The Competence Centre for the Mediterranean Diet (CCDM) was present at the 11th edition of the Mediterranean Diet Fair in Tavira, which took place between 4 and 7 of September.
This year, in addition to the presence with an institutional stand, CCDM collaborated in organising a seminar entitled “Innovation and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Diet”, this was an excellent opportunity to disseminate what is being done across the country on this topic and raise awareness to this ancient lifestyle that is the Mediterranean Diet.
Once more, cooperation was the heart of the CCDM’s intervention at the Mediterranean Diet Fair! The CCDM was represented by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGADR), eight projects financed by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) – RNAES, Red Fruit4Health, Revitalgarve, CERTRA, Harvest, AGROvila, Cogumelos do Prado ao Prato (Mushrooms from farm to fork) and OakFood. Two projects from the National Plan for Balanced and Sustainable Food (PNAES) – “Pensar Global, Agir Local …à Mesa” (Think Globally, Act Locally …at the Table) and “PRATO CERTO – Alimentação + Sustentável” (RIGHT DISH – Food + Sustainable).
The seminar brought together researchers, producers and public decision-makers, who learned about the progress of eight projects funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan: RNAES, Red Fruit4Health, Revitalgarve, CERTRA, Harvest, AGROvila, Cogumelos do Prado ao Prato and OakFood. At the end, it was also possible to hold a multi-disciplinary round table discussion, covering education, agriculture, culture, health, academia and production, which allowed for a discussion of the challenges to safeguarding and enhancing the Mediterranean lifestyle from various points of view.
At the stand, visitors were able to learn about these projects through an exhibition showcasing their results. They were also able to learn more about the CERTRA, HARVEST, AGROvila, Revitalgarve and RNAES projects, which organised activities to raise awareness of their work.
We also had the opportunity to hear from the PNAES Tâmega e Sousa project, from northern Portugal, “Pensar Global, Agir Local …à Mesa” (Think Global, Act Local … at the Table), with the presentation of their game on the Mediterranean Diet for primary school children. And the PNAES Algarve ‘PRATO CERTO – Alimentação + Sustentável’ (RIGHT PLATE – Food + Sustainable), with the presentation of its recipe book and food education guide for schools.
There were also activities to raise awareness about aquaculture and sustainability with children, organised by S2AquaColab, and the presentation of the book “Sabores do Algarve Festins de Memória” (Flavours of the Algarve, Feasts of Memory) by Soroptimist International Tavira.
The challenge for the future remains: to foster cooperation between projects and territories for the preservation of the Mediterranean diet.
