Catalonia hosted the second Interregional Exchange Visit from 26 to 29 March in Barcelona. The meeting revolved around several local projects that link gastronomy and education, and Catalan experience in this field. Our project partners enjoyed thoroughly the rich program that PRODECA had in store.
Participants to the exchange visit were 25 delegates from nine leading European institutions, both project partners as well as stakeholders. Catalonia is considered a leader in the field of gastronomic education, due to a number of innovative ventures designed to communicate the values of gastronomy to all areas of society. These ventures are run at different centres across the country.
Health through food and exercise
Working sessions focused on analyzing Catalonian experiences and their impact on gastronomic activities, as well as the challenge of stimulating and generating opportunities in the agro-food industry and local production. Delegates also studied the implementation of Catalonia’s Public Food Procurement Plan, the Health Department’s PAAS program for promoting health via physical exercise and healthy eating, and a range of programs designed to encourage good eating habits in school dining halls.
Catalonian benchmark projects on gastronomic education
This EUREGA Interregional Exchange Meeting brings together Catalonia’s benchmark projects in gastronomic innovation, training and outreach, including:
- CETT, the international school for education and knowledge transfer in tourism, hotel management and gastronomy, affiliated to the University of Barcelona. CETT offers training and study programs at all levels (vocational training, graduate and postgraduate education, ongoing training for professionals as well as tailor-made courses for companies). CETT’s unique educational model is based on a team of teachers and professionals that combines academic rigour and broad experience, and the pursuit of specialised knowledge in hospitality and tourism.
- The Alicia Foundation, a centre for research into cooking, foods and culinary processes to improve eating habits, connecting them to the food and gastronomic heritage of the region.
- LABulligrafia, a disruptive project led by Ferran Adrià, based on a creative audit of the world-famous El Bulli restaurant, whose historical archive will be displayed according to the Sapiens methodology to encompass the scale of the legacy of knowledge, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship generated by Ferran Adrià and his team.
- The Culinary Institute of Gastronomy, a new cooking school whose mission is to transform the way we cook, with an educational philosophy based on professional training that applies innovative learning methods drawn from Silicon Valley and adapted to provide powerful solutions, in which technology, creativity and innovation are key.
About Prodeca
The organiser of the conference, also responsible for designing the working sessions, is Prodeca, the Catalan Agrifood Exports Promotion Agency. This public company of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia, is focused on promoting Catalan agrifood products internationally. PRODECA is one of 9 partners that make up the EUREGA group.
