Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLANEAT (Food systems transformation towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
Across the world, dietary patterns are shifting towards dominant food consumption patterns and eco-agri-food systems that have high health, societal and environmental costs. Without a significant change in current trends, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will continue to rise while the quality and quantity of available natural resources will decline. As dietary behaviour is a strong determinant of food consumption, it represents a key lever for action to transform food systems and vice versa.
The main objective of PLAN’EAT is to foster the transition to healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour through an in-depth understanding of its underlying factors and drivers and through the design of effective recommendations, tools and interventions targeting food system actors. PLAN’EAT aims at implementing an evidence-based, multi-actor and systemic approach at macro (food system), meso (food environment) and micro (individual) levels.
7 key project results will be obtained:
- PLAN’EAT methodology for local stakeholders’ engagement
- PLAN’EAT Knowledge Center: Open Access and FAIR repository with all project results
- True Costs Accounting (TCA) database, methodology and case studies
- European Food System Dashboard, targeting European, national and local policymakers
- Set of solutions whereby each food chain actor can foster behavioural change
- Behavioural change intervention toolbox to address individual factors
- Consumers’ empowerment toolkit: education, engagement, training and communication tools to support food behavioural transition.
Social sciences and humanities are an integral part of the PLAN’EAT project and are reflected throughout the whole project, notably behaviour science, consumer science, psychology, anthropology, sociology and citizen science.
The main objective of PLAN’EAT is to foster the transition to healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour through an in-depth understanding of its underlying factors and drivers and through the design of effective recommendations, tools and interventions targeting food system actors. PLAN’EAT aims at implementing an evidence-based, multi-actor and systemic approach at macro (food system), meso (food environment) and micro (individual) levels.
7 key project results will be obtained:
- PLAN’EAT methodology for local stakeholders’ engagement
- PLAN’EAT Knowledge Center: Open Access and FAIR repository with all project results
- True Costs Accounting (TCA) database, methodology and case studies
- European Food System Dashboard, targeting European, national and local policymakers
- Set of solutions whereby each food chain actor can foster behavioural change
- Behavioural change intervention toolbox to address individual factors
- Consumers’ empowerment toolkit: education, engagement, training and communication tools to support food behavioural transition.
Social sciences and humanities are an integral part of the PLAN’EAT project and are reflected throughout the whole project, notably behaviour science, consumer science, psychology, anthropology, sociology and citizen science.
In the first 1.5 years, PLAN’EAT has already achieved several key steps:
1/ ENGAGING: 9 Living Labs and 5 Consultation Groups have been created as nests for stakeholder engagement and co-creation, engaging in total 1569 citizens and 339 food system actors. A methodology and toolbox to set up and run a Living Lab, with stakeholder engagement tools, was developed and represents a key project result.
2/ MAPPING: The European status quo on the transition towards healthier and more sustainable food systems, food environments and dietary behaviours was mapped. The existing knowledge, interventions and initiatives on this topic were assessed through literature reviews. Nutritional situation from 11 EU countries was gathered, analysed and compiled into country snapshots. A survey on the needs, requirements and existing initiatives of the targeted stakeholders of PLAN’EAT was prepared and answered by citizens, food value chain actors, healthcare professionals, educational systems and policymakers.
The dietary patterns (“what do people eat”) of different population groups were mapped across the 11 European countries participating in the project, with a focus on the 9 pre-selected target group, based on existing food consumption data, resulting in a dietary pattern mapping database.
In parallel, an innovative “lived-experience” citizen science method was implemented in each Living Lab to map their perceived food environments, based on a quantitative survey, a photo elicitation method and focus group discussions. This enabled to identify the challenges of citizens in their food environments, and thus opportunities for improvement.
3/ IMPACT ANALYSIS: The environmental, health and social impacts of the dietary patterns mapped in the first step above were analysed, based on secondary data and literature. In the case of environmental impacts, country-specific data was collected for 8 EU countries. Impact indicators were defined and calculated. All results fed into a holistic synthesis report “Food Impact Maps” and three posters, adapted to different targets: consumers, policymakers and food service & retail.
4/ HIGH IMPACT BEHAVIOURS IDENTIFICATION: Based on the impacts analysed, and on feedback from Living Lab leaders and key expert partners, high impact behaviours, i.e. dietary behaviours to promote, were identified and selected in each Living Lab. The criteria to select these behaviours in each Living Lab were: (i) the positive (as opposed to harmful) environmental, health and social impacts they can have, (ii) whether they are implementable by LL citizens and (iii) their acceptability for the key stakeholders surrounding citizens (e.g. canteens, parents for children).
5/ FACTOR ANALYSIS: At micro and meso-level, citizen surveys were designed, translated and send to Living Labs for data collection to assess the barriers and enablers of the high impact behaviours previously identified.
At meso-level, a long list of barriers and enablers of food value chain actors in improving food environments was drafted in order to identify leverage points in a next stage.
At macro-level, a comprehensive food systems map has been drawn up in order to identify leverage points in Brussels-based focus groups.
6/ TRUE COST ACCOUNTING (TCA): The availability, accessibility and usability of secondary data necessary for conducting TCA assessments of European diets was assessed. Based on this data search and analysis, the key data gaps that currently hinder TCA assessment were identified and documented in a data gap report. In parallel, an open-access database “European Database of the True Cost of Food” (working title) was prepared and is under finalisation. This database will inform about the environmental, social and health impacts associated with the production of food consumed in Europe as well as the associated costs due the unforeseen environmental, social and health effects (“true costs”).
All the first available results obtained during the first 1.5 years of the project (and future results) will be published throughout 2024 and then gradually, in particular on the Knowledge Center (currently under construction).
1/ ENGAGING: 9 Living Labs and 5 Consultation Groups have been created as nests for stakeholder engagement and co-creation, engaging in total 1569 citizens and 339 food system actors. A methodology and toolbox to set up and run a Living Lab, with stakeholder engagement tools, was developed and represents a key project result.
2/ MAPPING: The European status quo on the transition towards healthier and more sustainable food systems, food environments and dietary behaviours was mapped. The existing knowledge, interventions and initiatives on this topic were assessed through literature reviews. Nutritional situation from 11 EU countries was gathered, analysed and compiled into country snapshots. A survey on the needs, requirements and existing initiatives of the targeted stakeholders of PLAN’EAT was prepared and answered by citizens, food value chain actors, healthcare professionals, educational systems and policymakers.
The dietary patterns (“what do people eat”) of different population groups were mapped across the 11 European countries participating in the project, with a focus on the 9 pre-selected target group, based on existing food consumption data, resulting in a dietary pattern mapping database.
In parallel, an innovative “lived-experience” citizen science method was implemented in each Living Lab to map their perceived food environments, based on a quantitative survey, a photo elicitation method and focus group discussions. This enabled to identify the challenges of citizens in their food environments, and thus opportunities for improvement.
3/ IMPACT ANALYSIS: The environmental, health and social impacts of the dietary patterns mapped in the first step above were analysed, based on secondary data and literature. In the case of environmental impacts, country-specific data was collected for 8 EU countries. Impact indicators were defined and calculated. All results fed into a holistic synthesis report “Food Impact Maps” and three posters, adapted to different targets: consumers, policymakers and food service & retail.
4/ HIGH IMPACT BEHAVIOURS IDENTIFICATION: Based on the impacts analysed, and on feedback from Living Lab leaders and key expert partners, high impact behaviours, i.e. dietary behaviours to promote, were identified and selected in each Living Lab. The criteria to select these behaviours in each Living Lab were: (i) the positive (as opposed to harmful) environmental, health and social impacts they can have, (ii) whether they are implementable by LL citizens and (iii) their acceptability for the key stakeholders surrounding citizens (e.g. canteens, parents for children).
5/ FACTOR ANALYSIS: At micro and meso-level, citizen surveys were designed, translated and send to Living Labs for data collection to assess the barriers and enablers of the high impact behaviours previously identified.
At meso-level, a long list of barriers and enablers of food value chain actors in improving food environments was drafted in order to identify leverage points in a next stage.
At macro-level, a comprehensive food systems map has been drawn up in order to identify leverage points in Brussels-based focus groups.
6/ TRUE COST ACCOUNTING (TCA): The availability, accessibility and usability of secondary data necessary for conducting TCA assessments of European diets was assessed. Based on this data search and analysis, the key data gaps that currently hinder TCA assessment were identified and documented in a data gap report. In parallel, an open-access database “European Database of the True Cost of Food” (working title) was prepared and is under finalisation. This database will inform about the environmental, social and health impacts associated with the production of food consumed in Europe as well as the associated costs due the unforeseen environmental, social and health effects (“true costs”).
All the first available results obtained during the first 1.5 years of the project (and future results) will be published throughout 2024 and then gradually, in particular on the Knowledge Center (currently under construction).
The first Key Exploitation Result obtained in the first 1.5 years of PLAN’EAT is the Living Lab Toolbox. The latter is meant to assist Living Labs leaders in creating, developing, and maintaining their Living Lab in a sustainable way. It provides a joint methodology with tools, tips, good practices and lessons learnt that cover the essential elements of setting up a Living Lab, including key aspects such as:
• gathering a group of relevant stakeholders;
• running the LL and interacting with stakeholders & with the rest of the project;
• guaranteeing stakeholder engagement;
• co-creating, co-designing, and testing the solutions of the project.
This toolbox is currently being pilot-tested by PLAN’EAT Living Labs and partners. In the future, it could inspire and support any other emerging or existing food system Living Lab in launching or optimising their Living Lab processes.
• gathering a group of relevant stakeholders;
• running the LL and interacting with stakeholders & with the rest of the project;
• guaranteeing stakeholder engagement;
• co-creating, co-designing, and testing the solutions of the project.
This toolbox is currently being pilot-tested by PLAN’EAT Living Labs and partners. In the future, it could inspire and support any other emerging or existing food system Living Lab in launching or optimising their Living Lab processes.