Promoting healthy and sustainable Mediterranean eating habits
Many families face daily barriers when trying to eat healthily, such as lack of time, limited access to fresh local products, food prices, lack of planning, reduced cooking confidence or confusing nutrition information.
Pregnancy and early parenting are moments when many families are especially motivated to improve their habits. PANACEA project uses this window of opportunity to support changes that can last beyond the project and influence the wider family environment.
- Start & end date: 1 May 2026 – 30 April 2029
- Duration: 36 months
- Coordinator: Eurecat Technology Center
- Programme: PRIMA programme supported by the European Commission
Our mission
Promoting healthy, sustainable and locally sourced Mediterranean eating habits among families, focusing on pregnancy and the baby’s first four months.
How?
Through a community-based approach, PANACEA combines nutrition education, cooking activities, digital tools, motivational support, peer groups and links with local food producers. The aim is to make healthy and sustainable food choices easier, more practical and more accessible in everyday family life.
Where?
The project is carried out in Spain, Italy and Egypt with 420 families, including pregnant women, their partners and, where relevant, other family members involved in childcare.
Project phases
A step-by-step approach to support families towards healthier and more sustainable diets
Community mapping
PANACEA will work with local communities to identify families’ needs, barriers, opportunities and everyday realities in each intervention region. This first phase will help understand what makes healthy and sustainable eating easier or harder in Spain, Italy and Egypt.
Living Labs co-creation
Living Labs will bring together families, healthcare professionals, local producers, chefs, researchers, policymakers and community actors. Together, they will co-design and adapt PANACEA’s tools and activities so they are practical, culturally relevant and suited to each local context.
Behavioural coaching tools
Development tools and materials supporting families, including PANACEA digital coach, nutrition and cooking workshops, practical educational materials, peer-support spaces and a reward system. These tools will focus on realistic everyday actions, such as planning meals or improving cooking skills.
Farm-to-Fork strategies
Connecting families with local food producers and promoting seasonal, local and organic foods as part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. PANACEA supports short food supply chains, reducing the distance between producers and consumers and make local food systems more visible and accessible.
Family participation
Implementation of a community-based programme with families in three Mediterranean countries: Spain, Italy and Egypt. The study will assess whether the PANACEA approach can improve adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and support healthier and more sustainable habits.
Evaluation and policy support
Evaluation of the effects of the intervention from different perspectives, including diet, behaviour, psychosocial aspects, health-related indicators and environmental sustainability. The results will help generate evidence for future recommendations, tools and strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable food systems.
