PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The EU generated an estimated 88 million tonnes of food waste in 2012, or 173 kg per person. The food service sector produces around 12% of that waste (10.5 million tonnes per year), which includes both pre-consumer waste (vegetable trimmings, overproduction, spoiled items, burned items, salad bar leftovers and incorrect orders) and post-consumer waste (unfinished meals). Much of this waste is preventable through oversight, tracking and basic system changes.
The EU has identified resource efficiency and waste management as key elements of EU environmental policy and the Europe 2020 strategy. The circular economy action plan describes food waste as a “priority area” and proposes a series of measures to reduce the EU’s annual food waste volume by 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030.
OBJECTIVES
To raise awareness about waste within the food service industry, the LIFE FOSTER project fostered a bottom-up approach that focused on prevention of food waste rather than recycling. This was achieved through education of trainee chefs, kitchen staff and front-of-house restaurant personnel at school and during the placements that form part of their studies. The project started with a training on food waste to catering and hospitality sector trainers so that they could teach their students and thus have a larger outreach. The project area covered Italy, France, Spain, and Malta. It targeted chefs and restaurateurs. It encouraged them to improve the management of restaurant kitchens by reducing the amount of wasted food and by optimising food storage.
LIFE FOSTER intended to work with food service companies to identify technological solutions and procedures to reduce food waste. Finally, the project involved regional, national and EU policymakers, to increase their awareness both of food waste and of the solution to prevent it.
RESULTS
After four years of dedicated efforts, the project has achieved significant milestones:
- Education and Training: Over 8,200 students and 500 trainers received either in-person or online training programs across three developed platforms. Additionally, nearly 450 trainers benefited from both in-person and online awareness-raising events on food waste prevention practices.
- Industry Outreach: The project made substantial impacts on the food service sector, reaching 34,304 professionals through a combination of online activities such as workshops and webinars, as well as in-person events like practical workshops and seminars. The project also engaged 5,056 employees from the food service industry.
- Technology: A project web app called "FOOD WASTE FLOW BALANCE" was developed, along with recognition as a "BEST PRACTICE FOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN ITALY" selected by ICESP.
- Collaboration: The project fostered collaboration with 24 VET providers beyond the partnership, furthering the replication of the LIFE FOSTER food waste prevention practices.
- Waste Reduction: Notably, the project achieved a 10.1% reduction in food waste and a 9.3% reduction in food waste costs between the baseline and final monitoring campaigns.
- Advocacy: Approximately 500 Ambassadors promoted the project's Manifesto for Food Waste Prevention, and 203 policy makers were reached with guidelines and recommendations based on the project's lessons.
- Recognition: The project received recognition as a best practice for Circular Economy in Italy and France by national authorities and stakeholders.
- Events and Outreach: More than 50 events were organised, both online and in-person, with eight newsletters distributed to an average of 132,500 contacts.
- Media Presence: The project created 13 official videos available on the YouTube Project channel, delivered 2,000 awareness questionnaires to the public, and attracted 18,696 unique visitors to its website. Additionally, it gained followers on social media platforms, including 735 on Facebook and 354 on Instagram.
