Ethics in the Food Ecosystem: a project experience

Abstract: By the beginning of 2024, the world's population will have exceeded 8 billion people and the consequent growing global demand for food will have to be considered. It is imperative to address the ethical complexities involved in food production and distribution, involving various strands of the food system, among them agroecology. A strong connection between ethical eating and agroecology, both striving for sustainable, healthy, and just food systems. Given the importance of the topic, an ERASMUS+ project was developed, the Blending Intensive Program (BIP), entitled “Ethics in the Food Ecosystem”, with the reference 2022-1-PT01-KA131-HED-000064936-4.This experience was organized by the Polytechnic University of Viseu, with the coordinatof Agrarian school of Viseu (ESAV), and with four international institutions as coorganisers: Savonia University of Finland, University of Peloponnese of Greece, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences of Lithuanian and the Universita Degli Study de Catania of Italy. This project totaled 100 hours, with 20 h online, 40 h in person and 40 h of autonomous work, having started on 15th of April and ended on 11th May 2024.The program was attended by 21 international students from the co-organising universities, who took part in the various online sessions, and in the face-to-face week held in Viseu. Several topics were covered in the sessions: The impact and the need of Ethical Food; Exploring the world of innovation; Ethical Food operation; Sustainability for the future. The on-site week involved practical activities (study visits), case studies and more in depth discussions on the application of ethical principles in the context of the food ecosystem. The BIP project ‘Ethics in the Food Ecosystem’ was a comprehensive program aimed at involving participants in the different aspects of the food system, acquiring the skills to make informed and ethical decisions in the context of their future activities in the food ecosystem. In this way, these students will be able to contribute to the creation of a more ethical, ecological, sustainable, and healthy society, in line with the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ion