EIT Food collaborate with Glasgow Science Centre to engage children about sustainable food production

In October 2023, EIT Food collaborated with Glasgow Science Centre to deliver a series of workshops, “The Future of Food”, to encourage children to learn about how food is produced, and to inspire them to consider a future in an agrifood career. The workshops were open to children, families and schools who visited Glasgow Science Centre during the October school holidays. 4 local organisations joined the event to highlight their innovations. They were the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Aquaponics Iberia, Glasgow Food Policy Partnership and Crover.

Visitors could take part in a variety of activities to engage them in the food system, while testing their science and problem-solving skills.

The activities were focused on topics such as how food is produced, sustainable sources of protein and food science skills. For example, visitors took part in a card game to learn about sustainable proteins. Players could explore the environmental footprint of a variety of animal-based and plant-based proteins, to compare land-use, water-use, and CO2 emissions, to raise awareness about the importance of producing food with less finite resources.

Industry experts visited the science centre to host their own activities to inspire young children and families to learn about careers in the agrifood industry. We rely on a huge variety of jobs to produce and deliver our food and many of these jobs rely on people with science and technical skills. Also, visitors could learn how their lifestyle and habits can impact the food system, such as why reducing food waste is important. Visitors enjoyed exploring how small changes in their daily lives can protect our food system and reduce its negative impact on the environment.

The following food system experts took part:

• Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) - is Scotland's marine science organisation generating new knowledge for the benefit of the marine environment and society and an EIT Food partner. They discussed the use of seafood for food. Visitors were able to get hands on with the seaweed and discover its potential as a sustainable food source.
• Aquaponics Iberia - is an aquaculture and aquaponics firm based in Portugal. At the event, visitors observed a small aquaponics unit in operation and learned about the symbiotic relationship between the fish, bacteria, and plants and how this can be a potential method of food production without waste.

• Crover - a grain storage management company on a mission to help grain storage operators reduce losses and maintain optimum storage conditions. At the event, visitors could see a demonstration version of a drone system which is used to monitor grain stores.
• Glasgow Food Policy Partnership - Children were invited to vote on food policy plans by placing beans in jars, giving them the opportunity to express what matters to them in terms of food availability.

The ‘Future of Food’ workshops were delivered by EIT Food, the world's largest food innovation community, and Glasgow Science Centre, an educational charity that inspires and motivates people to engage with science.

Glasgow Science Centre has a captivated audience of science enthusiasts of all ages and by partnering with EIT Food’s community of experts, families could explore the huge topic of sustainable food production and innovation through interactive activities.

EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. We accelerate innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.

Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, we invest in projects, organisations and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. We unlock innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scale agrifood startups to bring modern technologies and products to market. We equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of our work, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.

We are one of nine innovation communities established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

Glasgow Science Centre is a charity and one of Scotland’s most successful visitor attractions with five-star Visit Scotland accreditation. The centre attracts over 330,000 visitors to its exhibitions and events each year and regularly takes its science activity on tour across Scotland. In recent years, the Glasgow Science Centre has diversified its programming to attract a wider range of visitor groups through community engagement and learning programmes, adult only events, and tie-ins with broader cultural programming in Glasgow. Glasgow Science Centre was voted 'Glasgow's Favourite Business' at the Glasgow Business Awards 2022.