UMAMI

Project UMAMI aims at increasing food literacy among swiss primary school children so that they can preserve their health and the one of the planet.

Factsheet

Lead school School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences
Additional schools School of Health Professions
Institute(s) Nutrition and Dietetics
Consumer-focused Food Production
Research unit(s) Food Business and Marketing
Strategic thematic field Thematic field "Sustainable Development"
Funding organisation Others
Duration (planned) 15.11.2023 - 31.12.2025
Project management Charlotte Bourcet
Head of project Charlotte Bourcet
Project staff Charlotte Bourcet
Ariane Reist
Eugenia Harms
Dr. Joyce Haddad
Franziska Scheidegger-Balmer
Partner Fondation Senso5
HEP Valais
Promotion Santé Valais
Canton du Valais
Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz
Fondation LVPP de promotion de la santé
Loterie romande
Stadtmühle Schenk Holding AG
Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU
Keywords Food education, children, health and sustainability, primary school, sensory education

Situation

Eating habits have health, social and ecological consequences. In Switzerland, health costs due to unbalanced diets reach eight billion a year and food consumption is responsible of one third of the average Swiss consumption related environmental impact. From both, a health and sustainability perspective, a dietary shift within the Swiss population is necessary to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. Eating habits are established in childhood and mostly kept throughout adulthood. Parents, in the front line to transmit healthy and sustainable eating habits often do not have themselves the necessary food literacy to do so. In this context, public school plays a key role in providing equal access to food education to children. However, time allocated to nutrition or education on sustainable development in the Swiss primary school is practically inexistent.

Course of action

First, we will frame healthy and sustainable diets for children in Switzerland considering planetary boundaries, which are important to reach the SDGs and climate targets and translate them in learning objectives for primary school children. Second, we will co-develop together with stakeholders and customers (teachers, children and parents), a program composed of sensory based lessons articulated as well as extra-curriculum activities for families compiled in a digital collaborative platform. Finally, we will study the effectiveness of the HSF program on dietary change behavior of children and families via intervention research. Thus, scientific evidence will support the national implementation of the bilingual HSF program and contribute to responsible food consumption and public health of the Swiss population.