Increasing Food Literacy Competencies of Adults Erasmus Project

Project Title

Increasing Food Literacy Competencies of Adults

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

The term food literacy reflects a great variety of definitions. Food literacy is understanding the basic nature of food, its importance to consumer and the community. Food literacy includes being able to gather and process information about food, and having the basic skills to safely prepare foods to eat. Being food literate empowers people to make informed nutrition choices (Cullen et al., 2015).

Food literacy is not inherited, but an acquired skill. Unfortunately, there has been a decline in domestic food preparation skills (known as ‘deskilling’ in the literature) and other food related skills due to a lack of introduction to and opportunity for the acquisition of these skills from parents, grandparents, and/or school environments and lack of sufficient training materials about food literacy. Poor food literacy knowledge negatively affects not only people’s health and well-being but also their spirit of entrepreneurship. For example, unemployed adults such as retired people, housewives can normally do home-based food business, however they do not feel confident to start these types of activities due to their low food-related skills. Then, they continue to stay socially excluded.
*On the other hand, homes can be the center of food production and these adults can continue their life by doing food business from their homes. That is why, increasing the food related qualifications and skills of the adults has social and economic benefits.

Objectives of the project;
-To develop Easy-used, Free of charge, Understandable and Innovative guides or digital training materials for the target group
-To enhance skills and competencies of adults related to food literacy
-To help and encourage adults to start home-based food business in Europe
-To transfer home-made cooks in a food safety-oriented and regulated environment
-To educate people against myths through label reading
-To increase knowledge of target group about sustainable food system
-To diminish foodborne disease by increasing food safety and hygiene knowledge
-To enhance knowledge of target groups about homemade food processing techniques
-To increase incomes of adults with low skills
-To inform target groups about healthy eating pattern
-To educate people about ideal food packaging and storage
-To promote health and prevent diseases like obesity
-To enhance social inclusion of adults by increasing their job finding opportunities

**”Improving and extending the supply of high quality learning opportunities for adults by making available flexible learning offers adapted to their learning needs (e.g. digital learning applications), and by the validation of skills acquired through non-formal learning” and “Supporting the setting up of and access to upskilling pathways for adults with a low level of skills, knowledge and competences allowing them to enhance their literacy” are topics related our projects. According to Erasmus+ guide, priority is given to these topics in the field of adult education.

**”Social Inclusion” which is one of the horizontal priority is directly connected to our project goals. Social inclusion is an overarching priority across all sectors of the programme.

The project consortium is formed by 8 experienced partners from 4 countries. The project coordinator is CRIFFC from Turkey. Its mission is to ensure the public health, provide customer satisfaction, to ensure food safety and to perform qualified, rapid and reliable control, research and training services that fulfill the needs of food sector in the field of food, food package, feed, water and fisheries.

The other core partners are:
-General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (GDAR, Turkey)
-The National Technological Centre for the Food and Canning Industry (CTC, Spain)
-Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies (TFTAK, Estonia)
-Bursa Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry (Bursa Il Tarim, Turkey)
-Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyesi Tarimas Bursa Hayvancilik Tarim Tic San AS (TARIM AS, Turkey)
-Széchenyi István University (SZE, Hungary)
-Bursa Technical University (BTU, Turkey)

The short-term impact of the project: FOODTR project will provide innovative Guides and E-learning platform about food literacy for adults with low skills and competence to enhance their knowledge in food literacy. Food literacy knowledge of people will be enhanced with international cooperation. They become more aware while they are preparing their meals, making food selection and storing & packaging.

The long-term outcomes of the project: Health promotion and disease prevention will be achieved. With increased food related skills, many adults may start food business from their homes. By this means, they contribute to their home-income and they become socially included. Also, the project helps to make the shift to a more sustainable and healthy food system.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 119918 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTRAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND FEED CONTROL & Country: TR

Project Partners

• AKTSIASELTS TOIDU- JA FERMENTATSIOONITEHNOLOOGIA ARENDUSKESKUS
• MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
• Bursa İl Tarım ve Orman Müdürlüğü
• ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL DE INVESTIGACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO NACIONAL DE LA CONSERVA
• SZECHENYI ISTVAN UNIVERSITY
• Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyesi Tarimas Bursa Hayvancilik Tarim Tic San AS
• Bursa Teknik Universitesi