Food takes on a strategic role in sustainability because it represents a crossroads between various environmental, social and economic issues and permeates every aspect of daily life, from environmental health to individual health, from climate change to economic inequality.
With a view to promoting the well-being of its community of students and workers, the University of Parma is committed to raising awareness of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, a goal that can also be achieved through proper nutrition. In this sense, the promotion of healthy and sustainable eating habits is expressed in particular through the implementation of educational and communication programmes that have involved:
- the implementation of a mobile application (UNIPLATE), aimed primarily at students. UNIPLATE, developed by the Human Nutrition Unit and the University's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, encourages adequate consumption of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and plant-based protein sources, providing valuable support for meal planning and preparation. Thanks to its content, it promotes greater knowledge and awareness of healthy and sustainable eating. The app is part of a project to promote well-being dedicated to the entire university community,Unipr4Life , which brings together services for the promotion of health, mental and physical balance, inclusiveness, sport, and healthy eating and lifestyle habits
- the development of educational strategies in canteens and dining areas. The initiative was launched as part of the ONFoods project and involved the Science and Technology Campus canteen in its experimental phase. Thanks to the collaboration with the Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education ER.GO, the company Cimas Ristorazione srl and the suggestions gathered through a preliminary survey conducted among students, the purchase of healthy and sustainable dishes was encouraged by identifying, with a specific logo, the dishes that meet certain nutritional and environmental criteria both on the catering service menu and directly in the canteen service line. The presence of educational posters on health and sustainability issues in the canteen has helped to raise awareness among users, guiding them towards putting together a balanced and sustainable “tray” or meal, thanks also to the creation of colour-coded pathway
- the creation of a recipe book that includes easy-to-make, healthy dishes with a low environmental impact. The activity was coordinated by the EUGreen alliance signed by nine European universities that consider the sustainability of human activities, responsible economic growth and social inclusiveness to be key principles on which to develop new models of higher education with a particular focus on the environment. The selected recipes are included in the UNIPLATE app
- the supply of local and sustainable food. The BioBag initiative, promoted by the Parma Sostenibile social promotion association in collaboration with APS IoMangioLocale and supported by the University of Parma's ONFoods Project, allows students and university staff to collect a weekly bag containing a surprise selection of fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables that are certified organic or have a participatory guarantee (PGS). The products are supplied by agricultural producers participating in the MercaTiAmo project