The promotion of Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) at all age of life is a “worldwide” key point of public health strategy. Many EU and regional policies recognized nutrition as key element for all citizens’ AHA, in a lifelong care approach. WHO and evidence-based research point out that malnutrition should be tackled through an International common structured approach, based on the integration of different care levels and managed by inter-professional teams. In this context, a skilled public health workforce, delivering high-quality nutrition services in health care settings, is needed.
Based on a “culinary/ clinical integrated approach”, NECTAR will deliver an EU Occupational Profile for Chef Gastro Engineering and an EU Curriculum for the certification of this profile. Chef Gastro-engineering (CGE) will be an innovative and pivotal figure in PFC, skilled on food management and kitchens coordination, addressing end-users needs such as taste deteriorations/ alterations, swallowing and chewing problems, personalizing recipes and cooking processes; CGE will have the technical skills to use various ICT tools for older adults’ home monitoring and personalization of care.
CGE Curriculum will be an European, innovative, learning outcome-oriented and modular one. Thanks to its flexibility and modularity, the Curriculum could be instantiated in national Curricula, considering local and contextual constraints. The Curriculum will be tested through 5 pilots courses delivered in Belgium, Portugal, Austria and Italy.