ABOUT PROJECT

The FOOD-AWARE project aims to empower European children

to grow into responsible and conscientious food consumers.

It will train teachers to educate their students from a young age on the following subjects: local food production; food waste; food chain; resource efficiency including sustainability and circularity; and responsible food consumption. European children - especially in urban areas - are rarely aware of how their food is made or where it comes from. It is also clear that European farmers are not getting the returns they deserve for the quality-food that they produce to some the highest environmental and welfare standards in the world. However, in the same vein as early education on food and farming, this denotes a clear gap in terms of any kind of early education on taking individual responsibility, not just for our actions but also for our choices, particularly as consumers. Beyond this, the FOOD-AWARE project products will also aim to stir a sense of responsibility towards the planet, the environment and society in general.

Ultimately, FOOD-AWARE will increase awareness among young European children of issues relating to food production and consumption; environmental (and other) implications of food production and consumption; and possible behavioural changes for them to make in future, or their parents to make now, to improve the sustainability of food production in the EU and across the world. FOOD-AWARE will therefore empower young children to build towards more sustainable futures for themselves and their own lives in years to come.

With the help of fun and interactive comics and activities, as well as educational posters and an educational animated video aimed at children, FOOD-AWARE will train teachers and provide them with what they need to educate young children on these subjects and to plant the seed of their responsible consumption in years to come. As a secondary effect, children are also likely to return home and tell their parents about what they learned - who may be sensitised to this information when it comes from the mouth of their child, making them realise that they have a part to play in securing a sustainable future for the next generation.

Project Consortium: