Abstract:

The Open Day is an event held at Miguel Hernández University in Elche, specifically at the Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), which allows non-university educational centers to visit the Institute’s facilities and learn about the work and research carried out at the university through fun activities and workshops. The present workshop is an outcome of the educational project entitled “Keys to deepening the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the food chain From farm to table” funded by the ODS EDUCATIVOS-UMH program. As part of this project, various educational resources have been developed in the form of infographics, together with linked Google Drive forms to assess their impact and, therefore, students' learning and awareness of the SDG. These forms include a series of questions related to the content included in each of the infographics. Within the framework of the project, an educational resource entitled “Reducing food waste and revaluing by-products of the agri-food industry” has been developed. The main objectives of the educational resource are promoting the correct management of food purchasing and preservation, raising awareness of methods for food valorization and innovative uses for underutilized foods, and promoting the correct reading of expiration and best-before dates. The activity was divided into five sections. The first section dealt with the definition of SDG and the selection of those related to educational resources. The second section provided maturity scales for fruits and vegetables to help make decisions about their marketability and consumption. The third section aimed to provide information on the marketing standards for different fruits and vegetables by referring to European regulations, official Codex Alimentarius standards, and quality specifications. The fourth section aimed to raise awareness of the differences between the concepts of “food waste” and “food loss,” as well as to identify the point in the food chain where most fruit and vegetables are wasted, by accessing the FAO's technical platform and database on measuring and reducing food loss and waste. Finally, there was a discussion about consumer awareness and the need for training on food waste and the valorization of by-products from the agri-food industry. As a result, this mechanism has enabled feedback and continuous improvement of the educational resource, as well as the creation and contribution of society to the development of materials for future workshops. The students also developed increased awareness on food waste issues and the activity had a positive influence on their commitment to society and the environment.

Keywords:

Food waste, by-product valorization, agri-food industry, Sustainable Development Goals, educational resource, workshops.