SDG 2: Zero Hunger

LAU actively contributes to SDG 2: Zero Hunger through various initiatives.

LAU actively promotes sustainable food choices on campus through selected outlets that emphasize environmentally friendly and locally sourced options. Events like the “سوق عالسوق - Farmers Market” encourage sustainable practices by connecting students and staff to local products, including vegetarian and vegan food. The university supports healthy and affordable food access by fostering collaborations with initiatives such as the Food Heritage Foundation, ensuring options that cater to diverse dietary needs. Addressing student food insecurity is a priority, as evidenced by programs like the Nutrition and Food Science Club’s fundraising efforts, which provide food boxes to those in need in collaboration with the Lebanese Food Bank. To combat hunger among students and staff, targeted interventions ensure access to essential food supplies during challenging times. LAU also advances food security and sustainable agriculture by offering knowledge, skills, and training to students and local farmers through partnerships like USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program, enhancing sustainable practices and career readiness. Additionally, the university hosts events for local farmers and producers, such as the Farmers Market, fostering knowledge transfer and engagement in sustainable agriculture. These initiatives collectively reflect LAU’s commitment to addressing food security challenges and promoting sustainable practices within and beyond its community.

Students Raise Funds for Lebanese Food Bank

LAU’s Nutrition and Food Science Club raised LBP 10,145,500 to fund and distribute food boxes to people in need. One of many efforts by the Nutrition Program to alleviate food insecurity, “the fundraiser goes toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 – Zero Hunger – in Lebanon,” explained Dr. Hussein Hassan, associate professor of Food Science and club advisor.

سوق عالسوق - Farmers Market

October 24, 2022 10:00 AM–3:00 PM

Upper Gate - Beirut campus

The Nutrition Program, Department of Natural sciences (SoAs) and the Nutrition & Food Science Club in collaboration with The Food Heritage Foundation invite you to سوق عالسوق - Farmers Market.

Encourage local markets and buy good tasty products.

LAU Nutrition Students Win National Best Poster Competition on Food Waste Awareness

LAU Nutrition students took the lead in showcasing their dedication and innovative ideas on food waste.

Against the backdrop of a worsening economic crisis and food insecurity, two LAU students, Roa Echtay and Hanin El Hajj, stepped forward to raise awareness about food waste by participating in the Ministry of Economy and Trade’s Interuniversity Competition on Food Waste Prevention Awareness 2023. At the end of it, they brought home an award for their winning poster which will be displayed on billboards across the country.

A total of 11 posters and videos from nine universities were submitted to the competition, which invited students to create a concise awareness design or video on this global concern with a focus on Lebanon.

In their active participation and success, Echtay and El Hajj represent the socially responsible individuals that the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at the Department of Natural Sciences seeks to nurture by equipping them with the necessary skills and dedication to positively impact patients and the community.

As third-year nutrition students, they have cultivated a deep understanding of the complex and intricate connections between food insecurity, safety and waste throughout their time at LAU. Along with active engagements in competitions and internships related to this issue, they have gained “practical insights on the prevalence of food waste in Lebanon,” they said, adding that “against the background of an exponentially dire problem, we were motivated to shed light on this topic in hopes of lessening it.”

The award also reflects LAU’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing critical societal issues in collaborative efforts within its community.

Building on the students’ theoretical understanding of food insecurity, safety and waste, as well as the complex interplay between them, Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology Hussein F. Hassan guided and supervised them throughout the project. Together, they explored the literature on food waste conducted in Lebanon and at LAU and managed to identify the effectiveness of triggering guilt to reduce food waste.

Through their research and readings, Echtay and El Hajj learned that a significant portion of food waste is generated by restaurants – Mediterranean ones in particular – due to the Lebanese culture of sharing an overfilled table as a symbol of generosity and hospitality. “This is evident of the larger underlying problem: There is an inequitable distribution of resources, leading to waste amongst those who can afford it and hunger amongst those who cannot,” they noted.

The duo managed to creatively capture the extent of food waste in the country in a poster illustrating one-third of a falafel dish, and highlight the need to address SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production which, as Dr. Hassan explains, “specifically aims to halve global food waste by 2030.”

The poster also underscored the prevalence of hunger in Lebanon and urged viewers to “think about it,” in line with evoking a sense of guilt and responsibility in reducing food waste, he added.

“We hope that our poster will motivate change,” said Echtay and El Hajj. “The fact that food is wasted at a time of widespread poverty is indicative of a fundamental structural problem in the way resources are distributed in our country. We hope that our poster makes people aware of the inequity and motivates change to create a positive social impact.”

Following this success, LAU aims to include partnerships with hospitality services and organizations in its continuing efforts to combat food waste and promote awareness through events and educational campaigns, integrating food waste concepts into the curriculum and supporting research projects and initiatives related to food waste reduction.

Safe Food Saves Lives

LAU collaborates with USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program to provide food safety training for its students to increase their understanding of food preventive controls and expand their careers.

With the rising population and increased potential hazards in the food supply chain, our access to food is in dire need of surveillance and regulation. The manner in which foods are grown, harvested and processed puts them at a higher risk of contamination and carrying foodborne illnesses.

For this reason, ensuring the safety of the food supply by shifting the focus of regulation from response to prevention lies at the heart of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) training – implemented by Land O’Lakes Venture37 – that was held at LAU.

Twenty-five students from multiple universities congregated at LAU to take part in the three-day intensive training organized by F2F to engage the youth and furnish their intellect with the information and opportunities required to contribute to the overall development of their communities.

Attended by food safety professionals and university professors, and delivered by Dr. Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah, associate professor in Microbial Food Safety and Epidemiology at Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, the training aimed to “increase their understanding of food preventive controls which will enable them to perform better food inspections and improve their food safety and quality practices in the food facilities,” said Dr. Fouladkhah.

Overall, PCQI’s primary focus is monitoring the implementation of the food safety plan in food facilities, developing and validating preventive controls, monitoring the effectiveness of the said measures, as well as taking corrective actions if necessary. As a fundamental framework, this training sought to educate its participants on uplifting food safety in their country, outside of it, and in public health.

When asked about how this PCQI training will benefit students in their careers, Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology Hussein F. Hassan stated that it “will equip the participants with the needed skills that any food safety professional must have to support their company in exporting their products.”

Food safety in Lebanon has been at stake due to improper food storage caused by power shortages and an uncontrolled food supply as a result of a dysfunctional public sector. “To successfully develop, implement and maintain any food safety management system,” said Dr. Hassan, “highly educated and trained professionals are needed to create a food safety culture. According to studies, education and training are key to food safety.”

On completing the training, the participants received certificates funded by the Public Health Microbiology Foundation. Being PCQI-certified, said Dr. Hassan, will increase their chances to find jobs in the food service industry as well as improve their competence for a successful start to a career in the industry.

In view of that, students acquired a better understanding of the ethical considerations when developing and delivering food safety practices. “To me,” said Dr. Hassan, “if it is not safe, it is not food. Providing food supply is an ethical obligation that every food service professional must keep in mind.”

	The certification, said Dr. Hassan, will increase trainees’ competence and job prospects in the food service industry.
	Dr. Fouladkhah engaged trainees in enhancing their understanding of preventive controls for food safety.

Social Engagement

The School of Arts and Sciences’ teaching and research are firmly entrenched in, and they decidedly serve the communities that surround us. Our campuses are hubs of intellectual activities, many of which are open to the public, while our outreach programs range from summer camps to volunteering and community outreach. It is our belief that universities have a duty to make a positive impact on their students as well as intervene constructively on the local, national and regional stages.

Nutrition students conduct a yearly food drive for the Lebanese Food Bank. In addition, through their food production course, they cook meals and donate them to this NGO as well.

Minor in Food Science & Management

Our program promotes active learning and develops your understanding of food science, in addition to management and marketing.

It will complement your knowledge in nutrition, food science and business. The courses will provide a foundation in the applied science of food science and business that incorporates elements of basic and nutritional sciences, food production and preparation, concept development, food safety, and franchise. This minor will meet the increasingly need for food experts.

What Will I Learn?

A Minor in Food Science and Management will help you:

• Recognize the knowledge underlying business, when it comes to food service industry;
• Discuss the interrelationships between food, business, nutrition and disease prevention;
• Identify reliable food, business and nutrition information;
• Implement the acquired knowledge and skills to successfully establish food establishments and to develop food safety systems;
• Integrate scientific principles in the prevention of food spoilage and poisoning.

Who Can Apply?

Any LAU student can take this minor, particularly those interested in pursuing a career in the food service industry. Students who are enrolled in this program mainly from nutrition, hospitality management, chemistry, biology, and management programs.

Your Career

Among the program’s objectives is to produce competent graduates who demonstrate a general knowledge in food science, business, franchise, safety and quality assurance systems. It trains you to incorporate evidence-based knowledge to formulate possible solutions to emerging problems in the food and beverage industry.

Our program also develops inter-professional competencies that will allow you to engage in the improvement of human well-being by providing safe and wholesome food products.

Curriculum

For a Minor in Food Science and Management, you must complete a minimum of 20 credits:

Required Courses (14 credits)

Nourishing Minds and Bodies Within LAU’s Nutrition Program

As a means of fostering student-centered education, a workshop focusing on lactation was held for LAU nutrition and dietetics students on March 17, 2023. It aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

For these students, majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP) gave them the opportunity to be exposed to and involved in educational and professional opportunities along the way. As such, this workshop came about as part of the Nutrition in the Life Cycle course offered in the program which is designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world application.

In pursuit of tackling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – namely SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – participants got to take part in promoting sustainable nutrition practices by exploring ways to support breastfeeding mothers and emphasizing the nutritional value of breast milk, its role in building immunity and its positive impact on maternal and offspring health.

Under the tutelage of Nursing Program Director Bahia Abdallah, students gathered at LAU’s Clinical Simulation Center – a specialized medical training facility that caters to healthcare students and professionals across disciplines – where they engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

Given the workshop’s benefit in enriching the program’s curriculum, the students were taken out of their role as mere spectators and pushed to become participants in a process that equips them with skills and knowledge beyond the academic realm.

“The beauty of this workshop being part of their overall education at LAU,” said Assistant Professor of Nutrition Rana Rizk, “lies in how it immerses our students in experiences that enrich their understanding, broaden their perspectives and equip them with skills that are relevant in the field of nutrition.”

The lactation workshop is just one facet of this holistic approach, acting as another shining example of how LAU nurtures well-rounded professionals to make effective contributions in their domains.

“As nutritionists and dietitians, part of their role is to promote, support and protect breastfeeding, among other things,” noted Dr. Abdallah. “The more they know about it, the more they can advance it and be advocates for mothers, families, and communities. It’s important to highlight the sub-specialties in nutrition because there’s so much more to it than meets the eye.”

The distinguishing factor of this workshop and others similar to it at LAU is the inclusion of experiential learning, added Dr. Rizk. “Offering empirical practice while studying for the profession itself easily opens up plenty of doors for our students. This way, they’ll go into their jobs having already acquired the skills needed for excellence.”

The hope at the end of the day, be it through workshops, programs or activities as reflected by both Dr. Abdallah and Dr. Rizk, is to pave the way for a future generation of experts poised to shape healthier, more informed communities worldwide.

The workshop aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

Under the tutelage of Dr. Bahia Abdallah, students engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

Sustainable Purchasing

This initiative (under development) aims at reducing LAU’s environmental impact through the products and services it procures.

We envision it as a joint effort between the Procurement Office and every entity or person at LAU that makes purchases, involving a commitment to always choose those products and services that have minimal environmental impact in all stages (manufacturing, transportation, use and disposal).