Investigation of Traditional Cheese Production Tecnology and Standards in the Light of European Union Erasmus Project

Project Title

Investigation of Traditional Cheese Production Tecnology and Standards in the Light of European Union

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Assurance; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Project Summary

1- Background and justification:
Increased demand for traditional cheese in Turkey and EU Countries and request from outside the region it is produced require the development of production technologies and hygiene standards and ensuring food safety at the maximum level.
The lack of a standard in the production of local cheese in Turkey, having traditional production methods and consumption patterns passing from generation to generation for centuries, causes it to lose both its quality and the amount of its production, and some local cheese varieties are forgotten. The same applies to Slovakia.
It is necessary that production technologies be developed and production processes and hygiene requirements of local cheeses be provided at the highest level. Italy and Slovenia have been selected as our project partners because they are the EU countries having best practices in this area.
Professional knowledge and experience of technical personnel providing training to primary producers and performing audits and working in the field in persons in Turkey and some EU countries need to be developed.
For this, innovative methods and good-bad practices in different EU countries will be discussed around a table and a common training module at ICT Platform applicable in all countries will be created.
As a result, innovative applications will be developed which will lead to institutional modernization with the same training, as production, quality and control standards in different EU countries get closer.
2- Aim of the Project To contribute to the elimination of regional differences by developing ICT-based training methodologies on the production technology and hygiene standards of local cheeses in the EU member and candidate countries.
At the end of the project; 4 free ICT training modules (20 lessons, 20 hours) will be created in 5 languages.
3-Number of the project participants and their profiles: The number of participants is 51.
Participant Profiles; food trainers, food controllers in Turkey and EU countries, providing training in food safety issues and engaged in official food inspection, (Veterinarians, Food Engineers, Agricultural Engineers, Home Economists )
4-Activities: 5 transnational meetings will be held for the participants to get together and exchange ideas by bringing together the best and innovative practices in the regions and countries of the project partners, and then to form the training modules, which is an innovative application. 6 multiplier events and intensive dissemination activities will be conducted for the introduction of the modules.
5-Methods used in the execution of the project: In transnational meetings, 3 days of office and 2 days of fieldwork will be conducted (4 businesses that produce local cheese to be visited), and advantageous-disadvantaged practices will be evaluated. Each partner will share the results of their research on local cheeses in their region. 4 modules and 20 lessons, 4 exams- 40 questions will be created. will be created by combining all the knowledge and experience. In order to measure the efficiency of the project work, intensive survey will be conducted for different target groups.
6-Output and Impact: As a result of the project, all project partners will have innovative training modules with ICT technology under the current EU legislation and good practices and new methods in the EU. First of all, the participants will increase their professional knowledge and qualifications about local cheeses and the other food trainers and supervisors in their institutions will be affected by the project. Food inspectors will provide training using ICT technologies, and inspections will be efficient.
Since local cheese production technologies and standards will be promoted by training and practice, in Turkey and EU countries will increase the amount of product to be made with both mass production and safe food production. Market opportunities will arise in Turkey and abroad. With the increase in quality and food safety in the products, demand for products will increase and economically local food producing enterprises will prosper.
Food poisoning complaints and other bad food complaints, product disposal will decrease.
7-Long-term Potential Impact: Thanks to these innovative collaborative training modules, the number of different applications in Turkey and EU countries, Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia will decrease. The institutional capacities of the institutions and the project partners will increase; national and international new projects will be developed.
Commercial activities between the EU countries and between the EU countries and Turkey will increase and a positive contribution will be given to the national economy of each country.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 128036 Eur

Project Coordinator

Eskisehir Tarim ve Orman Mudurlugu & Country: TR

Project Partners

• UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
• ANKARA UNIVERSITESI
• BATMAN TARIM VE ORMAN IL MÜDÜRLÜGÜ
• SLOVENSKA POLNOHOSPODARSKA UNIVERZITA V NITRE
• Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Agrigento