PROMOTION OF HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD CHOICES THROUGH LABELING

Abstract

A nutritional transition to more healthy and sustainable dietary patterns is needed to restore balance in our global food system. The bases of healthy eating have been known for a long time, while sustainability and sustainable diets are not well understood by the majority of consumers. The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have highlighted the complexity of sustainable diets. In recent years, consumers are experiencing a rapid increase in the information included in food labels, which is often not easy to understand. Previous work from our research group have shown that consumers consider themselves as being not enough informed in nutrition and labeling interpretation (UCM ApS service-learning Project ProSS-FOOD2021). The European Union, through the European Scientific and social Committee (EESC), in their report (2023/C75/14) "Towards a sustainable food labelling framework to enable consumers to choose sustainable food" remarks the importance of regulating the sustainability elements present in food labelling to avoid consumer confusion and “greenwashing”. The general objective of this work was to achieve a better understanding of the certifications related to sustainability in food labelling and help consumers to make sustainable consumption choices based in knowledge, providing a service to the Society. The methodology includes the design, program and develop activities aimed at the understanding and interpretation of food labeling by undergraduate students of different degrees and education centers, related to the field of food and health. The project activities were performed by three postgraduate students and graduate students from the Degrees of Pharmacy, Food Science and Technology and the Doble Degree of Pharmacy and Human Nutrition and Dietetics supervised by eight University professors. The students and professors prepared and organized the practical workshops performed in a High School, a Higher Education Centre, and a Public Cultural Centre in the municipalities of Madrid and San Sebastian de los Reyes (Spain). The methodology applied in this project followed the ApS service-learning experience, where professors trained students to deliver the workshops. During the workshops, students presented, explained and delivered the theoretical-practical activities using examples of food packaging to the general public (receptors). The activities developed during the workshops included: presentation of food sustainability elements using audiovisual tools ,identification (hands-on) of food sustainability elements related to the social, environmental and economic pillars in food products, identification of food sustainability elements through their definition playing games, evaluation of knowledge acquisition by online assessment. The results of the questionnaires showed that there is a lack of knowledge of these certifications in food labeling, so information provided by food industry is not getting the expected impact in consumers.