As modern society edges ever closer to reckoning with the environmental costs of its choices, efforts like those at the Center of Excellence in Food, Tourism & Leisure (CoEFTL) at the American College of Greece (ACG) offer an intriguing, and even necessary, glimpse into the dining habits of tomorrow. During the last two weeks of November 2024, in partnership with the ambitious LIKE-A-PRO project, CoEFTL will host two workshops on alternative proteins—culinary sessions that aim to intrigue, educate, and, most importantly, explore the consumer perspective of sustainable meat alternatives. After all, it’s one thing to think about saving the planet and quite another to find yourself doing it, fork in hand, staring at a plate of crickets…
About LIKE-A-PRO Living Labs
The LIKE-A-PRO project, an initiative funded by the EU, aims to facilitate Europe’s food transformation by introducing sustainable, protein-rich alternatives to animal-based products. Through a series of “Living Labs”, conducted across 11 European countries, the project seeks to invite the average consumer to the table of the future—to taste the food, scrutinize the packaging, and lend their unvarnished opinions on alternative food choices. In Greece, CoEFTL, through the American College of Greece Research Center (ACG-RC), leads this transformative project. CoEFTL concluded the 1st Living Labs iteration on April 2024.
Workshop Details and Objectives
The upcoming tasting workshops, part of the second Living Lab iteration (I2) within the LIKE-A-PRO project, will be held at the ACG campus. Each workshop will bring together 16 participants in an interactive format designed around tasting, evaluation, and group discussion.
The workshops center on the concept of “choice expansion”—broadening the variety of sustainable and health-conscious food options available to consumers. Each session will guide participants through the tasting and evaluation of three courses, each made with alternative protein ingredients, including edamame, pea sprouts, soy milk, chia seeds, and crickets. Participants will sample a snack, a main meal, and a dessert and provide feedback on various qualities such as appearance, aroma, texture, taste, and overall preference.
The workshops also include a packaging and branding evaluation segment, where attendees will view and assess alternative protein products intended for the retail market. Here, they will consider aspects such as aesthetics, branding, and information provided on packaging for products containing crickets and mealworms. These assessments will be essential for LIKE-A-PRO’s goal of creating consumer-friendly products and developing strategies to increase the accessibility and appeal of alternative proteins in mainstream food environments.
Workshop 1 will be held on November 18, followed by Workshop 2 on November 25. Each session will be led by Professor Toula Perrea, whose moderating skills will guide participants in meaningful discussions and evaluations.
What: 2nd Living Labs Workshops
Where: ACG Campus
When: November 18 and November 25, 2024
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For more information about the LIKE-A-PRO project, please visit the
