Find here interviews of the stakeholders of Healthy Meal, from partner restaurants to partner organisations.
Mazmiz restaurant, Brussels
Listen to our exclusive interview with Ziad, the founder of Mazmiz, one of our partner restaurants in Brussels. Ziad shares his journey, the challenges he faces and his thoughts on Inclusion. Discover the story behind Mazmiz and its collaboration with Healthy Meal.
.Projekt9 – Osijek, Croatia
“We plan to make people realize how they can always help with their contribution, just as we do with meal donations.” Doris Vukelja, Restaurant manager at Projekt9
EEKE – Union of Working Consumers of Greece
Check out an exclusive interview with Apostolos Raftopoulos, president of EEKE, a partner of Food4Inclusion and member of SAFE. He discusses the implementation of the Food4Inclusion project in Greece, its challenges, outcomes, and future prospects.
- What motivated you to take part in Food4Inclusion?
Greece has been experiencing a 14-year crisis due to the economic downturn that began in 2010 and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since September 2021, Greek people have faced high prices for food and basic necessities, which is the most significant social problem, alongside issues such as housing and low purchasing power. Healthy Meal acts as a way out for vulnerable groups. It’s a great opportunity for this target group to enjoy a quality meal at a low price for themselves and their families.
- What challenges have you faced in implementing Healthy Meal?
EEKE maintains a national network of 59 Local Branches in 59 cities across Greece, managed by five-member Management Committees. Members of the Management Committees in four cities—Veria, Chania, Rhodes, and Elefsina—supported the Healthy Meal project by finding and adding restaurants to the Healthy Meal network. The central unit of EEKE supported the restaurant network in Athens. We have not faced any serious challenges so far due to our national network.
- What feedback do you receive from the restaurant network in Greece?
The current economic situation forces Greek society towards social solidarity actions and the social responsibility of enterprises in the food sector. Restaurateurs are very positive about getting involved in the Healthy Meal Network in Greece. They often mention that they daily offer plates for free or at reduced prices to vulnerable people. Within Healthy Meal, they structure their activities under a pan-European network.
- What about the school training, the other pillar of the project Food4Inclusion? What have been the outcomes so far?
The Tackling Adolescents Obesity training programme is successfully implemented in Greece. So far, 8 schools, 69 classes, and 1,072 students have participated in workshops. This year, we are contacting five more schools and aim to increase the number of students involved. The material is well received by the teachers. The innovation of the training material lies in how it counts sugar and how students learn to understand food labelling. When children realise how much sugar they consume, they seem ready to reduce it.
- How do you see the current state of food insecurity and social inclusion in Greece?
First: the risk of poverty or social exclusion in Greece in 2023 is an annual income of €6,030 per individual and €12,663 per family. Today, 50% of employees in the private sector are paid less than €800 net per month. Seven out of ten employees are paid up to €950 per month. One in ten is paid a net salary of over €1,450, and only 3.63% are paid a net salary of over €2,025. Second: Greek pensioners have suffered serious cuts in their pensions over the last 14 years.
- What future plans or expansions do you envision for the Food4Inclusion project in Greece?
The new digital tool gives restaurateurs and beneficiaries the opportunity to communicate with each other more effectively and efficiently, and our job is to promote it. Additionally, our goal is for Healthy Meal to be known to public social services and local civil society organisations in each city where we have restaurants in this network. Our aim is to spread the network’s offers, increase the number of restaurants, and increase the number of vulnerable people who will use the Healthy Meal offers. Of course, we aim to expand the training material to as many schools as possible. Young children are our future. Increasing young consumers’ understanding of nutrition, promoting healthier food and diets, and developing better access to information regarding food are key levers to foster sustainable and healthy food habits in consumers. These activities fulfil the Food4Inclusion project objectives and pave the way for more social integration, decreased healthcare needs, and reduced direct effects of poverty for disadvantaged populations. And that’s what matters.
