Putting citizens at the forefront of food system transformation

The new EU-funded project SPOON engages citizens and food decision makers to transform the food systems for a sustainable future

A new project is setting out to address one of today's most pressing global challenges: creating a more sustainable, fair, and healthy food system. The SPOON project (Food Systems in Transition—Participatory, Open Citizen Research for Sustainable Nutrition) aims to rethink how we grow, distribute, and consume food, by placing people's local realities and day-to-day living practices at the heart of this transformation.

Food systems currently contribute up to 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the potential to rise significantly if urgent changes are not made. At the same time, millions of people face food insecurity, unable to access nutritious food despite the abundance in some regions.

SPOON seeks to address these challenges by drawing on citizen science to empower communities to generate knowledge and foster collaboration for a more inclusive and sustainable food system. Europeans will actively participate in the research process, collecting, analysing, and interpreting food-related data. To reach these goals, the project will implement Citizen Science Labs (CSLs) and Behaviour Change Interventions (BCIs) across six European regions—Germany, Greece, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Slovenia—and develop innovative and GDPR compliant digital solutions, including a multimedia questionnaire generator and a personal data wallet.

By bringing together citizens and food decision makers (policymakers, industry, CSOs, academia and other practitioners), SPOON will explore critical issues such as food waste reduction, food environments and their influence on our food choices, improving food security for vulnerable communities and increasing transparency in food supply chains.

"SPOON introduces a groundbreaking approach to addressing food system challenges by empowering citizens with the tools and platforms needed to drive meaningful change and collaborate directly with food decision-makers," explains Arlind, Project Manager at the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and Coordinator of the SPOON project. "The project aims to equip decision-makers with data-driven insights, enabling the development of solutions that pave the way for a future where healthy and sustainable food is accessible to all".

Over the next four years, the 16 European partners, coordinated by CSCP, will collaborate to implement the project activities, deliver the proposed solutions, and additionally develop guidelines, training programmes and policy recommendations to inspire and replicate successful approaches across Europe.

SPOON invites citizens, policymakers, industry, academia, CSOs and other practitioners to join this collective journey towards a fairer and resilient food future for everyone.

For more information about the project, please contact coordinator@spoonproject.eu or info@spoonproject.eu

Provided by iCube Programme