Throughout the year, the five regions of Portugal have promoted various activities aimed at safeguarding the Mediterranean Diet, with the aim of helping to increase public support for the Mediterranean Diet as a healthy lifestyle and dietary pattern and boosting the development of rural areas by preserving and disseminating the region’s values, culture and heritage.
But it’s mainly in the summer that the Portuguese people show their way of life through socializing, fairs, etc.
Taking advantage of this predisposition, the summer of 2023 was marked by the development of various activities, promoted in the different regions.In the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, on June 18, World Sustainable Gastronomy Day, DRAPLVT took part in a round table on the Mediterranean Diet, at the 5th edition of Agroaruil, in the União de Freguesias de Almargem do Bispo, Pêro Pinheiro e Montelavar, Sintra, an event designed to encourage and strengthen socializing and the exchange of experiences between farmers, but also to ensure the continuity of agricultural activity in the parish and the region, closely linked to the production of vegetables, in a concept that was also open to families.
A few days later, on June 22, the conference “From Farm to Fork – Short Food Circuits” was held in Azeitão, promoted by the Setúbal City Council, where the theme of Short Food Circuits was addressed, with presentations of relevant projects. This conference also featured a presentation by DRAPLVT on “The importance of the Mediterranean Diet in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region”.
On July 14, in Alpiarça, DRAPLVT was part of the panel of judges at the Best Melon and Watermelon Competition 2023, an initiative that promotes a product of excellence produced in the region.
After classes started, on October 16, an information session on the “Sustainability of traditional varieties and beekeeping in the region” was held in Sesimbra, in a partnership between Sesimbra Town Council, Castelo Parish Council, DRAPLVT and Rede Rural Nacional, as part of the XI Camoesa Apple, Confectionery and Bread Exhibition.
In the Central region of Portugal, on September 29th, the European Researchers’ Night took place in Coimbra. During this event, there will be different awareness-raising activities about the advantages of consuming mushrooms, promoted by the project PRR-C05-i03-I-000160 – Mushrooms from ‘Prado to Prato’, approved under the Sustainable Food Notice” and where one of the lines of action relates to the Mediterranean Diet. (Activity 54 – MAPA-NEI-Coimbra-2023)
In November the following celebrations will be held:
- Creation of a thematic newsletter alluding to the Mediterranean diet with special emphasis on the celebration of 10 years of DM as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity;
- Participation in fairs in the Alentejo region, with plans to boost the stand with the creation of a specific day dedicated to the Mediterranean diet and which includes various activities and educational games alluding to DM.
In the Alentejo region, new episodes of the Momento Agro podcast were published – (DRAP AL_podcast) whose themes address the themes and principles recommended in the federating style that is the Mediterranean diet, namely with theme such as “Valuation of the Mediterranean Diet”, “Agri-food Short Circuits”, “Family Farming and its importance for the development of territories”, and others
And returning to the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, we would also highlight the initiatives carried out in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region under the National Plan for Balanced and Sustainable Food (PNAES), which involve partnerships with various institutions, including the DRAPLVT, and whose main objectives are to develop actions that contribute to the promotion of healthy eating, the Mediterranean Diet, the fight against food waste and the valorization of local and seasonal products. These initiatives have local intervention and include the projects “AML Alimenta” (Lisbon metropolitan area), “Alimentação Sustentável.LT” (Tagus region), PNAES Oeste (West region) and Food Literacy & Mediterranean Diet in the Middle Tagus (Middle Tagus region).
