SWITCHtoHEALTHY project partners met on 22 and 23 November in Casablanca, Morocco hosted by ECOMAB, the company that owns CHOCORICA brand (partner of the project) producing bakery, pastry, and food ingredients.
25 delegations from 18 organisations, partners of the project, attended the SWITCHtoHEALTHY first General Assembly discussing about the following key points:
- Results from the survey conducted in September-October 2022 in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt to assess the adherence to the Mediterranean diet of families living in these Mediterranean countries and to understand the barriers, drivers, motivations, and food behaviours that prevent or facilitate families’ members from adhering to Med-based long-lasting eating habits.
- Eco-design methodology for food companies participating in the project (DELAFRUIT S.L.U., Kocahan Şekerleme, and ECOMAB) to be used as decision-making tool to select and demonstrate the improved environmental profile and inherent benefits of the innovative snack-type food products with improved nutritional value, sustainability, ease of consumption, taste, and affordability.
- Preliminary prototype of the SWITCHtoHEALTHY App with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) recommendation system that will help families to adhere to Mediterranean diet.
- Plan for family-based interventions deployment where families will be engaged through schools and school parent associations in the 3 target countries (Spain, Turkey, Morocco).
A visit to ECOMAB facilities, laboratories and plants was held to appreciate the production pipelines ready for the pilot implementation.
SWITCHtoHEALTHY is aimed to generate a dietary behaviour change by demonstrating and reinforcing the role of the family in promoting a sustainable change towards enhancing the adherence to the Mediterranean diet of the family members (adults, adolescents and children).
PROJECT PARTNERS:
ENCO SRL (ENCO) – Coordinator; Università degli Studi di Parma (UNIPR); Regione Campania (RC); Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA); Fundació Eurecat (EUT) – Scientific and Technical Management; Centro Nacional de Tecnología y Seguridad Alimentaria (CNTA); Centre de Recerca en Economia i Desenvolupament Agroalimentari UPC-IRTA (CREDA); DELAFRUIT S.L.U. (former GO FRUSELVA S.L) (DELAFRUIT); Departament d’Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural (DACC); Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH); Consumers’ Lebanon (CONS); Unité Mixte de Recherche Nutrition et Alimentation (CNESTEN); Université Mohammed Premier (UMP); CHOCORICA (CHOCO); Association SLOW FOOD Tebourba (SLOW F); Bursa Uludag University (BUU); Gökhan Koca Kocahan Şekerleme (KOC); Izmir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism (KTB).
The SWITCHtoHEALTHY project is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union under the Grant Agreement number 2133.