Project

Vegetarian food and proteins in food services – project

Project sponsors

Abbreviation
KasvisPro
Project type
Development project
Focus area
Bioeconomy
Implementation time
1.1.2023 - 31.8.2024
Project unit
School of Business
Financing program
Finnish Food Authority
Project description

Vegetarian Food & Protein in Food Services - KasvisPro Training Project aimed to educate the staff of public food services on the use of vegetarian food and plant-based proteins.

The training program included theoretical instruction, practical food preparation, and post-training expert and peer support through workshop activities. Some of the training sessions were in Swedish and are held in various parts of Finland.
The long-term goal of the KasvisPro project was to improve the availability of tested recipes that promote the use of plant-based proteins suitable for food service production, as well as to support a culture of collaboration in public food services, such as through sharing food recipes.

The specific objectives of the project:

Increase knowledge and understanding of the possibilities for using vegetarian food and plant-based proteins in food services.
Increase awareness of the environmental and health impacts of plant-based proteins and plant-based diets.
Increase interest in vegetarian food and plant-based proteins among food service staff and customers.
Improve the accessibility and availability of vegetarian food recipes.


The actions undertaken in the KasvisPro project:

Planning and implementation of theoretical training (video recording).
Planning and implementation of training days (16-18 on-site trainings, 2 remote trainings).
Dissemination and spreading of the results.
Project management and reporting.
The progress of the actions will be monitored using quantitative and qualitative indicators. Quantitative indicators include the number of training days and participants, the amount of produced materials, and the presentation of project results to professionals.
The project results primarily serve the development of food service organizations and customer communication. The results will be compiled on the project's website and will be openly accessible to all interested parties. The accessibility requirements will be taken into account in the result materials. The results will also be published as articles in professional journals and presented at relevant industry seminars.

The project was implemented by Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu Oy – Xamk (coordinator) and Seinäjoen ammattikorkeakoulu Oy (SeAMK), Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu Oy (Jamk), Savon koulutuskuntayhtymä, EkoCentria, and Ammattikeittiöosaajat ry (Amko).

Project Manager at Xamk:
Piia Mikonsaari
[email protected]

Jamk, Co-implementing organization, Project Manager:
Suvi-Tuulia Leinonen
[email protected]

Project results

KasvisPro

In the KasvisPro project, a 3.25-hour video series was published on the topics of 'The ABCs of Vegetarian Eating,' 'Sustainable Vegetarian Food Deliciously,' and 'Interesting Vegetarian Food.' The series includes ten short expert lectures and nine interview videos where food service operators share their practices and experiences in preparing and promoting the use of vegetarian food. Exercises were also created for the video themes to help food service staff and students in the field familiarize themselves with promoting a plant-based focus. The videos are freely available at Vegetarian food and plant proteins in food services - KasvisPro-training project in Finnish and Swedish.

Nineteen training days were held across Finland for professional kitchen staff, with a total of 277 participants. A recipe bank was created to collect vegetarian recipes that have been proven successful in professional kitchens, available to everyone until June 2024. 

Development forms were created for four different themes to promote a plant-based focus, which can be used in food services to review the current situation and define development measures. Five online workshops were held for those who participated in the training days, with 323 participants. The project was featured at various professional events. A toolkit was built on the website from the produced materials. An online publication titled 'Towards Plant-Based Food Choices - A Workbook for Food Services' was created (FI).