About WeValueFood
#WeValueFood has engaged with students from primary, secondary and tertiary education all over Europe, as well as parents, educators, and representatives from the European agri-food industry.
WeValueFood has tackled the erosion of society’s engagement with our food by:
- Providing a pan-European online inventory of existing educational resources to help teachers engage students on the topic of food
- Creating new tools and strategies for educating students from a primary, secondary and tertiary level about food
- Modifying and scaling up food engagement tools particularly in regions where levels of food disengagement are high and young people lack knowledge about food
- Helping the food industry learn how to engage with next-generation consumers in a positive and healthy way
- Inspiring a community of European Food Champions, a network of food-savvy young consumers who will share their food values via peer-to-peer communication
- Working together with high-profile Food Stars (e.g. chefs and social media influencers) to spread the WeValueFood message
WeValueFood has focussed on five areas of food knowledge:
Why WeValueFood
With society facing major problems in terms of obesity, food waste and the environment, the need for next-generation consumers to make improved food choices has never been more important. Unfortunately, we are also facing decreasing levels of engagement and knowledge about our food, particularly among our youth. It is difficult to encourage the next generation to make improved food choices if their engagement and comprehension of food is poor. Through closer links between consumers and the food industry, next-generation consumer food choices and values will lead to product differentiation and added value, ensuring a thriving European agri-food economy.
By engaging the next generation of European consumers, WeValueFood has helped to establish a society that is more knowledgeable and discerning about where food comes from and how it affects our health and the planet.
Project information
WeValueFood was a 2-year grand challenge project funded by EIT involving 12 European partners from education, academia and industry, communication sectors. The project ran from 2019-2020 and is led by Queen’s University Belfast.