Food connects people communities, regions and countries and the food and drinks sector employs 4.25 million workers across the EU, contributing 7% of its GDP. A further 4% is contributed by the hospitality sector which provides food related services to consumers. Yet food production and consumption in the EU produces 80mt/yr of food waste much of which is avoidable, together with 170mt/yr of CO2 emissions. Important targets have been set to reduce the environmental impact of food. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 proposes that by 2030, food waste per capita at retail and consumer levels should be halved and that food losses should be reduced along production/supply chains. The EU, through its Green Deal roadmap seeks to reduce carbon emissions and greater efficiencies in the use of resources (circular economy). VET training plays a significant role in the food and hospitality sector, where many young people find their first job. Yet an initial review of VET provision in related fields (catering/chef/hospitality) suggests little VET provision exists with formal training to connect the environmental impact of food and food waste, to the skills and knowledge associated with careers in the sector. Initial discussions with VET educators have confirmed they lack the knowledge and insight to communicate the importance of food waste reduction to VETs. The project objectives are therefore: To produce an e-Platform with extensive resources that enable VET educators to introduce food and food waste reduction practices within informal and formal VET educational programmes at level EQF 4, that supports reductions in environmental impact of food and catering organizations (SO1) To produce highly innovative and digitally interactive food waste canvas and simulator tools which VET providers can use with VET students in the workplace, encouraging strategic cooperation between the VET providers and local catering/restaurant communities (SO2). To produce exemplar storytelling-based case studies which utilize Augmented Reality (AR) technology to offer visually compelling examples of good food waste management Practices (SO3). In terms of participants, it is expected that 605 external individuals will be engaged in the project across all partners, including 60 participants with fewer opportunities for engagement. The activities are aligned to three intellectual outputs proposed for the project. First an e-platform designed specifically for VET educators will be developed, containing e-resources. The materials provided will be in format readily transferable into existing formal VET training programmes for use by the VET educators. 12 case studies will be developed from across Europe, as supporting resource material. Second, a food waste canvas business model will be developed for the VET educators to use in supporting the digital transformation of their end users. An online simulator tool will support the digital transformation process, with particular reference to the food, catering and hospitality sector workplace. Finally, 6 case studies will be enhanced with Augmented Reality to provide a more interactive exploration of the case studies. The approach will include a storytelling approaches readily downloadable from the e-platform. Our methodology and approach is to combine the skills and expertise of the partners, together with a significant degree of in country engagement with VET educators and local food/catering associations to support the development on online resources that will remain beyond the project lifetime. The level of consultation and testing of the e-resources with the Food Waste Canvas will ensure the resources will be relevant across the EU partner countries. The results of the project include a number of interim reports and surveys, used for the development of the project. A e-platform will be produced together with an LMS system for the delivery of learning content and assessment of VET learning achievements. The proposed Food Waste Canvas Model and the Business Simulator tools are highly innovative developments that will enable VET educators to support the development of digital transformation skills. The longer term benefit of the project is potentially significant, supporting the sector achieve a transformation to a resource-efficient Europe, and developing the much needed skills and knowledge at the VET level for food waste reduction and the low carbon food economy. The project will also support the longer term aim of supporting the digital transformation skills of VETs, though the resources provided to VET educators in the food sectors.
The project needs addressed by CE4Food project motivated the scope of the project to better align of VET training in hospitality & food services to EU environmental policy implementation through the development of digital resources, the food waste canvas as well, hands-on cases all of them part of the CE4Food e Learning platform https://ce4food.eu/training. Thus by implementing CE4Food project partners achieved the following overall three objectives: SO1 – To produce an e-Platform with extensive resources that enable VET educators to introduce food and food waste reduction practices in informal and formal VET educational program at level EQF 4, that supports reductions in environmental impact of food and catering organizations. SO2 – To produce highly innovative and digitally interactive food waste canvas and simulator tools which VET providers can use with VET students in the workplace, encouraging strategic cooperation between the VET providers and local catering/restaurant communities. SO3 – To produce exemplar storytelling-based case studies which utilize Augmented Reality (AR) technology to offer visually compelling examples of good food waste management practices.
During the preparation and submitting of the CE4Food application, partners realized that while VET standards and the educational infrastructure across the EU are diverse, there is no reference made to learning outcomes relating to sustainability or resource efficiency in food related programs. The focus was on developing practical skills in food preparation and hygiene knowledge, with no regard for the environmental impact of food waste, Preliminary work performed, initial discussions with VET educators, have confirmed they need to be urgently assisted to catch up with the range of food waste reduction advancements taking place in the hospitality sector. People working within the sector need to be supported in their daily activities to learn how to reduce food waste. The evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic showed that TGs are in need of additional preparation and digital tools to cope with unexpected events. Hence for those reasons, VET trainers require some innovative solutions which in the CE4FOOD case were the e Learning platform, study cases, food waste canvas and digital transformation simulator and storytelling all connected to digital resources. The CE4FOOD project helps to solve the identified problems.