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Is career planning a linear process? Can you think of an astonishing career that has been precisely scheduled before it even begun? In 99,9% of the time this is not the case. People say that change is the only constant, so why don’t get better at it?

Those kind of questions were flying around Career Days with Food Educators that took place in our Institute. Between December 5 and 7, three groups of high school students from Olsztyn (Uniwersyteckie XII Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Marii i Georga Dietrichów, IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie w Olsztynie, Gastronomik Olsztyn) in total number of 66 had a chance to learn and experience what scientific career can look like.

– Apart from visiting laboratories of Nutrigenomics (wet lab and bioinformatics), and those related to the Aquaculture (IAR&FR PAS, the Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn), students had a chance to talk with the scientists from all over the globe and witness their passion for research. It was a great opportunity to show that it’s more than possible to have a successful and fulfilling international career in Olsztyn – says Maciej Cieślik, Institute’s HR Business Partner and coordinator of Career Days with Food Educators.

But the most important takeaway was that it’s OK not to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, especially when you are young, as long as you are willing to try new things, new paths, and set your mind positively. First step of a successful career is to get to know yourself better, identify your strengths and build on them. It’s never too late to make a change in your career path when the final goal is your happiness. The Career Days, organised by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, were held within the framework of Food Educators, a programme of the EIT Food, which spreads knowledge about food safety, healthy eating habits, responsible consumer choices, not wasting food and careers in the agri-food sector. Learn more: foodeducators.eu.

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The use of yeast in the food industry, learning about and testing methods for examining milk, counting bacteria, preparing microscope slides – the laboratories of the Division of Food Science of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences opened their doors to secondary school students from Olsztyn.

How do you get young people interested in food to help them shape informed consumer attitudes, develop critical thinking, and present exciting career opportunities in the agri-food sector that will lead to an active transformation of the food system in the future? Preferably from the practical side, as secondary school students found out during the Microbiology workshops with Food Educators.

The meeting started with an introduction to microbiology and the yeast 'strongmen’. Marzena Lenkiewicz from the Microbiology Laboratory of the IAR&FR PAS talked about these remarkable microorganisms and their use in the food industry. After the theoretical part, students continued in the laboratories, where they learnt about food safety and milk testing methods, conducted tests on their own, prepared microscope slides and counted bacteria.

– We are happy to show young people the world of science. Perhaps they will choose a career in science (…) Thank you very much for the opportunity to show the whole institute and for the workshop – concludes Ewa Stanisławska-Lepko, a teacher from the Wisława Szymborska Group of Catering and Food Schools in Olsztyn.

Food Educators is a programme of the European Knowledge and Education Community for Food (EIT Food), which creates and disseminates the materials essential to teach young people about healthy and sustainable eating habits. It enables the youngest consumers to make choices that are good for both them and the environment. Food Educators is also about promoting interesting career paths throughout the food supply chain and encouraging adepts to enter the agri-food sector. Join the international network at www.foodeducators.eu

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Spaghetti bolognese, burgers, scrambled eggs, smoothies – these are dishes that are quite popular in a teenager’s diet. Is it possible to prepare them in such a way that they are delicious, easy to prepare, healthy and 100% plant-based? The Institute’s experts in the EIT Food 'Food Educators’ project have shown that it is!

Meatless Monday is a worldwide campaign encouraging consumers to reduce their meat consumption – for their own health and for care of the planet. The name of the campaign suggests that the challenge to reduce meat and zoonotic products should start by eliminating meat from our diet for at least one day a week.

While information campaigns outline the topic, a more effective method of supporting a change in consumer habits, especially for young people, is practical action. The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as part of the 'Food Educators’ project, organised a cooking workshop for secondary school students from Olsztyn.

During the event, students learnt about the idea of Meatless Monday, explored conscious consumer attitudes with experts, including dealing with food labels and food packaging, and then stepped into the workshop kitchen, where they learnt about plant-based alternatives to their favourite dishes under the guidance of a chef. The event culminated with a shared meal and space to share their experiences.

– Meatless Monday is a great action that can be successfully incorporated into school canteens. Importantly, the students respond to the idea very enthusiastically! – the organisers conclude.

Food Educators is a programme of the European Knowledge and Education Community for Food (EIT Food), which creates and disseminates the materials essential to teach young people about healthy and sustainable eating habits. It enables the youngest consumers to make choices that are good for both them and the environment. Food Educators is also about promoting interesting career paths throughout the food supply chain and encouraging adepts to enter the agri-food sector. Join the international network at www.foodeducators.eu

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Cosmic food and the secrets of freeze-drying, testing the quality of milk, fermentation as a natural method of food preservation, the pyramid of healthy lifestyle and nutrition, food safety and food storage in the fridge, pro-health antioxidants in popular drinks, tips on handling food packaging with the EIT Food InformPack project – these were the topics we brought to the participants of the 21st Olsztyn Science and Art Days.

– We chose activities that would interest both younger and older schoolchildren. We wanted to show that food research is about the laboratory and food chemistry, but also about a broader context, i.e. food-related phenomena that affect us all – from food storage, through conscious consumer attitudes and drawing attention to the scale of food waste, to handling food packaging – sums up Iwona Kieda, the initiator of the idea of joining this year’s Olsztyn Science and Art Days celebrations and the coordinator on behalf of Inobiotek Ltd.

On 21 and 22 September, scientists welcomed both organised groups and individual visitors who wanted to broaden their knowledge of food or get the youngest members of their families interested in the subject.

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At the end of May, the nutrigenomics team joined the 26th Science Picnic – Europe’s largest outdoor science-popularization event organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre. It has been held every year since 1997.

Our team presented two original demonstrations:

Our team presented two original demonstrations?

Vitamin d and its importance in our diet

We taught our youngest attendees about the impact of food on gene expression and explained that genetic differences play a role in how we respond to food. We also prepared our participants for the coming months by showing them how different barriers, such as clothing or UV filter creams, affect vitamin D synthesis during sun exposure. The Science Picnic was commended by the European Commission in 2005 as one of 10 model European projects in the “Science and Society” field.

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Another extraordinary meeting with the Olsztyn Children’s Academy is behind us. This time the young students were met by Dr. Anna Szóstek-Mioduchowska, who talked about an issue of particular importance in the autumn-winter season – the immune system. Dr. Szóstek-Mioduchowska drew attention to the human body’s 'tools’ for defending itself against harmful external and internal factors. What immune cells do we find in the human body and how many are there in one drop of blood? What is the difference between innate and acquired immunity? What does the body tell us when we are affected by ailments characterised by inflammation? Answers to these and many other questions were sought during the meeting.

The students were also treated to a workshop session where they could play young chemists’ roles. Under the supervision of Kamila Penkacik, M.Sc., the children studied magical antioxidants and created molecular pearls.

The third meeting of the Academy took place on 11 February at Olsztyn’s Planetarium. The next is planned for 15 April. More information about the Olsztyn Children’s Academy can be found on the Planetarium website under the Education tab.

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„Meatless Monday” stands for an international campaign that encourages people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet. The production of animals has a significantly bigger environmental imprint than that of plants. It requires more energy and water, contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, habitat destruction and species extinction. The biggest changes are made with small, yet regular, steps, hence the idea to stop eating meat al least once a week. And since we love fresh starts when it comes to dietary resolutions, Monday couldn’t be a better choice for this. On December 13th EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda in Poland joined celebrations and promotion of a plant-based cuisine and invited consumers for a unique culinary experience where they could prepare traditional japanese dish in a slightly avant-garde, since plant-based, version.

The event started with morning sessions addressed to school students and their teachers. The participants, mentored by professional chefs, got their hands on preparing plant-based lunch versions they could easily replicate at homes and take to school. These included vegetable pastas, spinach dumplings and plant-based alternatives to American street food. The students discovered the value of ‘green’ products for their health and learnt how their little everday choices could actually influence the well-being of our planet.

The evening workshops „Meatless Monday: Vege Sushi” was a great opportunity to discover one of the most healthy cuisines in the world and gain some practical skills needed to prepare its flagship dishes. The partcipants had a chance to exchange experiences, learn about the value of plant-based alternatives, interact with food researchers and, most importantly, co-create healthy meals that could be a part of their daily menus. Every workshop session ended with the participants sharing the meals prepared together, talking about the value of this experience to them and making resolutions for their on „Meatless Mondays”.

#Annual FoodAgenda is a communication project under the support of EIT Food. EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted. The initiative is made up of a consortium of key industry players, startups, research centres and universities from across Europe. It is one of eight Innovation Communities established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

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Precision considers the genes of each person to recommend the best diet plans and ensure optimal health. These genetic characteristics determine our eye or hair color, but they also provide us with information regarding the possible risk of develoing such diseases such as obesity. Thanks to that, our researchers have discovered the secret to personalized strategies that help create the right diet for you. Overcome the 5 challenges, get a code in each of them and complete the adventure to become the new ambassador of #AnnualFoodAgenda.

Let’s play

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EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda action called “Science SOS – let’s talk about food” has just come to an end. Institute of Animal Reproduction an Food Research PAS invited teachers, tutors and organisers of food-related events to book online visits of food scientists and let their audience learn about healthy eating habits. We held 23 interactive visits with around 600 consumers – teachers, pupils, students and agri-food specialists. Thanks to an online format of the events we engaged with groups from various parts of Poland, including RIS regions.

Why is it worth to choose fish from controlled environments? How to handle food to avoid microbiological cross-contamination? What should we do when we have symptoms of gluten intolerance? #AnnualFoodAgenda “Science SOS” offered meetings with microbiologists, food technologists, biotechnologist, ichtiologist and experts in molecular biology. We talked about myths around the quality of fish from breeding tanks and took a closer look at sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables. The consumers discovered why food producers reach for ancient crops, and why we should not eliminate gluten from our diet without medical consultation. We got an insight into the bacteria causing food poisoning and look at biofilm forming our e.g. our teeth. The topics available included also nutritional programming, the pro-health properties of raspberries and controversies around meat in our diet.

Each interactive meeting was concluded with a Kahoot-aided quiz testing participants’ understanding of the knowledge presented. Satisfaction surveys were also sent out.

As much as 58% and 27% of respondents rated the event as ‘I liked it very much’ and ‘I liked it’, respectively. 80% of the consumers questioned stated gaining new knowledge on heathy eating, with 63% declared efforts to use it in their daily lives. of them Around 64% of people engaged also claimed that initiatives like “Science SOS”, which entail meetings with food researchers, help to boost consumers’ trust in the food system.

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