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project - Research and innovation

CHORIZO (Changing practices and Habits through Open, Responsible, and social Innovation towards ZerΟ fοod waste)

Project identifier: 2022HE_101060014_CHORIZO
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Ongoing | 2022 - 2025 Belgium
Ongoing | 2022 - 2025 Belgium

Context

The EU and the EU countries are committed to meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 12.3, adopted in September 2015, which aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level by 2030, and reduce food losses along the food production and supply chains. Quantification of European food waste levels (latest estimate by Eurostat, 2022) reveal that 69% of EU food waste arises in the household, food service and retail sectors, with production and processing sectors contributing the remaining 31%.

Tackling food waste means working together with all key players from public and private sectors in order to better identify, measure, understand and find solutions to deal with food waste. There is not one single cause with one solution because the food chain is a complex and dynamic system. All actors in the food chain need to work together to find solutions, from farmers, processors, manufacturers, and retailers to consumers themselves. Policy makers, research scientists, food banks and other NGOs also play an important role. 

Committed with this SDG explained in Eu Platform on FLW, CHORIZO project adds an innovative initiative based on case studies involving all food chain actors to improve the understanding between social norms, consumer behaviours and economic actor decisions and FLW generation and use this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of decision-making and engagement of food chain actors, towards zero food waste.

In short, it is a European project that integrates EU and food chain actors to enhance contingency knowledge and produce new effective instruments for facilitating successful transitions towards minimising FLW. 

Objectives

The project aims to improve the understanding of how social norms influence behavior related to food loss and waste (FLW) generation.
Then use this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of the strategies that must be followed to achieve zero waste.CHORIZO employs real-life Case Studies (CSs) to provide information and data on the context and impact of previous FLW prevention/reduction actions undertaken by the Case Study members, thus enriching the evidence-based analysis on previous FLW actions.
 

Activities

The project is divided in Work Packages (WPs) to organize the work between the partners: (1) Evidence based analysis ans sector specific guidance; (2) Empirical Datahub with 6 different Case Studies; (3) Predictive analytics and modelling backbone for changing social norms towards 0FLW; (4) Actor, context and gender specific change fostering; (5) Innovation upscalling; (6) Dissemination, Expoitation and communication; (7) project management and (8) Ethics requirements.

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Type of Horizon project
Multi-actor project
Project acronym
CHORIZO
CORDIS Fact sheet
Project contribution to CAP specific objectives
Environmental care
Project contribution to EU Strategies
Achieving climate neutrality

EUR 6 095 569.00

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

EUR 6 095 569.00

EU contribution

Any type of EU funding.

Project keyword(s)

Resources

5 Practice Abstracts

In light of current consumption patterns, urban settings emerge as food waste (FW) hotspots. CHORIZO research underlines the role of local governments in addressing FW, both directly as food consumers themselves, or indirectly by promoting change among citizens and businesses. 

Measures implemented by cities within their own operations involve: Creating infrastructure for improved planning, storage, and shorter supply chains to enhance efficiency and sufficiency in municipally-operated food services; Raising awareness among personnel, building their capacity and promoting habit change. 

Indirect measures include: Interventions to change consumption habits of actors by making evident the socioeconomic, nutritional, and environmental consequences of FW; Empowering local actors around production, e.g. through community gardens; Engaging and supporting SMEs and HORECA actors with certification schemes and financial aid; Combating food poverty with redistribution initiatives, either by backing existing efforts or leading partnerships. 

Key success factors for municipality-led initiatives are resources (staff and funding), stakeholder mobilization, and effective monitoring systems. Municipal backing significantly enhances the success of community- and private-sector-led efforts.Integrated action is key, combining various levers while addressing FW, nutritional needs, and food security. PPP appears crucial for providing an enabling framework for third parties.

Municipalities are urged to advocate to higher levels of government for strategy advancement and resource allocation. CHORIZO will develop targeted multi-sectoral innovation products to enhance capacity and drive change in urban food systems. 

The CHORIZO project identified 84 interventions pertaining to the redistribution supply chain stage, meaning redistributing surplus food fit for human consumption. These interventions involve a range of actors across the supply chain in order to successfully redistribute surplus food. Often this surplus food is redistributed to charities which make the food available to the needy, or in other cases the surplus food is sold at a discounted rate to consumers. 

There are several key social, economic, and scientific impacts that emerged by way of these interventions, in addition to addressing food waste. Perhaps the most prevalent social impact is that the redistribution efforts provide food to those members of society most in need of it, such as lower-income families. At the socio-economic level, increased collaboration and knowledge-sharing among food redistribution actors has been proven to be paramount to allow for more effective food saving activities. This is particularly evident for those interventions which operate in isolated and different cities/countries and cover the entire supply chain. By leveraging local resources and infrastructure, as well as public-private collaboration, this facilitates the growth of specific skills and jobs in sustainability, which play a crucial role in developing innovative models for food surplus redistribution. At the scientific level, research and innovation is spurred along to preserve the freshness of donated food during storage and transportation, but also the creation of electronic tools (such as apps, online platforms) are evident, allowing for more effective identification, collection, and distribution of surplus food. 

Long version can be found here: https://shre.ink/8NFt 

The CHORIZO project surveyed 395 interventions addressing food loss and waste (14 for primary production; 45 for processing/manufacturing; 45 for retail), bringing key impacts to the fore. 

R&I: Valorisation interventions in processing/manufacturing drive scientific research and innovation for new products. Innovative approaches in primary production focus on prolonging the shelf-life of produce. Innovation in retail is driving the development of apps matching supply and demand, and of monitoring tools tracking various food parameters for smarter supply chain management. 

Increased collaboration. Valorisation demands collaboration across the supply chain, involving suppliers, distributors, and retailers. In retail, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and developers of innovative solutions must align their interests and work together effectively. 

Developing skills and empowering communities. Interventions in primary production, like recovering unharvested produce, and redistributing surplus or aesthetically imperfect foodstuff, combat food insecurity and emphasise nutrition over aesthetics. Retail actions redistributing overstocked or visually imperfect products increase food accessibility and change perceptions, educating consumers on food value while aiding the vulnerable. 

New products and businesses. Valorisation creates new products and jobs, fostering expertise in production and marketing. Retail products and business models relying on digital platforms or new value propositions open new economic avenues. These benefit the local economy, create jobs and offer consumers more choices. 

Chorizo aims to understand the influence of social norms on FW behaviour and to identify descriptive actions to reduce FW. As a part of the project, an empirical case study in Slovenia, targeted at food service consumers, found that most respondents feel that they are not compelled to finish their meals to conform to social norms or avoid negative judgments from others, with 73% of respondents suggesting they don’t feel the need to clean their plates to avoid appearing greedy. However, a significant proportion of respondents acknowledge a connection between dietary aspirations and plate clearing. While taste remains the most important aspect of emptying the plate, results also indicated that portion sizes have proven to be quite important, as individuals who valued portion sizes for meal enjoyment were more sceptical about the measure of reducing portions to minimize food waste. About a third of respondents acknowledged food waste's ethical implications, requesting leftover packaging. 

In addressing FW in the food services sector, various measures were identified, including pre-ordering, promoting taking leftovers home and training the kitchen staff. The findings suggest that price discounts are effective motivators for pre-ordering, and offering a variety of different dishes when ordering ahead can also be a compelling factor for some customers, though it's not a decisive factor for everyone. The strongest motivator for pre-ordering is making it a requirement to reserve a table, with a significant majority of respondents in favour. 

Overall, the findings underscore the complexity of FW reduction efforts in the food services sector, highlighting the interplay between consumer behaviour, social norms, and incentives. 

Food waste presents significant challenges in households and schools, driven by societal norms and practices. Drawing from research, we propose some strategies to mitigate this problem.

In households, social norms heavily influence wasteful behaviors. Consumers often struggle with interpreting food expiration dates and tend to overprepare meals to prevent hunger. Interventions should target these norms by promoting smarter packaging and challenging the belief that excess food is desirable. Recommendations include encouraging meal planning and educating consumers on mindful purchasing, preparation or food storage practices. Additionally, the enabling environment, comprising governments, retailers, and businesses, can support waste reduction through policy interventions, educational initiatives, and community engagement.

Similar behaviors are found in schools, particularly among students. Peer pressure and perceptions of food appearance, texture, and taste contribute to wastage. Interventions should prioritize open communication between parents and students and integrate food system awareness into educational activities. Collaboration among students, parents, teachers, and canteen staff is key. Students can support each other in accepting less visually appealing foods, parents can involve students in lunch preparation, teachers can supervise meal breaks, and canteen personnel can promote balanced eating habits and provide educational materials. Government initiatives are crucial in creating an enabling environment for waste reduction in schools.

In conclusion, addressing food waste necessitates a comprehensive approach that considers social norms, behaviors, and environmental factors. 
 

Contacts

Project email

Project coordinator

  • EV ILVO (EIGEN VERMOGEN VAN HET INSTITUUT VOOR LANDBOUW- EN VISSERIJONDERZOEK)

    Project coordinator

    fleur.marchand@ilvo.vlaanderen.be Website +32486335644 BURG. VAN GANSBERGHELAAN 92 BUS 1, MERELBEKE 9820, Belgium Research institute

Project partners

  • FEDERACION DE INDUSTRIAS DE ALIMENTACION Y BEBIDAS DE ESPAÑA (FIAB)

    Project partner

    c.avila@fiab.es Website 914117211 Calle Velazquez 64, 3º, 28001 Other

  • FEDERACION DE INDUSTRIAS DE ALIMENTACION Y BEBIDAS DE ESPAÑA (FIAB)

    Project partner

    g.alcat@fiab.es Website 610269115 Calle Velazquez 64, 3º, 28001 Other