Webinar brings together partners to discuss Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet Skills Center (CCDM) and Tavira City Council (CMT), in collaboration with the University of Algarve (UAlg) and the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Directorates of the North, Center, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, and Alentejo, organized, on October 30, an online dissemination session on the potential of the Mediterranean Diet (DM) in promoting cohesion and sustainable development of territories.
The webinar intended to demonstrate the relevance that DM already assumes in the Algarve, in promoting and sustainable development, also contributing to its cohesion, and some examples of good practices were also presented.
The Mayor of Tavira, Ana Paula Martins chaired the opening session, in an intervention centered on the reality of Tavira, the Portuguese community representative of the DM. Then, Custódia Correia, from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGADR) presented the ongoing projects “Safeguarding the Mediterranean Diet to promote a healthy lifestyle and sustainable society model” and “Territorial MED” promoted by the Center of Mediterranean Diet Skills (CCDM).
Ana de Freitas, Vice-rector and coordinator of the Working Group for the Safeguarding of the Mediterranean Diet at the University of Algarve, focused her communication on the importance of the Mediterranean diet, talking about the experience in the Algarve in the preparation and implementation of a plan to safeguard the DM. Also Francisco Serra, outgoing president of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Algarve), highlighted the dynamics of collaboration between sectors and the work already done in the Algarve, namely within the scope of the Regional Council of the Mediterranean Diet, chaired by CCDR Algarve.
Other entities with responsibility for the promotion and safeguarding of DM also presented their perspectives on the Mediterranean Diet, as well as the work developed, in Tourism (João Fernandes, President of the Algarve Tourism Region), in Culture (Adriana Freire Nogueira, Regional Director of Culture of the Algarve), in Health (Teresa Sancho, Regional Health Administration of the Algarve), and in Agriculture and Fisheries, Pedro Valadas Monteiro (President of the Regional Directorate for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Algarve).
In the second part of the session, examples of good practices were presented. Associação In Loco presented the projects “Prato Certo”, by Artur Gregório, and “Rota da Dieta Mediterrânea”, by Arlete Rodrigues. Nuno Alves, from the Grandcarob Company, spoke about the development of “Food Products based on locust beans”.
This session took place within the scope of the Project “Safeguarding the Mediterranean Diet for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and sustainable society model”, financed by the PDR 2020.
In addition to this webinar, a set of working sessions (online) is also planned in the regions of Alentejo, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Center and North, to identify the main actions to be taken to promote the safeguarding and enhancement of DM as a contribution to a sustainable and inclusive development strategy.
It should be noted that the “Mediterranean diet” as a food standard is recognized by the scientific community and the World Health Organization as a “healthy and sustainable diet”. In 2013, it was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and, in this sense, it is important to preserve and enhance it.
This project intends, therefore, to contribute to the articulation of the different actors from each region, involved in this theme, so that, similarly to what is already happening in the Algarve, one can foster knowledge, safeguard and value all cultural diversity and natural as a resource that enhances regional development, based on a framework that defines the parameters that fit the concept of DM.
