This unit aims to explore the links between the environment and food systems. Students should be guided to develop concerns for the protection of natural resources and ecosystem services. Food systems and also food processing should contribute to the preservation and enhancement of environmental integrity, and contribute more broadly to the Sustainable Development Goals. They also must discuss the cause-effect relationships between environmental and food systems and know which are the environmental performance indicators and tools to analyse the environmental impacts of different dietary options. It is also important to know how to communicate environmental issues to consumers. They should identify opportunities for rationalization of resources and new practices to improve environmental performance and formulate critical environmental thinking associated with processing and vegan diets.
This unit aims to introduce the learners with the required green skills in view of today’s and tomorrow’s environmental challenges that society is facing. The areas of concern covered in this unit include sustainability, vegan food processing, economy and marketing and society and visibility.
In the unit SUSTAINABILITY, students should become familiar with general definitions and parameters that stand in terms of sustainable development. The unit aims to deliver to students what sustainable vegan processing and plant-based processing are. Another aim is to explain energy/water/waste critical points in processing and how food waste in processing can be reduced. Students will compare conventional and vegan food processing technologies. Also, students will be trained to prepare plans for food waste reduction in vegan food processing. There will be education regarding food waste, how to educate consumers on how to treat plant-based products, and how to reduce, reuse and recycle plant-based products. Through the unit, there will be a focus on food by-products and effective usage of by-products in extraction processing and further incorporation of output products. In waste management, it is necessary to establish critical thinking and skills toward future lead in vegan food processing technology. Software will be used to understand, collect and analyse data from vegan food processing plants and analyse data in terms of sustainable parameters.