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Conscious eating food safety training workshops

Students from schools in Olsztyn will have a chance to decode food labels, test the chemical composition of food, and have a closer look at the food pyramid during the educational workshops conducted by the PAS scientists and food company experts.

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Fot. Pixabay

A series of educational workshops, designed to build consumers trust in food, will be led by scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn and experts from the Polish food company Maspex. The event is part of the “#AnnualFoodAgenda” project.

Europe is facing a crisis of consumer confidence in food. In Poland alone, 65% of respondents  express the uncertainty about food consumed every day (Kantar’s study, Food 360, 2018). Not only the whole agri-food sector suffers from this, but above all the health of consumers, who often due to a lack of appropriate knowledge eliminate certain groups of products and thus deprive their bodies of a balanced diet.

Building conscious consumer behaviour and trust in food is not only the work at the grassroots level but also a crucial part of the IARFR PAS and Maspex mission. The two organizations joined forces as part of the European EIT Food Knowledge and Innovation Community project and throughout March they will jointly run a series of educational workshops for students from Olsztyn schools. Their goal is to build consumer trust in food („from farm to table”).

Students will decode food labels, learning to distinguish harmful E-numbered chemicals and additives from those that are necessary to maintain the quality of a product. They will also visit the laboratories of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, where they will examine their favourite food products in terms of their chemical composition, allergenic potential, pro-health qualities, and physical properties, such as fragrance. They will also learn the facts and myths about products labeled "superfoods" and will talk about controversy over certain food ingredients (i.e. gluten). An important part of the workshop will be devoted to the latest version of the food pyramid and its new component (physical activity) announced this year by the Institute of Food and Nutrition. Moreover, the students will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the recommended quantity and approrpiate consumption frequancy for certain products.

The event is part of the "#AnnualFoodAgenda" (www.annualfoodagenda.com) project funded by the EIT Food community (www.eitfood.com). As part of this project, awareness-rising campaigns and actions will be held throughout the year in Warmia and Mazury region.

For more information see: www.pan.olsztyn.pl