FEAST: healthy and sustainable food for vulnerable communities

FEAST'ies visit Alto Minho

At the beginning of October, all FEAST'ies met up in Viano do Castelo in the Alto Minho region of Portugal. The first day's visit led past several initiatives promoting healthy and sustainable food in Alto Minho, including a school, several farmers and a new fish and vegetable market where farmers can offer their goods for free.

The second zoomed in on successes of the Tech Living Labs Ghent, Leuven, Prilep and Oxfordshire, coordinated from Leuven 2030 and KU Leuven. In addition, the group explored opportunities in different food regions and looked together for solutions to challenges that emerged in various living labs. Food for thought.

Several stakeholders deepen their commitment. We are getting ready for the next phase: co-creation. In this phase, we shape the Community Action Platform and possible actions and collaborations together.

Our ultimate goal is still the same: to have a positive impact on access to healthy and sustainable food for people in a vulnerable position, and to investigate whether a digital solution can serve as a catalyst for this.

At the third stakeholder meeting on 15 April, we share the results of our market analysis of existing SaaS platforms and present our preferred choice. At the same time, we try to answer the question "Where should our focus be in Leuven if we really want to get started with community action?". Our trajectory is gaining traction and direction.

We now shift from a technical focus to a content focus. In this context, the voice of our target group, i.e. people in a vulnerable position, becomes crucial. Together with SAAMO, we organise several focus groups at local community centres with a social restaurant. We assess the degree of food insecurity among our Leuven target group, dive into the theme of 'healthy and sustainable food' and explore thresholds they experience in terms of knowledge, skills, living conditions and the supply of social food services.

In parallel with the market analysis of SaaS platforms, we are getting to know our potential users better. We return to the community centre coordinators and their social workers, to get a better picture of the 'user profiles' for our platform: who are they, how do they work, what are their priorities, how do they interact and communicate with their clients. Marketing students from UCLL support us map this out during the International Sustainability Weeks. During these consultations, we itroduce our users to the EcoFoodMap for the first time and probe for possible improvements.

On 20 December, we are hosting the second stakeholder meeting. We decide on the most feasible scenarios and gauge desired functionalities for the Community Action Platform. The outcome will serve as the basis for the next step: a market analysis of digital SaaS platforms.

We have identified the main needs of our stakeholders. In our search for a Community Action Platform that best meets these needs, we are diving into 5 possible scenarios. After the exploratory phase, the participatory design phase now begins.

Additional outreach towards potential and key stakeholders is being realized, enriched by one-on-one interviews with the partners.

The first stakeholder meeting takes place on 13 September. SAAMO, KU LEUVEN, Huis van het Kind, Ruimtevaart, School 2030, Rikolto, CAW Oost-Brabant, De Wissel vzw, Enchanté vzw and Zorg Leuven all get around the table. These organisations harbor oceans of expertise on nutrition and people in vulnerable positions. We inspire each other with good examples and map the needs of Leuven's food system, as well as possible digital solutions that could help meet those needs.

Living Lab Leuven is expanding. We are contacting multiple we arecontacting local organisations that work with vulnerable groups and food. In September, our first stakeholder meeting is set to take place. Would your organisation like to participate in this project?Don’thesitate to contact us.

The first FEAST-Hackathon ‘Hack for Food, Hack for Good’ takes place in Milan. Its focus is on the development of tech solutions aimed at tackling foodinsecurity and food waste in Milan. During a short, online inspirational session, we share the initial learnings from our Tech Living Labs.

KU Leuven’s research into nutrition and digital media takes off. About 300 students participate, among them students from the Heilig Hart Institute in Leuven.

FEAST returns to Leuven 2030 Urban Lab. Now that the project is out of the concept phase, participants of the 3rd edition of Urban Lab - aiming to focus academic research on the climate challenge - are once again challenged to exchange ideas around sustainable and healthy food for vulnerable target groups. The 2 table discussions around 'nutrition in schools' and 'healthy eating patterns for vulnerable target groups' attracted a total of more than 40 (!) interested participants.

The collaboration with UCLL (University Colleges Leuven-Limburg) takes off. UCLL and FEAST found each other during the Leuven 2030 Urban Lab, a networking event focusing academic research on climate transition.

The UCLL computer science students develop a new, more interactive version of one of the digital tools FEAST will use: the Eco Food Map. Thisonline database maps out the food system in and around Leuven and presents the initiatives, actors, experts and indicators in our food system. The publication of this version 2.0 is planned for the coming months.

The international branches of FEAST come together, share their first experiences and inspire each other. The group exchanges knowledge, including via the FEAST YouTube channel. Leuven also provides a brief overview of what is yet to come:

Leuven, Ghent, Prilep (Macedonia) and Oxfordshire (UK) kick off cooperation on digital tools and communication with vulnerable target groups. In the coming years, they will each introduce and test their own Eco Food Maps and Community Action Platforms. Co-creation and ease of use are central. This will include looking at the guiding principles within growth hacking.

All four cities are cooperating in an academic study on communication with vulnerable target groups. Leuven 2030 takes a leading role in this partnership, in close collaboration with KU Leuven and University Clinic Heidelberg.

Let's welcome everyone to the FEAST: the project's English-language website goes live. In a series of workshops, the initiators of FEAST in our city, Leuven 2030, KU Leuven and SAAMO, further define the concept and develop an action plan.

FEAST makes its Leuven debut. Together with the 'Voeding Verbindt' network, we aim to find out how to make the shift towards healthy and sustainable food in Leuven. We start by gathering feedback on the digital tools FEAST will use.

The Food Advisory Council (VLAR) is presented FEAST by means of an eye-catching infographic.