The context that led to the proposal is one where the ongoing interest for food education and healthier eating habits is developing new market opportunities in the agri-food sector, the restaurant industry and in tourism. In particular, these new consumers’ behavioral trends impact on many sectors, creating a series of factors that keep fueling the cycle: - Organic farming: the EU production of organic products keeps growing and, compared to other global regions, Europe can be considered a forerunner in this field, thanks to a strong consumer demand and a clear EU and national legislation, which sets out very high standards for production and labeling. - Health & Food Education: Europe is the global region with the highest percentage of health diseases related to unhealthy eating habits, with a relevant burden for the national health systems. Education initiatives and campaigns at EU and national level have been promoted for the last few years to spread a better knowledge on the subject. - Agri-food and restaurant industry: concepts like green economy, sustainability and gastronomic culture have become more and more important also for the last link of the food industry’s chain, i.e. the service industry. - Tourism: tourism has also been affected by this new interest in rediscovering healthy, traditional and typical products (wine & food), leading the way to a more sustainable and often de-seasonalized kind of tourism. The above-mentioned trends are often linked to a renewed attention to the environment, which brings larger and larger shares of consumers to prefer shorter food supply chains, products with a low-impact on the environment, and touristic destinations which offer sustainable ways to discover the local natural and cultural heritage. If on the one hand these new food and touristic trends are linked to ideas of going back to “the old ways” of doing things, to more natural products and production techniques, on the other hand they are often promoted through digital and web marketing strategies and tools, which at times may also produce very high-quality and innovative results. Taking into account this context and assuming that gastronomy is the combination of knowledge, experience, art and craft, which provides a healthy and pleasurable eating experience, the aim of this proposal is to develop a discussion to share and exchange ideas on the definition of new educational and training pathways, which would supply participants with skills to: - Meet the requirements of consumers and help customers to truly “experience” what they are drinking/eating, by giving them a series of information on nutrition and taste education; - Favour the creation of partnerships or business networks among agricultural and/or agri-food enterprises on the one hand and hospitality/touristic companies and public administrations on the other hand, in order to make the local gastronomic heritage a key element of the “place branding” of a specific area; - Sponsor local gastronomy during cultural, educational, promotional events, especially though digital and web-based tools, outlining its healthy and nutritional properties and the quality of its preparation, production and transformation processes, and describing the deep connection between the gastronomic heritage and the traditions, culture and history of a place. To achieve its aims, the proposal is going to: 1) detect the needs manifested by the EU labour market in order to respond to the above-mentioned trends, through a detailed context analysis and the detection of good practices; 2) translate the job market needs into specific skills requirements; 3) propose how these skills may be included in IVET and/or CVET courses. This proposal will thus contribute to the ongoing discussion on the educational, cultural and business potential of gastronomy, by suggesting to act on education and training in order to supply the business and labour market with people having the necessary skills to satisfy the latest consumers’ demands. On the long-term the proposal could contribute to the achievement of the following European priorities: - increase levels of employability and business creation; - favour the development of education and training systems that are better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market, encouraging closer links to business and the community; - promote European tourism, especially by enhancing sustainable tourism and the deseasonalization of tourist flows; - stimulate the development of rural areas, through the creation of jobs outside the agriculture industry (e.g. the development of tourism-related activities) and through the use of digital promotion tools; - favour the adoption of healthier eating habits.