What we are doing
Currently, our food system is unsustainable in three dimensions. At the environmental level, the continuance of current food consumption habits has been estimated to result in an additional global temperature rise of nearly 1°C by 2100 (Ivanovich et al., 2023). The food system accounts for approximately a third of global greenhouse gas emissions (Crippa et al., 2021). Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of global fresh-water use contributing to the destruction of natural ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity (IPCC, 2019). At the social level, the consumption of poor-quality diets is a leading cause of non-communicable disease, which is related to approximately 75% of all diseases and 85% of all deaths in Europe (European Public Health Alliance et al., 2019). At the economic level, a few major corporations dominate the global food system at the expense of many fragmented small suppliers (FAO, 2022).
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How we are tracking
The objective of this projectis to assess the impact of the technological, social and organisational innovations designed and demonstrated in CUES on fostering cultural, food value chain and policy change for consumer empowerment. The specific objectives include:
● Set up baseline assessment regarding the cultural, food value chain and policy change to better characterise the impact and demonstrate the benefits of innovations designed and demonstrated in the CUES.
● Monitor and assess the impact of the innovations on cultural, food value chain and policy change through tailored research methods for each aspect, respectively.
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What we are achieving
Fostering a significant 'triple change' concerning culture, the food value chain, and policy in the food sytem is crucial for ensuring that sustainable food is desirable and trustworthy for consumers.
To address the urgent need for a more sustainable food system that benefits the environment, society, and the economy, CUES sets out to transmit and present sustainability-related information. The project's goal is to guide consumer knowledge and behaviour, and to determine the persuasive cues to promote sustainable consumer behaviour most effectively.
CUES will develop nine interventions through a multi-actor participatory approach, involving consumers, actors in the food value chain, and decision makers in different European countries. The learning community, communication and behaviour change toolkits developed by CUES aim to reach at least three million consumers, increasing their consumption of sustainable food.
In this project, ICLEI Europe leads the interventions on cultural change. Five community-lead interventions will be developed in different fodo environments (physical and digital), with particular attention paid to the inclusion of vulnerable groups. The interventions will allow to develop a Behaviour Change Toolkit to foster sustainable food consumption.
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