Program duration: 01/11/2020 - 31/08/2023

e-SAFE

“Enhance safer and healthier meals through food handlers' education and training” – e-SAFE

e-SAFE is a 34 month project (1/1/2020 – 31/08/2023) funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union, which aims to provide modern, tailored made training to professionals working in the food industry.

Based on the most recent data provided by WHO and EFSA, food-borne outbreaks present a significant disease burden. Inappropriate food handling is considered the major cause of food borne disease outbreaks hence, preparation and provision of safe meals by well-trained food personnel is highly demanded, especially now because of COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, various other food hazards threat human health, such as acrylamide and mycotoxins, food allergens as well as specific food compounds that present a risk for the health, like trans fatty acids. Since food hazards to a great extent, are attributed to inappropriate preparation & processing and “cross contamination” phenomena one of the most efficient ways of dealing with the problem is to limit the problems through training food handlers (the e-SAFE target group). Nonetheless, EU & national legislation for training of employees involved in food handling is limited, as employees are obliged to attend “Food Safety/Hygiene” seminars and training courses only in the context of basic education, which does not include recent food safety developments; therefore, there is particular need for improving related skills and knowledge to sufficiently implement all Food Hygiene and Safety Systems in daily working practices of food handlers.

e-SAFE will develop an interactive training curriculum reflecting the contemporary needs of staff working in the food service sector, focusing on emerging/re-emerging food hazards in meal preparation. Target groups are chefs, kitchen staff, food handlers, outlet managers and agri-food processing employees associated with meal production and food service delivery.

In addition, the project aims to:

  • Increase knowledge, skills and capacity building of the target group.
  • Increase awareness on food hazards, widely affecting public health, focusing on the prevention of recently identified and non-widely known food hazards:

    • chemical hazards
    • emerging pathogens
    • food allergens
    • SARS-CoV_2 and other viruses responsible for respiratory infections
  • Increase motivation and adherence to healthier, safer and more hygienic processing and/or storage techniques.

The consortium consists of 6 organizations from 6 countries: Poland, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Austria and Lithuania.

Contact information: 

Matina Kouvari, MSc, PhD, m.kouvari@prolepsis.gr

Pania Karnaki, MA: p.karnaki@prolepsis.gr

Project Coordinator:

The Polish Farm Advisory and Training Centre not-for-profit Sp. z o. o., Miastkowo, Poland

Project partners:

CSI – Center for Social Innovation LTD, Cyprus

Prolepsis Institute, Greece

Italian Cuisine di Gianluca Pardini, Italy

ISEKI-Food Association, Austria 

Kauno maisto pramones ir prekybos mokymo centras, Lithuania

 

Website: www.e-safe-project.eu