Changing how we eat starts with understanding how we live. For research to support healthier and more sustainable food habits, citizens need to be part of the process. That means more than providing data: it means helping to shape the questions and the tools. But how do you make that happen in practice, and how can others do the same?

The new infopack, titled “Handbook for Implementation and Replication of Citizen Science Labs and Behavioural Change Interventions”, condenses SPOON’s methodology into a short, practical reference. It is aimed at anyone who wants to run or adapt a citizen science lab.

At the heart of the approach are SPOON’s citizen science labs (CSLs), which combine citizen science with living lab principles. Citizens, public authorities, researchers, businesses and civil society work together to understand local food habits and co-design solutions. The infopack presents the six CSLs in Braunschweig, Bruges, Thessaloniki, Valencia, Turin and the Pomurje region. Each has its own focus, from reducing food waste to expanding inclusive food aid services.

The infopack explains SPOON’s two-phase logic: first a citizen science project, then behaviour change interventions built on what it reveals. The citizen science project runs through five iterations that follow the consumer’s food journey:

• planning and buying
• storing, preparing and eating
• managing leftovers and waste
• a final session where results are returned to participants and interpreted together

Along the way, participants also help co-design SPOON’s digital toolset.

The publication also includes a recruitment and engagement playbook. It covers what motivates and what discourages each type of food-system actor, from local authorities and retailers to restaurants and community initiatives. It also shows how to keep people involved without financial compensation, through transparency about data use, symbolic incentives and flexible participation formats.

Finally, a replication checklist sets out three things for organisations planning their own lab:

• what to keep constant
• what to adapt locally
• what to have in place before launch

The message is clear: meaningful citizen participation does not happen by chance. It needs a solid structure that is flexible enough to fit local realities.

Read and download the info pack here!

Photo by Queensland, Australia on Unsplash