Acronym

V4-24027

Contract number

V4-24027

Department:

Department of Animal Science

Type of project

ARIS projects

Type of project

CRP projects

Role

Lead

Duration

01.10.2024 - 30.09.2027

Value of co-financing

€148.75

Total

€297.50

Project manager at BF

Kuhar Aleš

Research Organisation Partners

  • University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • National Institute of Public Health
  • Jožef Stefan Institute
  • Institute of Nutrition

 

Co-financing Organisation

  •  ARIS
  •  MOPE

 

Abstract

The project addresses the challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable nutritional practices in educational institutions. Nutrition in these institutions represents a significant portion of children's daily energy intake and greatly influences their dietary habits, health, and the environment. The project aims to analyze key factors that hinder or promote the adoption of sustainable practices in the organization of school meals at three levels: macro (policies and legislation), meso (institutional environment and stakeholders such as suppliers, cooks, and meal organizers), and micro (dietary habits and behaviors of students and parents).

The main goals of the project include the development of innovative tools, such as a multi-criteria model for planning school meals based on sustainability parameters, cost efficiency, and nutritional value, as well as establishing a set of supporting activities and materials for schools (the so-called "TOOLBOX"). The project also envisions pilot testing these solutions in real-world settings using a "living lab" methodology, where solutions will be co-created with stakeholders such as schools, parents, and students.

Researchers will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to examine nutritional policies, best practices in Slovenia and abroad, and prepare proposals for improving systemic solutions to integrate sustainable practices into organized nutrition systems. The project’s solutions will contribute to reducing the environmental impact of school meals, improving children's health, and fostering long-term awareness of the importance of sustainable nutrition. In doing so, the project will support the green transition, which is essential for achieving national and international sustainability goals, while also making a valuable contribution to science and society.
 

Researchers

 

The phases of the project and their realization

This research project is structured into five work packages (WP), which are further divided into specific tasks. The key phases of project implementation by work package are as follows:

WP 1: Coordination and project management

WP 2: Comprehensive review and analysis of factors influencing sustainable practices in the school nutrition system at macro, meso, and micro levels

WP 3: Development of a set of support tools and complementary activities for implementing sustainable practices in the school nutrition system in Slovenia (SUS-NUTRI-SCHOOL TOOLBOX)

WP 4: Pilot testing of the developed set of support tools and complementary activities (SUS-NUTRI-SCHOOL LIVING LABS)

WP 5: Dissemination and promotion of research results