Module for VET Degrees on Gastronomy on “Sustainable Cooking”

The fight against climate change can start on our plates. Our dietary choices wield the power to diminish the environmental impact of mass agriculture, industrial fisheries, and cattle breeding and, apart from pollution, food waste is a significant problem - protein that could be used for 72 million people a year being wasted due to the lack of insufficient management for the long term. Aligned with these concerns, the European Commission seeks to halve food waste through binding targets across the EU by 2023. In 2017, one out of five deaths in the EU was attributable to unhealthy diets. A healthy, plant-based diet reduces the risk of life-threatening diseases and the environmental impact The VET-ECOoking project promotes environmental sustainability through cooking practices. This initiative fills a gap in VET courses within the Cooking field by introducing a training module on sustainable cooking for VET trainees. The project addresses four main needs: 1) Environmental concerns, focusing on reducing food waste; 2) Human health, advocating for a healthier diet; 3) Labor market demands for qualified professionals in sustainable cooking; 4) VET's need for innovation and curriculum updates to meet current standards.

This project aimed to develop a training module about sustainable cooking to be included in the national curricula for Cooking VET courses. The rationale behind VET-ECOoking was that all cooking professionals would be better equipped and prepared to deal with issues such as the impact of mass production on both humans and the planet, as enhancers of the gastronomic experience. EU member-states lack efficient VET offers concerning the provision of sustainable cooking skills. It was, therefore, important to upgrade the qualifications and abilities of future cooking professionals. In short, the goals were: 1. To create a training module on “Sustainable Cooking” for VET students in the field of cooking; 2. To develop hard and soft skills of VET students to prepare sustainable, high-quality gastronomy and raise awareness for the importance of fighting climate change; 3. To better prepare the VET students to address the challenges at the workplace, with a focus on greener dietary options; 4. To increase the notoriety of VET in the field of cooking; 5. To use cooking as a departure point to raise awareness for the sustainable development goals (namely no.s 2, 3, 6, and 12).