FoodUnfolded®: Inspiring Food Literacy across Europe
Sustainable food futures begin with informed choices, yet the level of Food Literacy in adults across Europe is a growing concern. Food Literacy spans a continuum and is developed across a lifetime; however, adult related Food Literacy activities are often underrepresented.
FoodUnfolded®, an EIT Food programme, is tackling this challenge by bringing engaging and practical activities to adults across Europe, to help people make healthy and sustainable food choices.
Food Literacy
Food Literacy helps people make healthy and sustainable food choices in their everyday lives. It is a collection of knowledge, skills, and values required to plan, manage, select, prepare and eat food, allowing individuals to develop a positive relationship with food across a lifetime and be able to navigate, engage, and participate within a complex food system.
Food Literacy can empower people and communities to make more informed dietary choices and help the transition towards more sustainable food systems, while:
- Significantly improving individual public health,
- Increasing understanding of ecological and ethical consequences of intensive food production,
- Increased awareness of the true cost of food, from environmental impacts, health care expenses to lost productivity,
- Creating fairer and more equitable food systems.
FoodUnfolded® Food Literacy Activities
Ten participating organisations have received funding to implement this pilot of In-person Food Literacy activities through FoodUnfolded®. The participants bring a variety of experiences engaging with adults and represent a wide range of sectors from non-profit, universities, publication company, to consultancy services.
Each participant will organise engaging Food Literacy activities for adults (18+) adapted to their local realities, through a range of events from music festivals, sports, cultural and science events to food fairs and university campuses, thereby reaching a broad audience base and extending FoodUnfolded’s impact in targeted countries.
We strongly believe at FoodUnfolded® that everyone in Europe deserves clear, honest information about the food they eat every day. To achieve our mission, we recognise the importance of providing impactful digital content, while also meeting the general public where they are, through meaningful public events and activities.
Meet the participants
- Smion (Croatia)
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (Czech Republic)
- Democritus University of Thrace (Greece)
- PANNON Pro Innovation Services Ltd. (Hungary)
- Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre Ltd. (Latvia)
- Food Bank in Olsztyn (Poland)
- Food4Sustainability (Portugal)
- Smag Din Tara Barsei – Gusturi Locale Cooperative Agricola (Romania)
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises (Slovenia)
- Rebel Roots (Spain)
Collaboration across programmes
The FoodUnfolded® In-person Food Literacy activities is also working closely with EIT Food’s other flagship Public Engagement Programme; FoodEducators. Both programmes focus on Food Literacy, with many activities and resources developed through FoodEducators being relevant to wider Food Literacy Activities.
With the materials developed through FoodEducators we envisioned a world where all young people have access to food education to increase their food literacy. We are excited that we can expand this to other age groups, to foster a healthier and more sustainable food system.
About FoodUnfolded®
FoodUnfolded®, is an infrastructure programmes delivered by the Public Insight and Engagement team at EIT Food. Its goal is to provide valuable and practical tools and information to improve food literacy. The programme has flourished and in 2024 FoodUnfolded® achieved more than 1.1 million website sessions and an Instagram account with 112,000 followers. FoodUnfolded® receives funding from the European Institute of Innnovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, under Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
Find out more at www.foodunfolded.eu.