Between wars, climate change and human population growth, not to mention the serious consequences of intensive farming, the basic right to food is anything but guaranteed. Almost 3 billion people are denied the right to the food they need for reasons entirely beyond their control.

No individual can solve a problem of this scale alone, but everyone can bring about some change. To mark World Food Day, celebrated annually by the United Nations on 16 October, the School of Biotechnology at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa is challenging participants to reflect on the relationships between food and the environment, economy and health, through this competition in which they are invited to create and justify a recipe representing the way forward for feeding everyone in the future.

How it works

The first step is to form a team, made up of one supervising teacher and 1 to 4 students in the 8th or 9th year or in Portuguese secondary education of any type or track (including schools around the world that teach in Portuguese).

Each student may take part in up to three recipes, but each teacher may supervise as many groups as they see fit. There is also no limit on the number of groups per school. Each group gives itself a (creative!) name and is ready to get to work.

The second step is to devise a central dish for a meal that is healthy, economical and environmentally sustainable, as well as innovative and tasty. Although the competition does not distinguish between soups, meat, fish, pulses, desserts, etc., the concept of "main dish" is used here in a broad sense: some soups, for example, are genuine complete meals.

The dish can be entirely innovative, but it can also be inspired by traditional cooking. It is also natural for it to have several components: if the dish consists of rice + cabbage + beans, the recipe will need to explain how each part is prepared and how they are brought together at the end.

The criteria used in the assessment are set out below. Groups will be judged on how successfully they incorporate them into their work.

Environmental criteria (worth 30%):

• Climate – Climate change is caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, so energy alternatives should be favoured (solar ovens instead of gas ovens, for example).
• Biodiversity – There are more than 10,000 edible plants in the world, yet human food has very little variety: just 3 species (rice, maize and wheat) make up more than half of our diet. However, the more diversity there is on our plate, the better it is for the environment (and for health and for the future).
• Position in the ecological pyramid – The most common ecosystems have plants at their base, which feed herbivores (such as rabbits). These in turn serve as food for carnivores (such as eagles). Humans are omnivores and can feed from any of these levels. If one hectare of land is used to feed vegan people (who consume no animal products), it is enough to meet the needs of more than 20 people, but if people eat meat, the same area only meets the needs of fewer than 10. In other words, the closer human food is to the base of the pyramid, the fewer resources it consumes and the less pollution it releases.
• Food miles – The shorter the distance between the place of production and the place of consumption, the less energy is wasted in transport (and the less food spoils in transit). This is why New Zealand exports a great many kiwis, but it is preferable to eat ones grown in our own garden (or a neighbour's).
• Seasonality – The more seasonal the food, the fewer resources it requires for production and storage. For example: strawberries produced in winter need a heated, lit greenhouse. When produced in summer, they only need sunshine and are also less prone to pests and disease.

Nutritional criteria (worth 30%):

• Nutritional balance – This criterion values the overall nutritional balance of the recipe, taking into account the choice of ingredients, the cooking method and its contribution to a balanced diet.
• Fibre content – This criterion values the use of ingredients naturally rich in fibre (such as wholegrains, pulses, fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts), as these contribute to a more balanced, health-promoting diet.
• Sugar and salt content – This criterion values the reduction of added sugars and salt in the recipe, favouring strategies that keep the flavour and appeal of the dish (such as the use of fruit, herbs, spices and other natural ingredients).
• Fat quality – This criterion values the use of unsaturated fat sources typical of the Mediterranean diet (such as olive oil, nuts and seeds) and penalises the use of hydrogenated (trans) fats.

Economic criteria (worth 20%):

• Cost of ingredients and preparation – The recipe should be affordable, that is, it should favour low-cost ingredients as well as cooking methods that do not require sophisticated equipment (which most of our homes do not have) or heavy energy consumption.
• Community empowerment – Preference should be given to local partners who promote regional traditions, or to projects that strengthen the link between the school, families and the community (such as school gardens, local associations or nearby markets).
• "Zero" waste – The recipe should minimise food waste. Wherever possible, preference should be given to making full use of ingredients, ways of reusing leftovers, and minimal packaging.

Innovation criteria (worth 20%):

• Ingredients, recipe formulation and preparation – This criterion assesses the degree of originality of the recipe, taking into account the innovative use of ingredients (new ingredients from natural and sustainable sources, little explored or used in an innovative way), creativity in the formulation of the recipe (an original combination of ingredients that may create new flavours or textures and improve the nutritional profile, making the most of by-products or local ingredients), and the application of innovative, energy-efficient cooking techniques that help preserve the quality, safety and functionality of the recipe.
• Video and photos – This criterion assesses the creativity, originality and effectiveness of the visual content supporting the presentation of the recipe and its added value.
• Plating and overall appearance – This criterion assesses the visual aspect of the dish: both the quality and appeal of the plating and the harmony and care taken in the presentation.

Participants will be divided into 3 different tiers:

• A – basic education (8th and 9th years)
• B – vocational courses and secondary education programmes with their own curricula
• C – scientific-humanities courses in secondary education

Tier C must choose one of the following categories:

• Taste of the sea (for recipes that showcase aquatic-based food)
• Wild plants (wild foods are the most biodiverse and economical of all)
• Street food (when food is eaten by hand)
• Shining legumes (plant proteins tend to be more environmentally friendly... and point the way towards ecological balance)
• Open table (for all entries that do not fit into the categories above)

Please note that gathering wild plants requires care, knowledge and responsibility. There are also poisonous plants, and it is essential to be able to tell them apart accurately! Some of the most common wild plants used in cooking are described in this page.

The most important rule is: if you are not sure what it is, DO NOT PICK OR USE wild plants! As it is not always the right season to gather wild plants, it is permitted to buy them, provided they are plants that grow wild in Portugal.

This includes, for example, acorns, chard, watercress, purslane, nettles, carob, blackberries, chestnuts, and elderflower and elderberries. Note: mushrooms are not plants (they are fungi), so they do not fall under the category of edible wild plants.

After the planning comes the third step, the practical work. This involves actually preparing the food. Very important: all the preparation must be carried out by the students themselves, and this work must be photographed and filmed.

The final result must also be shown in photos: the finished dish and, in a separate image, the students tasting it. All of this is taken into account by the judges.

Finally, it is necessary to write: the online form asks entrants to explain what was done and to justify their choices in light of the competition's criteria. Entrants are strongly advised to read the form's questions in advance.

Entries must be submitted by the end of the day on 12 January 2027. The groups selected for the final will be announced on 5 February 2027. The final will take place on 5 March 2027 at Faculty of Biotechnology, in Porto.

Chef Hélio Loureiro – to whom we extend our sincere thanks! – has once again agreed to sit on the judging panel, both in the morning and in the afternoon sessions, and to help choose the overall winners.

With the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has become necessary to clarify how it may (potentially) be used in entries to this competition, so the form includes a specific question on this. The use of AI is not prohibited, but it must be declared in detail, on one's word of honour.

The submission form can be found here.

The final

The competition for tiers A and B takes place during the morning of 5 March. Five groups are selected in each tier. Tier C is put to the test that same day in the afternoon, and 3 groups are selected in each category.

The format, for all tiers, is for each dish to be presented to the whole panel of judges (who will be seated, and made up of 6 people) at once.
All prizes are worth €150:

• Tier A receives two prizes, with no distinction between them
• Tier B receives two prizes, with no distinction between them
• Tier C receives five prizes, one for each category

For both the initial selection and the final competition, entries will be assessed by teachers and researchers from the School of Biotechnology (as well as by Chef Hélio Loureiro).

Both the initial panel and the final panel (whose members do not overlap) have full authority and reserve the right not to select any entry (or fewer than planned) in any category, should they consider that the minimum required standards have not been met.

They may also award honourable mentions as they see fit. Each group may be selected for the final at most once (across all categories combined).

Institutional background

Food innovation is an area with great potential to impact the food of the future and the businesses involved, not to mention society and the environment. In the business context, food innovation drives progress in the development of new products and processes, in production, distribution and management generally.

Over the years, the Faculty of Biotechnology has developed a central focus on food innovation, both in specialised teaching and in research. The main aim is to prepare professionals to work across a wide range of national and international markets, spanning industry, consultancy and entrepreneurship in general.

All universities have a responsibility to contribute actively to the goals of sustainable development and the ESB takes on its role of ensuring that qualified scientific and technological knowledge in the field of food innovation develops imbued with environmental awareness and respect for the rights of future generations.

Footnotes

Results, including images, will be published on social media and in the press. Any personal data collected as part of the competition will be processed in compliance with personal data protection legislation.

Both the text and the ideas, images and videos submitted become the property of the competition organisers, so as to allow for the future publication of a book.

Any queries or difficulties (or even requests to access, correct or delete personal data) should be sent to biotecnologia@ucp.pt.

Taking part in this competition implies full acceptance of the instructions above, including any decision by the judges (which cannot be appealed).

The results of the 2025/26 competition are published in this news article.
The results of the 2024/25 competition are published in this news article.
The results of the 2023/24 competition are published in this news article.
The results of the 2022/23 competition are published in this news article.

This action is supported by the Blue Design Alliance project, funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU) under the Impulso Jovens STEAM and Impulso Adultos programs of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). To learn more about the PRR, visit recuperarportugal.gov.pt.