In Europe, approximately 59 million tons of food are wasted annually, with 53% of this waste occurring at the household level. Addressing and altering behaviors that lead to food waste is both challenging and urgent for the benefit of society as a whole. School canteen services have developed innovative methods to become more efficient and sustainable, including food waste measurement practices, creating recipes that better align with users’ tastes, and forming partnerships with local suppliers to ensure sustainability. They also serve as a crucial access point to households, providing an opportunity to transfer best practices on food waste reduction and fostering a new model of food education and consumption for the wider community. Local authorities play a key role in leading this process: by building connections between consumers, producers, and local stakeholders, communities can develop a deeper understanding of the importance of food waste reduction. To support this effort, QS is partnering with a diverse group of local stakeholders in the area around the city of Florence, and partners will contribute their expertise to create a synergistic strategy that raises awareness, fosters responsibility, and provides practical knowledge on how to effectively reduce food waste. Using a Target-Measure-Act approach, the project will analyze the eating habits and food waste behaviors of the families of primary school students and the analysis will serve as the foundation for a pilot action designed to reduce household food waste. Through participatory techniques, citizen science, and co-creation methodologies, selected families will be guided through a process of food waste reduction. The results and objectives of the project will be shared with the wider community through public outreach events, and the best practices will be disseminated also internationally, thanks to the involvement of European networks.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Single Market Programme (SMP) under grant agreement No. 101217119, managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Objectives
The project “Food Waste Innovation for Sustainable Eating: Transferring School Canteen Best Practices to Households and Communities” (FOODWISE) is highly relevant to the scope of the SMP-FOOD-2024-FW-STAKEHOLDERS-PJ call, which focuses on supporting stakeholders in preventing and reducing food waste. The project addresses food waste at both school and household levels, key areas highlighted in the call. By leveraging the proven strategies used in school canteens, such as waste measurement, recipe adaptation, and sustainable sourcing, the project aims to transfer these best practices to households. This directly aligns with the call’s goal of reducing food waste at the consumer level and engaging key stakeholders such as local authorities, schools, and families.
The call’s general objective is to support sustainable food consumption by preventing and reducing food waste through targeted interventions. FOODWISE adopts a Target-Measure-Act approach, in line with the call’s methodology requirements. The project will measure food waste at both school and household levels, set specific reduction targets, and implement evidence-based actions. Through the co-creation of menus, participatory methods, and community engagement, FOODWISE seeks to change behaviors and reduce food waste in everyday meal planning, purchasing, and preparation. The focus on education, training, and community outreach helps build a sustainable food culture, contributing to the EU’s broader food waste reduction goals.
The project contributes to the call’s priorities by targeting household food waste, which constitutes over 50% of food waste in the EU, as well as by fostering behavioral change at the community level. By engaging schools and municipalities in a collaborative effort, the project aligns with the priority of supporting multi-stakeholder partnerships to reduce food waste. Additionally, the dissemination of best practices through public events and European networks ensures that the project’s outcomes are scalable and replicable in other regions, thus fostering broader European cooperation and impact. The project also contributes to the EU’s goals of halving food waste by 2030, directly addressing SDG Target 12.3.