Prilep, N. Macedonia – May 27, 2024 – The Arete Association for Sustainable Prosperity is pleased to announce the commencement of the Prilep Living Lab, part of the FEAST (Food systems that support transitions to healthy and sustainable diets) project. On May 28-29, 2024, nearly 200 kindergarten staff members, including carers, teachers, kitchen staff, and administration, will participate in a workshop focused on promoting healthy and sustainable nutrition for preschool children.

The Prilep Living Lab titled “Building Healthy Eating Habits Amongst Preschool Children” is a key component of FEAST, a five-year project funded by the EU's Horizon Europe program and coordinated by Heidelberg University. The project involves 35 partners from 15 European countries and aims to address the pressing challenges faced by European citizens in accessing nutritious and healthy food. Through a network of Living Labs, including municipalities directly representing around 3.35 million individuals, FEAST seeks to drive positive change across the food value chain.

The Prilep Living Lab, represents a critical step in building sustainable food systems. By empowering kindergarten staff with the knowledge and skills to foster healthy eating habits among children, the project aligns with the broader goals of FEAST, promoting synergies between people, the planet, and both public and private sectors.  

The Living Lab is a result of the collaboration between the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, UNICEF, Eduland, and the Association for Sustainable Prosperity (as part of the FEAST consortium), who have been jointly working on developing modules on nutritional pedagogy within the project “Building Healthy Eating Habits Amongst Preschool Children”.

This initiative holds particular significance for Arete, as it not only supports FEAST’s mission but also addresses local challenges in Macedonia, such as childhood obesity, dependency on imported food, and structural food poverty.