Under the title “EQVEGAN Erasmus+ project: the bridge between skills and vegan food industry professionals “, Dr. Carmen de Vega (CEO/Chief Administrative ACTAE), presented our project 17^th May at the FOOD 4 FUTURE – BILBAO FOODTECH WORLD SUMMIT, hosted in Bilbao (Spain).

The meeting started at 1:30 p.m. with an audience of approximately twenty professionals. They were introduced to the EQVEGAN project through the distribution of leaflets and bookmarks, which outlined the project’s objectives and main achievements.

The EQVEGAN project is part of the European Erasmus+ initiative, aiming to enhance the skills of professionals in the agri-food sector, particularly within the vegan food industry. This endeavor seeks to bolster the competitiveness of the European food industry and facilitate labor mobility.

The project Consortium was established in December 2020, comprising 15 entities from 11 different countries. The Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (IPC) is leading the consortium, with ACTAE-Basque Association of Food Science and Technology serving as the sole Spanish partner. As indicated by Dr. Carmen de Vega, the initial phase of the project involved updating occupational profiles with new areas of knowledge and skills, which were positively received by ESCO. Building upon these profiles, specialized and innovative training programs were developed, categorized into four main themes: processing and transformation of plant foods, sustainability, digitalization and automation, and soft skills. Subsequently, a sectoral cooperation network was established in the form of a comprehensive database. In November 2021, e-learning modules were launched as a pilot for this training initiative. Currently, select educational centers affiliated with the Consortium are delivering this training in person, with ongoing efforts to develop a food professional certification that holds equivalence across EU member states.

FOOD 4 FUTURE – ExpoFoodTech has become a meeting place for food companies to showcase case studies, trends, new technologies and solutions for sustainability, health and digitalization throughout the food value chain. This year’s edition covered all sectors of the food and beverage industry (12% from fruits & vegetables) and was attended by 8.372 food professionals from 24 countries.

Additional information about this presentation available on the event portal and ACTAE website.

Gallery of images for the presentation here.