TASTE – True Cost Accounting for Sustainable Food Environments

Food environments determine which foods are available and influence the food choices people make. Many food environments across Europe draw consumers towards making unhealthy, unsustainable choices. These contribute to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and poor mental health, which make up 90% of the causes of death in the EU, as well as contributing to climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss and resource depletion.

TASTE is a FutureFooodS project that addresses unhealthy and unsustainable food environments through systemic changes supported by True Cost Accounting (TCA). TCA is a method to capture costs and benefits associated with food systems, including environmental, social, health, and economic impacts. The project explores how TCA can inform decision-making at all levels, thereby supporting the design of healthier, more sustainable and socially equitable food environments that positively influence consumer behavior and reduce societal costs. Particular attention is given to vulnerable groups, including blue-collar workers and underserved communities.

Since employees consume a significant share of their daily food intake at work, workplace canteens and local surroundings of workplaces provide an important opportunity to promote healthier and more sustainable diets. TASTE therefore focuses on both workplace food environments and neighbourhood food environments, shifting responsibility for healthy eating from individuals towards a shared responsibility among policymakers, employers, food providers, and communities.

TASTE informs changes to food environments at three levels:

1. Macro level: Inspired by Denmark's Action Plan for Plant-based Foods and Food Grant, this project aims to inspire EU-wide policies and funding for plant-based initiatives. Policy labs will drive cross-national exchanges and actionable recommendations. The TASTE project will show how TCA can influence policies, dietary guidelines in Italy and Germany, and public procurement in Sweden and Denmark to promote diets reflecting true costs.
2. Meso level: Two living labs will test TCA-based interventions. In Italy, a meal calculator will guide sustainable menu planning in workplace canteens. In Sweden, GIS tools and community engagement will be used to redesign neighbourhood food environments, addressing barriers to healthy, sustainable eating. The application of TCA in food procurement processes at the local level will be explored.
3. Micro level: Awareness campaigns in workplace canteens will educate employees on the true costs of food. Workshops and talks will empower healthier, more sustainable food choices, and surveys will track changes in attitudes and behaviour. Building on research findings and stakeholder networks from the Horizon Europe PLAN’EAT project, TASTE will leverage TCA to show how food systems impact health, society, and the environment.

The intended impacts of the project are:

• Policy: Concrete recommendations for EU and national policies to align dietary guidelines with sustainability and public health objectives.
• Social: Greater access to healthy food options, reducing health disparities, and improving well-being, particularly for low-income groups.
• Environmental: Lower food-related greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion through sustainable practices.
• Economic: Tools to reveal hidden costs and promote a shift toward profitability aligned with sustainability.