KasvisPro Edu

Project duration: 

November 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026 

Funding: 

Finnish Food Authority 80% 

Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences 20% 

Budget: 

Total budget: €373,375 

SeAMK’s share of the budget: €85,358 

Lead partner: 

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences 

https://www.xamk.fi/en/project/kasvispro-edu-more-professional-skills-in-using-vegetarian-food-and-plant-proteins/  

Partial partners: 

Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, Professional Kitchen Experts’ Association 

To promote the health and well-being of the population and to ensure the sustainability of the planet, changes in diets are needed. The Nordic nutrition recommendations emphasize the importance of increasing plant-based eating. Food industry education and services can act as effective drivers of change for nutrition recommendations and national food strategies. 

The project aims to strengthen the plant-based food competence of food industry vocational education and professional kitchens through training, compiling educational materials that are easy to find and use, and networking vocational education and kitchens for development cooperation with companies that produce plant-based products. The project utilizes the experiences and materials from the KasvisPro training project, which received positive feedback from food services. https://projects.seamk.fi/sustainable-food-solutions/kasvispro-buckets-full-of-vegetables/

The project aims to:

• Strengthen the expertise of food industry educators and trainers, as well as professional kitchen staff, in the diverse use of vegetables, plant proteins, and plant-based products, including organic products, in customer-oriented product development and the acceptability of plant-based dishes. Increased competence among educators and trainers will bolster the skills and knowledge of students in the field. 

• Improve the availability, accessibility, and usability of training, guidance, and communication materials related to the aforementioned themes for professionals. 

• Increase collaboration between professional kitchens, vocational education, and companies producing plant-based products, thereby advancing the development and adoption of customer-oriented product solutions. 

The project’s main target groups are:

• Food industry vocational education staff and trainers, 

• Professional kitchen staff, 

• Companies producing plant-based products and their staff, 

• Food industry students, 

• Organizations promoting the use of plant-based and organic products. 

The main actions of the project include: 

• Training events to increase plant-based food competence in vocational education, 

• Development of product solutions through systematic collaboration, 

• Compilation and communication of materials related to the use of plant-based food, plant proteins, and organic products, and 

• Administration and coordination. 

As a result of the project, a tested and piloted operating model for collaboration between professional kitchens, companies producing plant-based products, and vocational education will be created. Additionally, the availability of materials related to plant-based food, plant-based proteins, and organic products will improve as they are compiled and linked into a single portal. The project will also produce new materials and resources.