MoW: the Market of Wellbeing Giulia Ciuffreda LUISS Guido Carli
ABSTRACT: YOUR IDEA The key issue of sustainability is bringing it in our everyday life. The idea presented here is to build a medium-size market chain, named Market of Wellbeing (MoW), which would promote an environmentally and socially sustainable food chain, while encouraging people to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Categories and Subject Descriptors (2 max) [Sustainable diet]
Keywords Nutrition, Sustainability, Urban agriculture, Sport, Food waste
1. INTRODUCTION: AIMS AND BACKGROUND Worldwide phenomena of population growth, urbanization, and globalization are having a deep impact on food production sustainability and human health. A rising demand for food (including the need to feed urban population) has led to the socalled Green Revolution, which is causing severe environmental depletion [1]. Besides, the global dietary transition [2] is causing higher energy-dense food consumption, change in body mass composition (more fat), and reduced physical activity. BCFN researchers [3] point out that high-energy foods, which are typical of the Western diet and are now widespread, namely animal products, sugars and edible oils, have a high environmental impact in the conventional production system; at the same time, these products seem to be a main driver for dietary-related noncommunicable diseases [4]. This project aims at bringing a little more food sustainability and healthier habits in our everyday life by promoting: -
sustainable agriculture and local production;
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healthy diets and physical activity;
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urban agriculture;
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separate collection of rubbish and reduction of waste;
Figure 1. Main components to be developed
2. DESCRIPTION The Market of Wellbeing (MoW) would be a medium-size food market based on sustainable agricultural products and taking care of its clients’ health. One aim of the MoW is supporting sustainable food supply chains; considering that local production is a driver for regional development [5], but is not always sustainable [6], products will be brought from: -
Local cooperatives using sustainable agriculture methods
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Fair trade and foreign companies employing agricultural sustainable methods
Conditions being the same, local production would be favored. The MoW services offered to people would be: -
Nutritional assistance: a nutritionist would offer professional balanced diets at an affordable price for MoW customers
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Personal Training: a P.T. service could be required by customers, at an affordable price,
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Shopping assistance from employees, especially for old people, to help them to chose and quantity, to avoid food waste
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Waste collection: clients could require free separate collection of rubbish at home, if not provided by the Municipality
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Homeless meals: at the end of each day with perishable food’s remainder
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Local cooperatives and sustainable food producers to develop and enlarge their market
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Seed4Food initiative: free seeds given to customers who want to raise their own food; a proportional part of raised food would be given to the MoW. A competition could be launched, for the “best urban farmer of the season”
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People of every age and income level to reach a fit shape and a healthier life at a reasonable price, while reducing their impact on the environment
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Weekend courses on urban agricultural techniques, local and ethnical cuisine, healthy eating, etc.
Unemployed people, especially the youngsters with no experience and low education level, or just rehabilitated, to gain experience and earn money
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Online shopping for people who cannot move from home or busy workers who hardly find the time for grocery shopping
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Very busy workers to have their healthy food at home without struggling to get to the supermarket before closure
Some of these activities will be linked to a collection of points giving some credit on shopping; points would be collected by:
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Old people to socialize and find a new hobby (urban agriculture and weekend courses) Local food tradition to be preserved and taught to new generations
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reaching periodical objectives set with the nutritionist and/or the P.T.
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level of care and accuracy in the separation of rubbish
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participation to weekend courses and other initiatives
The MoW would result in a more sustainable and healthy food chain, empowering and developing communities.
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volunteer service during homeless meal or waste collection
5. REFERENCES
Furthermore, a chain of restaurants can be associated to the MoW: these places would buy food from MoWs only, so to offer pleasant, healthy, and sustainable meals to their clients, while being a source of income for MoWs.
[1] Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (2012), “Eating planet
– Nutrirsi oggi: una sfida per l’uomo e per il pianeta”, Milano: Edizioni Ambiente
3. APPLICATION AND RESULTS
[2] Drewnowski A. and Popkin B. M. (1997), “The Nutrition Transition: New Trends in the Global Diet”, Nutrition Reviews vol 55 no. 2, pp. 31-43
The MoW would be medium-small in size, with the aim of having one MoW in each part of the city, located in new and completely energetically-sustainable building.
[3] Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (2011), “Doppia piramide: alimentazione sana per le persone, sostenibile per il pianeta”, Codice Edizioni
MoWs would hire unemployed people, especially young people and long-duration unemployed, chosen from a Municipality list where everyone could subscribe. Nutritionists and P.T. would be chosen among qualified professionals, and would be asked to lower their service price, in exchange of more clients and publicity.
[4] Popkin B.M. (2004), “The Nutrition Transition: an Overview of the World Patterns of Change”, Nutrition Reviews vol. 62 no.7, pp. S140-S143 [5] Smith, B. G. (2008), “Developing sustainable food supply chains”, Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society B vol. 363 (2008), pp. 849-861
Waste collection and homeless meals would be carried out by volunteers or the Civil Service.
[6] Ilbery B. and Maye D. (2005), “Food supply chains and sustainability: evidence from specialist food producers in the Scottish/English borders”, Land Use Policy vol. 22 (2005), pp. 332-344
Proper fiscal or labeling policies may be required.
4. CONCLUDING REMARKS The MoW project would have community-wide benefits, in that it would help:
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