Danone Institute of North America (DINA) is a nonprofit foundation which fosters transdisciplinary, community-based work to promote sustainable food systems in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded by and is funded in part by Danone North America, the purpose-driven food and beverage leader and a Certified B Corp.
Specific Objectives of the DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative :
- Advance Danone’s frame of action through innovative, actionable North America-focused initiatives to promote sustainable food systems that reflect that the health and nutrition of people and the health of the planet are interconnected. Examples of focus areas include: the impact of regenerative agriculture on health behaviors; measurement and mitigation of carbon footprint in a health-focused food system such as university dining or a food bank; reducing food waste as an aspect of a public health nutrition program; closing food systems gaps that prevent equitable and sustainable access to healthy food; and promotion of sustainable, accessible and balanced dietary patterns that help improve short-term and long-term health across the lifespan.
- Foster a new generation of transdisciplinary thought leaders working together and advocating for food systems solutions that can benefit the health of the public.
- Amplify the understanding of the relationship between sustainable food systems and human health among key decision-makers and the public.
- Forge new networks and collaborative relationships among Danone Institute North America, Danone North America, academic institutions in North America, community groups involved with food sustainability issues, health of the population, and broader food systems disciplines.
The DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative is a competitive program that will select and fund up to five transdisciplinary teams in 2023 to design, implement and evaluate actionable community-based projects on sustainable food systems that contribute to the nutritional health of populations and support communication about their impact.
DINA invites the Duke University network to apply for grant funding by submitting a proposal through the submission form here: Submit your RFP.
Deadline: June 14, 2023
To be eligible for this initiative, each team must meet the following requirements:
- Teams should include four core team members representing diverse disciplines related to food systems, including, but not limited to, nutrition, health, economics, agriculture, community food access and social or environmental sciences. All team members must actively work together on the project rather than serving exclusively in an advisory role.
- At least one team member must be a faculty member from a U.S. or Canadian institution of higher education. The team may include other academic members, other professionals and practitioners, such as dining directors, community leaders or agricultural experts.
- While more team members may be involved, only four will attend the in-person program in October 2023. To the extent possible, the four team members named in the application should be the team members who will be attending the program.