SU-EATABLE LIFEReducing carbon emissions in the EU throughsustainable diets (LIFE16 GIC/IT/000038)

PROJECT FRAMEWORK

A (UN)SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM

Today, the food system is broken. Well over one-third of the Earth’s land is devoted to agriculture and accounts for

around 30% of global greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, 70% of water withdrawals and 80% of desertification.

By 2050, a 80% increase in GHG emissions from food production is expected if global population reach 10 billion, with

direct, obvious side effects on global warming. Climate variability and extremes due to global warming can affect human

health both directly and indirectly (e.g. crop failures, food safety risks, displacement of populations following prolonged drought).

At the same time today’s food system does not deliver healthy diets for most people. In addition to the persistent

problem of hunger, malnutrition and obesity are on the rise.

Food loss and waste is also a severe problem. If it was a country, it would be the third-largest GHG emitter.

Consumption patterns drive food production and its impacts.

This is why a radical transformation towards sustainable agri-food systems and eating patterns would have substantial benefits for

public health, economic growth, social wellbeing and the environment.

SU-EATABLE LIFE

4 PARTNERS Experiments in2 COUNTRIES

LIFE Climate Governance and Information 2016 CALLDuration: from 01/09/2018 to 31/08/2021

THE PROJECT AT A GLANCE

The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition Foundation (BCFN) is an independent multidisciplinary

research center, which aims to provide People, Institutions and Media with activities and

scientifically robust analysis related to food and its relationships with societies and environment.

BCFN supports the achievement of the

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of

the United Nations .

PROJECT PARTNERS: BCFN

greenApes is a Benefit Corporation which activities have the purpose of promoting sustainable

lifestyles. In the greenApes app, users share their green ideas, actions and tips with the

community. Doing so they inspire each other and get rewarded with eco-friendly gifts and

discounts.

PROJECT PARTNERS: greenApes

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (the SRA) is an NGO supporting 8,000 restaurants and

food service providers. It develops Sustainability Ratings and offers consultancy and training

services, aiming to make sustainability part of the DNA of food service businesses and to invite

consumers to understand what makes food good.

PROJECT PARTNERS: the SRA

Wageningen University and Research (WUR) is the leading EU university in the Life Sciences.

Researchers and students at University focus on the field of nutrition, health, nature and the living

environment. The chair-group Health and Society, department of Social Science is specialized in

innovative approaches in health and nutrition promotion.

PROJECT PARTNERS: WUR

SU-EATABLE LIFE aims at engaging EU citizens to adopt a sustainable and healthy diet with the long-

term objective to contribute to a substantial reduction in GHG emissions and water saving in the EU.

The Su-Eatable Life project is divided into 5 main activities:

1. ANALYSIS & RESEARCH (September 2018 - September 2019);

2. ENGAGEMENT & EXPERIMENTS (November 2019 - August 2021);

3. DATA ANALYSIS & REPORT PROCESSING (September 2019 - August 2021);

4. REPLICATION (from August 2021 onwards);

5. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION (September 2018 - August 2021).

THE PROJECT: WHAT AND HOW

Building methods and tools for stimulating the EU population to embrace certain recommended

dietary practices

Creating awareness of the impact that food production and consumption has

on the world's resources

How to facilitate the shift of citizens towards more sustainable low carbon

and water diets in the EU?

ANALYSIS & RESEARCH

ANALYSIS & RESEARCH: the SEL 8 key principles

Principles Climate change Water

footprint

Land use Biodiversity Diffused

pollution

Health

Eat vegetables, fresh and driedfruit, pulses and whole grains

++++ +++ ++ + + +++

Reduce your consumption of meat, especially read and processed meats

+++++ +++++ +++++ +++ +++ +++

Moderate the quantity of dairyproducts

++ +++ +++ ++ ++ +

Avoid food waste by considering

your portion size+++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++

Choose seasonal ingredients, locan or traditional varieties

++ ++ + ++++ + ++

Favor fresh and minimally

processed food in your diet++ + / + + +

Drink lots of tap water and don’twaste it

+ + / +++ +++ /

Reduce packaging and disposables, reuse, recycle

+ + / +++ +++ /

HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE DIET: IMPACTS

MY PLATE 4 THE FUTURE (MP4F)

• What it is: A dish balanced and sustainable from a nutritional and environmental point ofview (carbon footprint, water footprint);

• Our goal: Guarantee an abundant daily offer of My Plate 4 the Future (first & second meal);

• How: Marking it in the daily menu.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MP4F

Carbon footprint

0.80 - 1.0 kg CO2 eq. per meal

Water footprint

700-1.000 liters per meal

University canteens (1 in Italy and 2 in UK)

Company canteens (2 in Italy and 2 in UK)

5,000 EU citizens will be engaged through the greenApes app

ENGAGEMENT & EXPERIMENTS

The experimental phase of the SU-EATABLE LIFE project will be implemented within some selected company and university canteens in Italy and UK, in close collaboration with the canteen service manager.

The objective of this phase is threefold:1. Increase canten users’ awareness of the benefits of adopting a healthy sustainable diet, encouraging their

active involvement.2. Evaluate the effectiveness of different types of interventions aiming at encouraging healthy and

sustainable food choices in the canteen, measuring their impacts in term of carbon and water footprintreduction.

3. Encourage the food offer improvement in the canteen.

What

EXPERIMENTAL PHASE: GOALS

EXPERIMENTAL PHASE: AREAS OF ACTION

The experimental phase will consist of 4 main areas of action:

1. The introduction of communication material (posters, banners, etc.) and thematic campaigns to promote a healthy

and sustainable diet in the canteen;

2. Encouraging healthy and sustainable choices in the canteens through behavioral change techniques and measuring

their effects;

3. Strengthening the supply of healthy and sustainable food in the canteen through specific interventions on the

menu and the daily offer of a dish marked as optimal from the nutritional and environmental point of view (My

Plate 4 the Future - MP4F);

4. The promotion of the greenApes platform to involve canteen users to adopt a healthy and sustainable diet through

challenges, rewards etc.

How

Month 1 (4 weeks) - Baseline: • No actions in canteen. • Dietary habits are measured via sales data

Month 2 (4 weeks) - Experiment 1 engaging people:• In-canteen information encouraging more sustainable consumption are displayed (e.g. on window panels and posters). • People are encouraged to use the greenApes app. Engagement activities on the app start. • Consumption patterns are measured.

Months 3 to 6 (4 weeks each) - Experiments 2 to 5:• In-canteen information on specific topics (SU-EATABLE LIFE 8 key principles) are displayed. • People participate to different engagement activities via the greenApes app to increase their knowledge, awareness,

commitment. • Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are tested. • Consumption patterns are measured.

When

EXPERIMENTAL PHASE: TIMING

In the framework of the SU-EATABLE LIFE project, the aim of communication activities is threefold

And it is carried out by means of different channels

COMMUNICATION

Promote

Give visibility to the project goals,

progresses, results and benefits, as well as to

the activities carried out in canteens

Inform

Educate and increase people’s knowledge

about sustainable diets

Involve and engage

• Engage people to adopt a sustainable and

healthy diet

• Facilitate the adoption of its results and

proposed solutions

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONWebsite | Newsletter | Partners’s social media

accounts | Webinars

COMMUNICATION IN CANTEENSOn site informative materials |

Digital communication | Dedicated events/activities for customers and staff

EVENTSMid-term and final workshop conferences| Events with policy makers in Brussels | Third-party events

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

COMMUNICATION IN CANTEENS: examples

Banner

Tablemats

Monthly newsletter Videos

OUTREACH WITH 5,000 PEOPLE ENGAGED

A saving of about 5,300 tons of CO2 eq

A saving of about 2 million cubic meters of water

POTENTIAL OUTREACH WITH THE ENTIRE EU POPULATION ENGAGED

A saving of about 535 Mt of CO2 eq per year

A saving of about 200 billion cubic meters of water per year.

OUTREACH

OUTREACH

INCREASING THE CITIZENS’ SENSITIVENESS IN AVOIDING FOOD WASTE

Due to the awareness on the environmental impact of dietary habits

MAKING RELEVANT REDUCTIONS HAPPEN IN THE USE OF CHEMICAL

SUBSTANCES IN FOOD PRODUCTION

There is the potential to arrive at a 40% reduction in EU nitrogen emissions

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

For replicability and transferability of the proposed solutions to other

contexts and activities

• Be part of an innovative climate change mitigation project financed by the EuropeanCommission;

• Improve the awareness and engagement of employees on climate action, health andnutrition as well as the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations;

• Become a champion in sustainable diets promotion in the EU;

• Boost dialogue with EU and Italian stakeholders, institutions and businesses throughoutthe project timespan;

• Take advantage of the large outreach potential of the project in media, internationalconferences and events.

BENEFITS FOR CANTEENS

THANK YOU!By eating well we help the Planet

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www. sueatablelife.eu

EMAIL US AND SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

info@sueatablelife.eu