The Role of European National Health Services in the enhancement of sustainable food systems

Project Information

RENASCENCE

Grant agreement ID: 836353

DOI

10.3030/836353

Project closed

EC signature date 27 March 2019

Start date 6 May 2019

End date 2 September 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 241 398,72

EU contribution

€ 241 398,72

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO/ EUSKAL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RENASCENCE (The Role of European National Health Services in the enhancement of sustainable food systems)

Reporting period: 2019-05-06 to 2022-05-05

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Current food systems are unsustainable. The prevailing food production and consumption patterns are main causes of environmental degradation. In the EU, 26% of energy consumption comes from the Food Chain, leading to intolerable GHG emissions. Soil erosion affects already 25% of EU´s agricultural land. There has been a reduction in crop biodiversity and pesticide residues are found in 83% of EU soils. Along with that, we are causing the extinction of pollinators and water resources are vulnerable.

Global food demand is projected to expand by 60 % towards 2050, driven by negative changes in consumption patterns (including increased meat and dairy product consumption, produced unsustainably) and population growth. In parallel, undernutrition and obesity are present, with a plethora of related non-communicable diseases, already placing a massive burden on healthcare systems.

All of the above plus the recent launch of a number of key reports such as the Green Deal, as well as other important documents as the EAT-Lancet Commission or the IPES-Food report “Towards a common food policy for the EU”, establish a momentum for transforming the food systems.

RENASCENCE is a project that aims to address this issue by implementing Sustainable Food Systems within the European healthcare system. The healthcare system is a powerful tool in our societies, and it must play leadership role as main driver for societal changes towards Sustainable Food System Development.

EU hospital´s account for more 2.5 million beds, hence, they have a tremendous power on Public Food Procurement patterns. Furthermore, health professionals are widely recognized experts that bring great credibility and influence, with a huge educative role in dietary patterns as well as a potential key-role to play in achieving the public policy changes that will create sustainable food systems. However, EU health care systems are far from achieving their potential towards sustainable means.

Having sustainable food systems within the healthcare would influence economically, by re-localizing the economy, bringing profit to SME and small farmers and rural areas. Environmentally, it would influence the preservation of land along with the attenuation in those negative effects that we explained earlier. Socially, there would be higher equity.

The overarching aim of RENASCENCE is to develop a more effective strategy for food system sustainability within European health services. The specific objective is to identify and analyse the processes related with the environmental, socio-economic and cultural dimensions of sustainability of the food systems within the European health services´ commercialisation channels (procurement) and educative channels (health promotion), and from this knowledge, propose a System of Indicators that will permit development of strategies for the food systems in place.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

RENASCENCE project has described the frameworks required to design both Sustainable Food Procurement and Sustainable Diet Adive within the Healthcare institutions. From that knowledge a first draft of a System of Indicators was created, which then underwent further theoretical and practical validation phases.

Many agents from the academy, food producers, public administration, NGOs, health profesionals, staff from hospitals, civil organizations have taken part in RENASCENCE, enabling an interdisciplinary approach with a core on Participatory Action Research.
Within the practical validation, the case studies visited, different hospitals accross Europe, allowed us to assess their current status on sustainable food policies in procurement and education.

The final System of Indicators will be published by the end of the 2020. Throughout the RENASCNCE process a final SOI was developed, concise, robust and useful tool for hospitals, policy makers and citizens alike. Aiming to design, apply or to demand policies as citizen that are necessary to face the challenges of the current socio-ecologic crises.

EXPLOITATION and DISSEMINATION:
Scientific publications:
- Nutrients 2021, 13, 747. The Promotion of Sustainable Diets in the Healthcare System and Implications for Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
- Sustainability 2021, 13, 2398. Identifying a Sustainable Food Procurement Strategy in Healthcare Systems: A Scoping Review

Publications Under Review & writing up stage:
- Regional Studies, Regional Sciences: A seed towards a sustainable food system in healthcare institutions: the case of the Basque Country
- RENASCENCE: A System of Indicators for developing Sustainable Food Systems in the European Healthcare Services.
Other publications:
- Documents derived from the Fit4Food2030 project: Research and innovation strategy for a sustainable food system in Euskadi 2030. http://hdl.handle.net/10810/51982
Webinar:
- 06/2021: Webinar RENASCENCE. youtu.be/j2K7VVAYjDo
- 10/2021: Bases agroecológicas para una alimentación sostenible. ehutb.ehu.eus/video/61a0847e30fdd1ad4b48294c
Outreach activities:
- Bilbao, 06/2022: Green Week-European Researchers night & LOGOS Elkartea. "And you, what do you eat in this era of ecological and social crisis?"
- Galdakao,11/2021- Donostia, 05/2022: Orreaga´s talk cycles. "Production model and transmission of Farms"
- Donostia,02/2021: Comisión de promoción económica, turismo y medio rural de las Juntas Generales de Gipuzkoa. "Presentation of circular economy and susatinability research group".
- Deba, 01/2021- Leitza, 02/2021: Deba: Osasun Haziak Taldea;Leitza: Osasunaz Hausnartzen taldea. "Another look at health. What is a healthy life? Exploring our interdependencies from food"
- Vitoria-Gasteiz, 03/2020: Zehargaituz, Group of Educational Innovation. "What is the role of a dietitian-nutritionist looking at a 2030 food system?"
- Bilbao, 05/2019: Workshop. "Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions-Individual Fellowships info day"
Others:
- Press. irutxulo.hitza.eus/2022/05/13/beste-elikadura-sistema-bat-behar-dugu/
- Radio. bizkaiairratia.eus/albisteak/ikusi/%22Sasoian+sasoikoa+eta+ahal+bada+bertokoa%22
- TV “Eat near to look far” Documentary. goiena.eus/debagoiena/1620992141797-gertukoa-jan-urrutira-begiratzeko
- Press Release ehu.eus/es/-/osasun-sistema-europako-elikadura-sistema-aldatzeko-giltzarri

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Many European countries are failing to fulfil their national targets for climate change, obesity rates, equality targets and the list keeps pilling up.
In this moment of Climate Urgency, and with barely 10 more years to fulfil the UN targets, we need to implement the policies efficiently and effectively. The project RENASCENCE aims to develop a tool, a System of Indicators exclusive for health services that will aid in the implementation of sustainable targets.

Potential impacts:
•Due to the Participatory Action Research Nature of the project, it has been created a platform of agents committed to change towards sustainable means.
•Implementation of Sustainable Food Systems in EU´s health services will impact in the territorial economy: promoting and developing new small-medium enterprises, positively impacting in promoting the small scale primary sector economy and preservation of agricultural land.
•Health care systems to lead the way to achieve the UN 2030 agenda´s SDGs (specifically #2 &12, impacting on #3, 8 & 11).

Logo of the project RENASCENCE