- The initiative seeks to raise awareness among secondary school students in Aragon on the importance of the Mediterranean diet as a healthy and sustainable nutritional model of significant gastronomic and cultural value
Zaragoza, 19 October 2026.- CIHEAM Zaragoza has launched the educational project “Discovering the Mediterranean diet: health, sustainability and gastronomy”, designed for students in their final years of secondary education in Aragon. The project seeks to raise awareness about the importance of the Mediterranean diet as a healthy and sustainable model of significant gastronomic and cultural value.
The first activity of this project took place on 16 October, World Food Day, with the participation of students from the college La Salle Franciscanas Gran Vía in Zaragoza. The day’s programme included lectures, Mediterranean show-cooking, and international testimonials, giving students an opportunity to explore the relationship between food, health, sustainability and gastronomy, and reflect upon the current challenges of agrifood systems.
CIHEAM Zaragoza director Raúl Compés spoke about challenges facing society today and tomorrow: “A number of studies are warning of the increase in childhood overweight and obesity, excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods and a gradual abandonment of the traditional Mediterranean diet. These changes have repercussions not only on the health of individuals, but also on the sustainability of agrifood systems and the environment”.
One of the highlights of the day was the conference “Mediterranean diet, nutrition and health”, delivered by Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, professor at the University of Navarre and University of Harvard, internationally acclaimed for his research on the Mediterranean diet.
The programme featured the lectures “The world of food” given by Ramzi Belkhodja, head of Training at CIHEAM Zaragoza, and “Sustainable nutrition” given by Ibtissem Taghouti, coordinator of the area of Economy and Development at CIHEAM Zaragoza.
The initiative also shed light on a key question of interest for young people: training and professional opportunities in the world of food and food production. Representatives of CIHEAM Zaragoza and the University of Zaragoza proposed academic options and professional itineraries related to Agricultural Engineering; Veterinary Medicine; Marine Science; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Nutritional and Health; and Food Science and Technology.
The gastronomic dimension was addressed with a Mediterranean show-cooking session featuring chef Sandra Ibáñez, cofounder of the creative bakery in Zaragoza ‘A Touch of Cinnamon’. The session was presented by Juan Barbacil, secretary of the Aragonese Academy of Gastronomy.
Through this project, CIHEAM Zaragoza extends its outreach and training activities to pre-university education, introducing young people in Aragon to the knowledge, opportunities and challenges shaping the future of food and agrifood systems, and inspiring them to play an active role in the sector’s development.