultural settings. Policies, education practices and teachers’ training 

Scientific coordinators: Prof. Giovanna Guerzoni and Prof. Arianna Lazzari 

Project Team: Giovanna Guerzoni, Arianna Lazzari, Fulvia Antonelli, Lucia Balduzzi, Francesca Crivellaro, Chiara Dalledonne Vandini, Noemi Giulia Dicorato, Cecilia Gallotti. 

Partners: The Extended Partnership of the OnFoods Project (Coord. University of Parma) is divided into 7 Spokes within which universities, research centres (public and private) and companies collaborate. The SUSFOODEDU project (Spoke 7 of OnFoods - scientific coordination Matteo Vittuari) has built a network that involves, in particular, schools (Infancy, Primary, Secondary I grade), Local Health Authorities and Local Authorities in the territories of Bologna, Modena (and province: Pavullo and Fiorano), Rome. 

 Project Duration (in months): 36 

Start Date: 01/11/2022  

End Date: 01/11/2025 

Status: active 

Total Budget SUSFOODEDU: € 790.000 

Project’s Keywords: Policy, behavior and education    

 Description: 
The aim of the project is to analyse the representations and practices of food consumption in school contexts (school canteens) taken from the point of view of the various social actors involved (health personnel, teaching and non-teaching staff, auxiliary staff, educators, families and local stakeholders) with the aim of co-constructing tools and paths of culturally responsible sustainable food education. The research is inspired by the methodology of participatory action research based on the qualitative analysis of educational contexts and the socio-cultural background of communities, according to an ethnographic approach with the aim of promoting conscious and sustainable eating styles. The research plan includes the collection of quantitative-qualitative data on food consumption practices focused on the school canteen and ethnographic insights into specific settings such as food and cultural diversity, sustainability, new sociality and mutuality, nutrition and parenting, etc. One of the research objectives is the mapping of educational needs and training requirements around the topic of a healthy, sustainable and culturally responsible diet. The mapping and analysis of current socio-cultural processes aims to:   

1. Explore the sustainable dietary health education activities currently present in the schools covered by the research   
2. To analyse the strengths and weaknesses perceived by stakeholders on the subject of food production/consumption methods in the area 
3. Analysing socio-cultural practices and representations on food and nutrition both in public and institutional spaces (schools) and in private and family spaces; 
4. Carry out action-research activities to support the professional reflexivity of educators/teachers in order to co-construct (co-design) culturally responsible food education practices.
5. Training toolkit for supporting early childhood and school personnel in implementing culturally responsive and sustainable food education programmes based on actual school community needs