Assessing dietary sustainability at the community level (P 147-T)

Abstract

Background: The Mediterranean Diet is considered to be the epitome of what a Sustainable Diet means. “The Island on Your Plate” is a communication project that intends to draw attention towards the gastronomic diversity of the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and to encourage a more sustainable diet by adapting the local habits to a Mediterranean-like Diet. A survey has been developed with the aim to investigate consumer's dietary habits and food shopping preferences in Gran Canaria.

Material and methods: The survey will be piloted in twenty subjects at two SPAR stores located in both rural and urban areas of the island. Validity and Reliability of the piloted survey will be tested through SPSS analyses. A final model will be developed and distributed around the island through SPAR's weekly catalogue expecting to recollect at least data from 3000 participants.

Results: Results of the survey are expected to provide representative data of diverse socioeconomic levels and food shopping behaviours in Gran Canaria. Moreover, we had elaborated the Decalogue of a Healthy Diet in the Community: 10 keys for a healthy life and world. This Decalogue was edited in a video format with the aim to be a useful tool to disseminate healthy eating habits, and its relation with science and our food heritage. Finally, an online platform was created to divulge information regarding other initiatives—both public and private—that promote the ideology behind food sustainability.

Conclusions: This project has manifested the possibility to make a significant change on Gran Canaria's dietary pattern to promote and encourage a sustainable diet of proximity that is balanced, varied, and healthy and to bring it closer to the Mediterranean Diet pattern. Results gathered from the survey will enable to evaluate sustainability in food shopping and dietary practices in Gran Canaria.