The demand for food products of plant origin has expanded considerably in recent years in Europe. Consumers who want to replace animal products partially or completely, demand correct, updated and verifiable information on the alternatives of plant origin. The V-PLACE project aims to communicate to consumers interested in maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle and food, all kinds of information regarding the nutritional value of food and ingredients and the different options in the choice of them through a web portal.
In V- Place, seven European entities are participating, including research centers, universities and private entities. Spain's participation is led by the CSIC, and includes researchers from the Institute of Food Science and Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN) and the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA).
The objective of the IATA group, led by Amparo Tárrega and Laura Laguna, is to analyze the needs, barriers and preferences of Spanish consumers regarding the consumption of vegetable alternatives to traditional products of animal origin (dairy or meat). The study focuses on both consumers who already have a diet based on foods of plant origin (vegans and vegetarians) and those who are willing to reduce the consumption of animal products and replace them with products of plant origin (flexitarian consumers).
The final idea is to build a web portal in which consumers will be able, according to the type of individual diet (omnivorous, flexible, vegetarian or vegan) to receive personalized information that in an easy and understandable way allows them to make a healthy diet choice.
In addition, an attractive and informative application will be developed with games and contests that will complement the V-PLACE. The results and data will be continuously fed, thus making it a living knowledge center also after the project has been integrated into FoodUnfolded.
EIT FoodUnfolded
Food Unfolded is a multimedia platform with the latest innovations in the food and agriculture sector, promoted by EIT Food, one of the branches of the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology).