Uniting Diverse Needs for a Sustainable Food Future

Food is at the heart of the climate-change debate, and tomorrow’s chefs can drive real change. The Erasmus+ Good Food project shows how schools in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy are teaching sustainability—and where more support is needed. By giving students and teachers practical tools, training, and resources, the project aims to turn awareness into action, empowering future chefs to create fairer, more ethical, and sustainable food systems.

Easier said than done—especially when the target group is as diverse as it is. Students, teachers, and school staff come from different backgrounds, experiences, and skill levels. In addition, the students are of different ages and at different stages of life. Furthermore, future workplaces differ among households, retirement homes, hotels or restaurants. All of this means, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Creating materials and methods that engage everyone requires flexibility, creativity, and careful attention to individual needs.

United in Differences:

A good food choice requires thinking from a systems point of view: food is never about a single issue, but about multiple issues and the relationships between them. This is why Good Food uses an approach that integrates systems thinking, action research, empowerment theory, and clear impact areas into a practical, actionable plan. Future chefs learn not only how to make change happen in their own practice but also how to become change makers who can influence colleagues and stakeholders within their sphere of impact. This practical approach—rich in hands-on methods yet grounded in meaningful depth—is what makes Good Food unique.

Creating learning materials that bring together these different needs and perspectives remains a challenge, as students and schools vary widely in context, expectations, and prior knowledge. 

The German vocational school in Ansbach-Triesdorf trains 105 students in their teens in nutrition and alimentation. While sustainability is limited in the official curriculum, teachers run practical initiatives: using leftovers for home recipes, repurposing food scraps, waste separation, reusable bottles, and stock management. Lessons also cover vegetarian/vegan diets, seasonal/regional sourcing, and reducing transport and packaging impacts. What the school can be supported with the most is ways to integrate the topic of sustainable food production easily in the existing curriculum as well as shifting responsibility for change from teachers to students to support them in becoming change makers themselves..

Koning Willem I College, a large vocational school in the south of the Netherlands, serves over 18,000 students and integrates UNESCO values—global citizenship, sustainability, intercultural learning, and human rights—throughout its curriculum. The college promotes healthier canteens and is a national leader in sustainability education, especially in food and hospitality. Students work with seasonal products, apply the 80/20 plant-forward rule, assess meat and fish impacts, and compare farm and wholesale sourcing. Through the Herenboeren community farm, they gain hands-on sustainable food experience, following Dutch Cuisine principles, and contribute to real-world projects like improving hospital menus – demonstrating both expertise and practical impact in sustainable gastronomy.

Fondazione Castello di Padernello ETS (FCDP) manages Padernello Castle in Italy as a cultural hub and driver of local development, welcoming about 60,000 visitors per year through exhibitions, performances, markets, and community events. It runs educational programmes for guides, students, and young professionals, including artisan workshops, school–work alternation, and Erasmus+ projects such as NanoEYE. FCDP promotes sustainable food culture and local craftsmanship through food-waste cooking workshops and Slow Food Earth Markets, supported by an experienced leadership team. Through its strong local network, FCDP involved the Istituto Andrea Mantegna of Brescia, a leading and innovative hospitality, tourism, and catering school, with over 1,100 students. The Institute is strongly committed to sustainability, food-waste reduction, and the use of local and seasonal products. Participants are interested in reducing animal-based products, strengthening intergenerational exchange, and innovating traditions, while teachers aim to foster healthier and more sustainable food choices.

In Spain, the public vocational training centre Escuela de Hosteleria de Leioa with over 40 years of experience and a strong national reputation, trains around 540 students annually with a staff of about 70 teachers. Its alumni include leading gastronomy professionals who collectively hold 12 Michelin stars. Located on a university campus, the school serves around 800 menus daily. It has experience in projects related to digitalising seasonal menu planning and teaches first-year students about resource efficiency and waste reduction. The school also donates surplus food to local NGOs, and key project activities have been driven by individuals such as Nerea Díaz Prieto. The Good Food project supports the Leioa Hospitality School by integrating sustainability into daily culinary training, particularly through food waste reduction, menu planning, and full use of ingredients. It also helps students develop sustainable decision-making skills aligned with real hospitality practices and the evolving demands of the sector. 

Tackle the Challenge:

For the programme developers, the main challenge lies in designing learning materials that are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of different schools while still conveying the depth and interconnectedness of sustainable food systems. They must balance practical skills with systems thinking, ensure relevance across varied cultural and regional contexts, and create tools that empower both educators and students to take meaningful action. Ultimately, they aim to build a programme that not only informs but inspires—one that equips future chefs and food professionals to drive sustainability from within their own practice and to spark positive change throughout the wider food system.