project - Research and innovation

LOWINFOOD: Multi-actor design of low-waste food value chains through the demonstration of innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste
LOWINFOOD: Progettazione multi-attore di filiere agroalimentari a basso spreco attraverso l’implementazione di soluzioni innovative per ridurre le perdite di cibo

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Objectives

The main goal of the project is to co-design low-waste value chains in the fruit and vegetable, baked goods and fish sectors, including at-home and out-of-home consumption. The project will validate and demonstrate a set of technological, social and organisational solutions, and evaluate the impact of these innovations in reducing food waste and improving the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the value chains.

Objectives

L'obiettivo principale del progetto è quello di co-progettare filiere a basso spreco nei settori dell'ortofrutta, dei prodotti da forno e del pesce, considerando anche il consumo in casa e fuori casa. Il progetto implementerà e validerà una serie di soluzioni tecnologiche, sociali e organizzative e valuterà l'impatto di queste innovazioni sulla riduzione degli sprechi alimentari e sul miglioramento delle prestazioni socioeconomiche e ambientali delle filiere.

Activities

The core activities of the project are all focused on the evaluation of the efficacy of these innovations in reducing food losses and waste. The impact of the innovations will be evaluated considering the amount of food waste avoided as well as in environmental and socio-economic terms. Fruits & vegetables, bakery products and fish value chains are selected as settings to apply the innovations as these perishable foods are particularly concerned by the issue of food waste. For each value chain, the upstream stages are considered in the demonstration of the innovations, from production to retailing. Another set of innovations is applied to the consumer level, with the aim to avoid the waste of all foods in out-of-home and at-home consumption.

Additional comments

A portfolio of 14 innovations has been selected among promising solutions that have already been developed and tested by some partners, and includes technological tools and devices as well as organizational and managerial solutions. LOWINFOOD will improve the TRL of all the 14 innovations, including technological tools and devices as well as organizational and managerial solutions, to bring them closer to market and foster their adoption across value chains in several EU countries. They already have a minimum TRL of 4/5 (technologies that have been validated in the lab and in the relevant environment), and LOWINFOOD will upscale them up to TRL 7/8 (prototype demonstration in an operational environment, and completed and certified systems).

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Ort
Main geographical location
Viterbo

EUR 5,534,161.8

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

Ressourcen

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25 Practice Abstracts

Researchers and innovators of the LOWINFOOD project identified a toolbox addressed to policy makers, and more in general to stakeholders of food supply chains, containing 6 strategies to support the diffusion of innovations that prevent and reduce food loss and waste (FLW). Each strategy meets a need related to a barrier, is relevant for a specific phase of the value chain and should be implemented at a specific governance territorial scale. The 6 identified strategies to reduce Food Loss and Waste (FLW) are the following:
To overcome the lack of network among stakeholders:
1.    Strengthen trade associations and producer organizations (to be implemented at regional level). Within this kind of cooperation members can share knowledge and establish efficient production standards. 
2.    Supporting networks of cooperation among innovators (to be implemented at national level), so that they can share information and data.
To overcome the lack of motivation of entrepreneurs:
3.    Providing incentives for companies that reduce FLW (f.i. waste tax reduction). 
4.    Introducing regulations that force companies to reduce FLW (f.i. penalty fee). 
    (to be implemented at national level)
To overcome the lack of motivation of citizens:
5.    To carry out public awareness raising and information campaigns targeted to citizens (f.i. pilot programs in school canteens). 
(to be implemented at EU, national and regional level)
To overcome the lack of data in order to use the technology behind the innovations:
6.    introducing regulations that force food companies to record data about FLW. 
    (to be implemented at EU level)
How did we end up with these strategies? 
1. Focus group with LOWINFOOD innovators
2. Barriers and solutions for the diffusion of innovations are identified
3. Solutions are merged into wider strategies
4. Strategies are rated by a panel of experts (for impact and feasibility)
5. Strategies are prioritised

Researchers and innovators of the LOWINFOOD project identified a toolbox addressed to policy makers, and more in general to stakeholders of food supply chains, containing 6 strategies to support the diffusion of innovations that prevent and reduce food loss and waste (FLW). Each strategy meets a need related to a barrier, is relevant for a specific phase of the value chain and should be implemented at a specific governance territorial scale. The 6 identified strategies to reduce Food Loss and Waste (FLW) are the following:
To overcome the lack of network among stakeholders:
1.    Strengthen trade associations and producer organizations (to be implemented at regional level). Within this kind of cooperation members can share knowledge and establish efficient production standards. 
2.    Supporting networks of cooperation among innovators (to be implemented at national level), so that they can share information and data.
To overcome the lack of motivation of entrepreneurs:
3.    Providing incentives for companies that reduce FLW (f.i. waste tax reduction). 
4.    Introducing regulations that force companies to reduce FLW (f.i. penalty fee). 
    (to be implemented at national level)
To overcome the lack of motivation of citizens:
5.    To carry out public awareness raising and information campaigns targeted to citizens (f.i. pilot programs in school canteens). 
(to be implemented at EU, national and regional level)
To overcome the lack of data in order to use the technology behind the innovations:
6.    introducing regulations that force food companies to record data about FLW. 
    (to be implemented at EU level)
How did we end up with these strategies? 
1. Focus group with LOWINFOOD innovators
2. Barriers and solutions for the diffusion of innovations are identified
3. Solutions are merged into wider strategies
4. Strategies are rated by a panel of experts (for impact and feasibility)
5. Strategies are prioritised

Data collection for the socio-economic evaluation of LOWINFOOD innovations was challenging. As a result, the representative sample was small in several cases and the gender analysis was carried out by 4 categories of innovations rather than for each innovation. Data was collected through participant surveys distributed to employees of the companies, students in the schools, and members of the households implementing the innovations.  

532 people took part in the surveys and there were more women than men (337 women, 63.3% and 173 men, 32.5%). In general, all were satisfied with the implementation of the innovations. However, women in particular felt slightly more satisfied and confident after the demonstration of the innovations. In the category of food waste prevention governance, considered as social innovations, there were more male participants, but women reported higher satisfaction. In the consumer behavior change category, employees (mainly teachers), the majority were women and both sexes reported positive satisfaction. Among household members, participation was balanced between women and men, and in general both sexes were very satisfied with the implementation of the innovations. For students, with a high prevalence of female respondents, the satisfaction rate was positive. In the supply chain efficiency category, which are mainly considered as technological innovations, the satisfaction of women increased while that of men decreased. Finally, in the food redistribution actions´ category, considered as organisational innovations, the participation was balanced and both women and men were satisfied.

Data collection for the socio-economic evaluation of LOWINFOOD innovations was challenging. As a result, the representative sample was small in several cases and the gender analysis was carried out by 4 categories of innovations rather than for each innovation. Data was collected through participant surveys distributed to employees of the companies, students in the schools, and members of the households implementing the innovations.  

532 people took part in the surveys and there were more women than men (337 women, 63.3% and 173 men, 32.5%). In general, all were satisfied with the implementation of the innovations. However, women in particular felt slightly more satisfied and confident after the demonstration of the innovations. In the category of food waste prevention governance, considered as social innovations, there were more male participants, but women reported higher satisfaction. In the consumer behavior change category, employees (mainly teachers), the majority were women and both sexes reported positive satisfaction. Among household members, participation was balanced between women and men, and in general both sexes were very satisfied with the implementation of the innovations. For students, with a high prevalence of female respondents, the satisfaction rate was positive. In the supply chain efficiency category, which are mainly considered as technological innovations, the satisfaction of women increased while that of men decreased. Finally, in the food redistribution actions´ category, considered as organisational innovations, the participation was balanced and both women and men were satisfied.

Reducing food waste is widely recognized as a crucial step towards building a more sustainable food system. In order to reduce waste numerous interventions, such as information campaigns, have been implemented, they often adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming uniformity in the problem faced by all consumers.
This study aims to investigate the distribution of food waste generation among pupils in schools, recognizing that not all students contribute equally to the issue. Utilizing the Matomatic plate waste tracker, data was collected from 16 primary schools across Sweden, totaling 421,015 instances of plate wastage registrations.
The findings of the study reveal that 40% of the pupils in the studied primary school canteens did not waste any food at all. Among those who did waste food, the distribution was highly skewed, with a minority of wasting students (20%) accounting for a majority (60%) of the generated plate waste. Halving the waste generated by the group of high wasters would reduce overall plate waste by 31%While there was slight variation between schools, all kitchens reported similar patterns, with the top 20% of plate waste events contributing significantly to overall waste.
These results underscore that plate waste generation is not a uniform problem among all pupils. Thus, interventions that target all students equally may not be effective, as the majority of the target group have limited potential to reduce waste. Instead, a more promising approach would involve identifying high-waste individuals and designing interventions tailored to this specific group. However, reaching these individuals, who may be resistant to general messages of food waste reduction, poses a significant challenge.

Att minska matsvinnet är viktigt för att bygga ett mer hållbart livsmedelssystem. För att minska svinnet har många insatser, såsom informationskampanjer, genomförts. Dessa är ofta lika för alla och antar att alla konsumenter står inför samma problem.
Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur matsvinn är fördelat bland elever i grundskolor. Med hjälp av tallrikssvinnsvågar från Matomatic AB samlades data in från 16 grundskolor runt om i Sverige, vilket omfattade totalt 421 015 registreringar av tallrikssvinn.
Studien visade att 40 % av eleverna i de undersökta skolmatsalarna inte slängde någon mat alls. Bland de elever som slängde mat var fördelningen mycket sned, med en minoritet (20 %) som stod för en majoritet (60 %) av tallrikssvinnet. Att halvera svinnet från denna högsvinnande grupp skulle minska det totala tallrikssvinnet med 31 %. Även om det fanns viss variation mellan skolor uppvisade alla skolmatsalar liknande mönster, där de 20 % som genererade mest svinn bidrog avsevärt till det totala svinnet.
Resultaten betonar att tallrikssvinn inte är ett likformigt problem bland alla elever. Därför kan insatser som riktar sig lika till alla elever på samma sätt vara ineffektiva, eftersom majoriteten av målgruppen har begränsad potential att minska sitt svinn. En mer lovande strategi skulle istället vara att identifiera individer med högt svinn och utforma insatser som är anpassade för denna specifika grupp. Dock innebär detta en betydande utmaning, eftersom dessa individer kan vara motvilliga att ta till sig generella budskap om att minska matsvinnet.

Reducing consumers’ food waste requires increased awareness, and better attitudes and behaviour. We know that active involvement in food management tasks is more effective in triggering change compared to passive interventions like information campaigns. Thus, as part of the LOWINFOOD socio-economic evaluation, we assessed if the employees, household members, and high-school students involved in demonstrating our innovations experienced a positive change in their awareness, attitude, intention, and behaviour towards food.

To this end, we collected survey responses before and after the demonstration of 12 innovations of different types: food waste prevention governance, consumer behavioural change, supply chain efficiency, and food redistribution. We know well that questionnaires are not reliable when dealing with food waste. So, we did not ask directly about this challenge but how much our participants agreed with a series of statements. Our study was run in nine EU countries, for a total of more than 500 responses across the two phases! 
Involvement in the LOWINFOOD innovations against food waste increase participants’ moral concern for this societal challenge and their intention to act for addressing it beyond the demonstration context. It also reinforced the relationship between their intention and the actual behaviour. The impact was stronger on women and on people with higher education, while influencing young people, including high-school students, proved more challenging.

Among employees, positive change was driven by innovations dealing with supply chain efficiency (Kitro, FoodTracks, Mitakus) and with food waste prevention governance (our supply chain dialogue), while food redistribution actions seem less effective. Household members also experienced significant positive change thanks to their involvement in the demonstration of CozZo. Interestingly, none of our indicators, for none of the innovation types, experiences a negative change. 

Reducing consumers’ food waste requires increased awareness, and better attitudes and behaviour. We know that active involvement in food management tasks is more effective in triggering change compared to passive interventions like information campaigns. Thus, as part of the LOWINFOOD socio-economic evaluation, we assessed if the employees, household members, and high-school students involved in demonstrating our innovations experienced a positive change in their awareness, attitude, intention, and behaviour towards food.

To this end, we collected survey responses before and after the demonstration of 12 innovations of different types: food waste prevention governance, consumer behavioural change, supply chain efficiency, and food redistribution. We know well that questionnaires are not reliable when dealing with food waste. So, we did not ask directly about this challenge but how much our participants agreed with a series of statements. Our study was run in nine EU countries, for a total of more than 500 responses across the two phases! 
Involvement in the LOWINFOOD innovations against food waste increase participants’ moral concern for this societal challenge and their intention to act for addressing it beyond the demonstration context. It also reinforced the relationship between their intention and the actual behaviour. The impact was stronger on women and on people with higher education, while influencing young people, including high-school students, proved more challenging.

Among employees, positive change was driven by innovations dealing with supply chain efficiency (Kitro, FoodTracks, Mitakus) and with food waste prevention governance (our supply chain dialogue), while food redistribution actions seem less effective. Household members also experienced significant positive change thanks to their involvement in the demonstration of CozZo. Interestingly, none of our indicators, for none of the innovation types, experiences a negative change. 

The LOWINFOOD project tested 14 innovations to tackle food waste in various contexts, aiming to advance them to high Technology Readiness Levels. Eight innovations showed measurable or partial success in reducing FLW, highlighting practical opportunities for improvement and application by practitioners.
Successful examples include the use of smart bins in Germany, Greece, and Switzerland, which helped canteens track and reduce plate waste, and forecasting software for bakeries in Germany, which minimized surplus by improving production planning. A mobile app in Italy enabled restaurants to sell leftover meals directly to consumers, reducing post-consumer waste while offering affordable food options. Similarly, a cooperation system in Austria effectively redistributed fruit and vegetable by-products, preventing losses and adding value to supply chains. An innovation developed in Italy and tested in Romania showed the potential to recover surplus food in agriculture, supporting the implementation of a CAP measure providing economic aid to producers facing losses.
Some challenges emerged, including limited access to production data and organizational reluctance to share information, which hindered the ability to measure the impact of certain innovations. Additionally, some tools relied heavily on user engagement, which affected their overall performance and effectiveness during testing.
Practitioners can benefit from these innovations by reducing operational costs, improving resource management, and contributing to sustainability goals. 

Il progetto LOWINFOOD ha sviluppato e testato 14 innovazioni per ridurre lo spreco alimentare in diversi contesti, puntando a stadi avanzati di avanzamento tecnologico. Otto di queste hanno mostrato risultati positivi, parziali o completi, offrendo soluzioni pratiche per ridurre gli sprechi e migliorare le performance operative.
Ad esempio, i "cestini intelligenti" utilizzati in Germania, Grecia e Svizzera hanno aiutato le mense a monitorare gli scarti nei piatti, mentre un’app in Italia ha consentito ai ristoranti di vendere surplus food ai consumatori o di incentivare l’uso delle doggy bag. In Austria, un sistema di cooperazione ha permesso di recuperare sottoprodotti di frutta e verdura, rimetterli in circolo sul mercato e creare nuovo valore economico. Un’innovazione creata in Italia e testata in Romania ha mostrato il potenziale di recuperare surplus food nel settore agricolo, facilitando l’applicazione di una misura della Politica Agricola Comune che prevede l’elargizione di misure di sostegno economico per i produttori che incorrono nelle perdite.
Tuttavia, alcune innovazioni hanno incontrato ostacoli: la difficoltà di accesso ai dati di produzione e la riluttanza delle aziende a condividerli hanno limitato la possibilità di misurare gli impatti, mentre altri strumenti si sono rivelati troppo "faticosi" da adottare rapidamente.
Le misure che hanno ottenuto esiti favorevoli offrono ai professionisti un’opportunità concreta per ridurre i costi, ottimizzare la gestione delle risorse e raggiungere obiettivi di sostenibilità, creando valore economico e ambientale.

The aim of socioeconomic impact evaluation is to assess the value created by individual innovations and by the overall project for different stakeholder groups such as the organizations demonstrating the innovations, the individuals taking part in the demonstrations, non-research partners of the LOWINFOOD consortium, and the wider society. The socio-economic impact assessment framework was developed as a resource for future innovation action projects as prospective users and applied for conducting the evaluation in the LOWINFOOD project.  
The purpose and design of innovations matters when considering and comparing their socio-economic outcomes. The generic economic indicators included in the framework can be captured best for technological innovations with immediate affects. The innovations were found to improve the food waste related awareness and intentions of those taking part in their demonstration. Most non-research partners of the consortium stated that they had a positive experience from their participation in the LOWINFOOD consortium, and referred to aspects such as network creation, business expansion, and knowledge exchange resulting. The assessment concluded that jobs were created, not through the demonstration of the innovations but through the LOWINFOOD funding provided to innovative start-up partners.
For future analysis, we recommend improving the data sharing agreements with business partners to ensure better disclosure, and automatizing the data collection procedure, as much as possible, to reduce its burden for test locations and improve the quality of the data used in assessment. 

The aim of socioeconomic impact evaluation is to assess the value created by individual innovations and by the overall project for different stakeholder groups such as the organizations demonstrating the innovations, the individuals taking part in the demonstrations, non-research partners of the LOWINFOOD consortium, and the wider society. The socio-economic impact assessment framework was developed as a resource for future innovation action projects as prospective users and applied for conducting the evaluation in the LOWINFOOD project.  
The purpose and design of innovations matters when considering and comparing their socio-economic outcomes. The generic economic indicators included in the framework can be captured best for technological innovations with immediate affects. The innovations were found to improve the food waste related awareness and intentions of those taking part in their demonstration. Most non-research partners of the consortium stated that they had a positive experience from their participation in the LOWINFOOD consortium, and referred to aspects such as network creation, business expansion, and knowledge exchange resulting. The assessment concluded that jobs were created, not through the demonstration of the innovations but through the LOWINFOOD funding provided to innovative start-up partners.
For future analysis, we recommend improving the data sharing agreements with business partners to ensure better disclosure, and automatizing the data collection procedure, as much as possible, to reduce its burden for test locations and improve the quality of the data used in assessment. 

Food waste has a big impact on the environment, mainly because of the emissions from producing food. If we can prevent food waste or redistribute surplus food, the whole food supply chain becomes more efficient. This leads to big savings in emissions and environmental costs. The environmental benefits of these actions are much greater than the effort it takes to implement them.
Producing food uses a lot of resources like fuel, land, water and raw materials, which harms the environment and costs a lot. For example, farming cattle releases methane, and using fertilizers releases nitrous oxides, both of which contribute to climate change. Emissions from transporting, storing, and cooking food also add to the problem. If we wasted less food, we could cut down on these harmful emissions. 
The best way to help the environment is to prevent food waste in the first place. This is especially true for animal-based products, which have a big impact on climate change, and citrus products or almonds, which use a lot of water during production. If we can't prevent food waste, the next best thing is to redistribute or donate it so people can eat it. Recycling comes after that. The last resort should always be sending food to the landfill.
Measures to reduce food waste are for example better forecasting with the help of a software or turning surplus food into products like bread crumbs or vegetable chutneys. Those efforts, such as the energy used for the computer to run the software or to cook the chutney, have a small environmental impact. The environmental benefits from preventing food waste are much bigger. Therefore, these actions can save resources and cut emissions.

Lebensmittelverschwendung hat große Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt, hauptsächlich wegen der Emissionen, die bei der Produktion von Lebensmitteln entstehen. Wenn wir Lebensmittelverschwendung verhindern oder überschüssige Lebensmittel umverteilen können, wird die gesamte Lebensmittelversorgungskette effizienter. Dies führt zu erheblichen Einsparungen bei Emissionen und Umweltkosten. Die ökologischen Vorteile dieser Maßnahmen sind viel größer als der Aufwand, sie umzusetzen.
Die Produktion von Lebensmitteln verbraucht viele Ressourcen wie Treibstoff, Land, Wasser und Rohstoffe, was die Umwelt schädigt und hohe Umweltkosten verursacht. Zum Beispiel setzt die Viehzucht Methan frei, und der Einsatz von Düngemitteln setzt Stickoxide frei, die beide zum Klimawandel beitragen. Emissionen aus dem Transport, der Lagerung und dem Kochen von Lebensmitteln verschärfen das Problem zusätzlich. Wenn wir weniger Lebensmittel verschwenden würden, könnten wir diese schädlichen Emissionen reduzieren.
Der beste Weg, der Umwelt zu helfen, ist, Lebensmittelverschwendung von vornherein zu verhindern. Dies gilt besonders für tierische Produkte, die einen großen Einfluss auf den Klimawandel haben, sowie für Zitrusfrüchte oder Mandeln, die bei der Produktion viel Wasser verbrauchen. Wenn wir Lebensmittelverschwendung nicht verhindern können, ist die nächstbeste Option, sie umzuverteilen oder zu spenden, damit Menschen sie essen können. Recycling kommt danach. Die letzte Option sollte immer sein, Lebensmittel auf der Deponie zu entsorgen.
Maßnahmen sind zum Beispiel eine bessere Prognose mit Hilfe einer Software oder die Umwandlung von überschüssigen Lebensmitteln in Produkte wie Semmelbrösel oder Chutneys. Der Aufwand, die für den Betrieb der Software oder das Kochen des Chutneys benötigt wird, hat nur geringe Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt. Die ökologischen Vorteile der Vermeidung von Lebensmittelverschwendung überwiegen.

Where are the problems and how can they be solved?
A significant proportion of the fish that ends up in the nets does not find its way onto our plates. Although the figures for how high this proportion should be estimated vary considerably in the scientific literature, according to some estimates every second fish caught is not ultimately consumed by humans. There are no current and exact figures on what proportion of fish is lost in the German market for human consumption. 

In the LOWINFOOD project, we did not aim to collect more precise data for the fish value chain in Germany. Rather, we wanted to talk to stakeholders, and bring these people, companies and organizations into conversation with each other - from fishing to processing and refinement, wholesale and logistics to retail and catering; participants from science as well as civil society and government institutions also took part. The goal was to better understand where the losses are particularly high and which strategies and measures could lead to an improvement in the situation. 

The stakeholder dialogue was conducted as two formats: 1. Interviews in which experts presented their views on problems and possible solutions in the field of fish in detail. And 2. Workshops in which the interviewees and other experts were able to discuss with each other. The participants of the stakeholder workshop emphasise that relatively small amounts of waste are generated in the steps of the value chain that is important for Germany (especially processing, transport, wholesale and retail trade and catering). This is mainly justified by increased fish prices, meaning no company has an interest in unnecessary losses. If losses do occur, this is often due to the lack of (skilled) workers. This shortage should be combated through more attractive working conditions and policy measures. In the upstream and downstream stages of the value chain (upstream: fishing, mostly by foreign fleets and often in developing countries; downstream: consumption in private households) large amounts of waste are generated. It is up to companies and politics to influence these stages, for example through better coordination with fisheries in the Global South and support for the introduction of sustainability labels such as MSC; and also through better nutrition education that enables people to use the valuable resource of fish appropriately and as completely as possible.

Wo liegen die Probleme und wie lassen sie sich lösen?
Ein erheblicher Teil des Fischs, der in den Netzen landet, findet nicht den Weg auf unsere Teller, wobei die Angaben, wie hoch dieser Anteil einzuschätzen ist, in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur deutlich auseinandergehen, bis hin zur Schätzung, dass jeder zweite gefangene Fisch am Ende nicht von Menschen verzehrt wird. Aktuelle und exakte Zahlen, welcher Anteil des Fisches im deutschen Markt für den menschlichen Verzehr verloren geht, gibt es nicht.
Im LOWINFOOD-Projekt haben wir nicht darauf abgezielt, genauere Daten für die Wertschöpfungskette Fisch in Deutschland zu erheben. Vielmehr wollten wir mit Stakeholdern, also Anspruchsgruppen oder Interessengruppen, ins Gespräch kommen und diese Personen, Unternehmen und Organisationen miteinander ins Gespräch bringen – von der Fischerei über die Verarbeitung und Veredelung, Großhandel und Logistik bis zu Einzelhandel und Gastronomie; dazu kamen Teilnehmende aus der Wissenschaft sowie zivilgesellschaftlichen und staatlichen Institutionen. Ziel war, besser zu verstehen, an welchen Stellen besonders viele Verluste entstehen, und welche Strategien und Maßnahmen zu einer Verbesserung der Lage führen könnten.
Der Stakeholderdialog stützte sich vor allem auf zwei Formate: 1. Interviews, in denen Expertinnen und Experten ausführlich ihre Sicht auf Probleme und Lösungsmöglichkeiten im Themenfeld Fisch darstellen konnten. Und 2. Workshops, in die interviewten Personen sowie weitere Expertinnen und Experten miteinander diskutieren konnten. Die Teilnehmenden am Stakeholderworkshop betonen, dass in dem Bereich der Wertschöpfungskette, der für Deutschland besonders wichtig ist (vor allem Verarbeitung, Transport, Groß- und Einzelhandel und Gastronomie) relativ geringe Abfallmengen anfallen. Dies wird vor allem damit begründet, dass Fisch sehr teuer geworden ist und daher kein Unternehmen ein Interesse an unnötigen Verlusten hat. Wenn es doch zu Verlusten kommt, hat das oft mit dem Fach- und Arbeitskräftemangel zu tun, der durch attraktivere Arbeitsbedingungen und politische Maßnahmen bekämpft werden sollte. In den vor- und nachgelagerten Stufen der Wertschöpfungskette (vorgelagert: Fischerei, meist von ausländischen Flotten und oft in Entwicklungsländern; nachgelagert: Konsum in den Privathaushalten) hingegen fallen großen Abfallmengen an. Hier gilt es für Unternehmen und Politik, Einfluss auf diese Stufen zu nehmen, beispielsweise durch eine bessere Koordination mit der Fischerei im Globalen Süden und der Unterstützung bei der Einführung von Nachhaltigkeitssiegeln wie MSC; zudem durch eine bessere Ernährungsbildung, die Menschen dazu befähigt, die wertvolle Ressource Fisch angemessen und möglichst vollständig zu verwerten.

Bread is one of the most wasted food categories in Finland. To innovate new ways for reducing bread waste in the bread value chain, relevant stakeholders were invited to join a stakeholder dialogue. Bakeries, retailers, and the Finnish Bakery Federation participated either in a series of online workshops or interviews where current challenges were identified and current and possible future actions to prevent bread waste and surplus were discussed. As a result of this stakeholder dialogue, a joint roadmap for reducing bread waste was developed.
The roadmap for bread waste reduction in Finland includes 15 action points in total, divided between actions directed mostly at bakeries, retailers, and other stakeholders. 
The suggested actions for bakeries highlight the importance of bread loss and waste analytics to direct strategic and operational activities, developing a zero-waste culture, sharing knowledge, integrating bread waste reduction into product development, reducing assortment, and communicating about bread waste to consumers. The actions for retailers focus on placing orders earlier and developing forecasting methods, mutual sharing of information with bakeries, and managing assortment and empty shelves. The actions for other stakeholders include, among others, developing new solutions to address bread surplus redistribution and re-use, developing bread packaging, and easing on legislation related to food labelling for products that re-use materials.
This stakeholder dialogue was organized as part of the Work Package (WP) 3 in the LOWINFOOD project, and it aims to analyze innovations against loss of bakery products. Besides Finland, the same activities have been conducted in Italy and Sweden. 

Leivän arvoketjun aikana merkittävä osa hävikistä ja jätteestä syntyy tuottajan, eli leipomon ja vähittäiskaupan rajapinnassa, ja Suomessa tuore leipä onkin suurimpia hävikkiin päätyviä tuotekategorioita. LOWINFOOD-hankkeen osana suomalaisia leipomoja, vähittäiskauppojen edustajia sekä Suomen Leipuriliitto ry kutsuttiin mukaan kehittämään yhteistä tiekarttaa leipähävikin vähentämiseksi. Tiekartta muodostettiin verkkotyöpajojen sekä haastatteluiden perusteella. Työpajoissa ja haastatteluissa keskusteltiin vallitsevista ongelmista leipähävikin näkökulmasta, nykyisin käytössä olevista hävikin vähentämisen ratkaisuista sekä innovoitiin uusia hävikin vähentämisen tapoja. Vastaava tiekartta kehitettiin hankkeessa myös Ruotsiin ja Italiaan.
Lopputuloksena kehitetty tiekartta esittelee yhteensä 15 erilaista toimenpidettä jaoteltuina leipomoiden, vähittäiskaupan, ja muiden sidosryhmien vastuulla oleviin toimenpiteisiin.
Tiekartan toimet leipomoille liittyvät siihen, miten mittaamisella ja analytiikalla voidaan kehittää strategisia ja operationaalisia hävikin vähentämisen toimia, hävikittömän kulttuurin luomiseen, hiljaisen tiedon jakamiseen, hävikin ehkäisyn integroimiseen tuotekehitykseen, tuotevalikoiman kehittämiseen sekä kuluttajaviestintään. 
Vähittäiskauppojen toimet keskittyvät tilaamisen ja kysynnän ennustamisen kehittämiseen, molemminpuolisen tiedonjaon kehittämiseen sekä valikoimanhallintaan (ml. tyhjien hyllyjen hallinta). 
Muiden toimijoiden toimet sisältävät muun muassa ylijäämän hyödyntämisen tehostamisen, hävikkiä vähentävien leipäpakkausten kehittämisen sekä pakkausmerkintöihin liittyvän lainsäädännön höllentämisen.

During peak production periods for fruits and vegetables, market prices may fall below levels that make it unprofitable for farmers to harvest the crops. To avoid this, the EU has implemented a system to withdraw these products from the market. The EU compensates the farms through the POs for the quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables withdrawn from the market and intended for free for human consumption (the most desirable destination) or "other destinations" (biodigester, animal feed, composting, etc.). 
The S.I.R. platform is an online IT tool created for the management of "Withdrawals of fruit and vegetables from the Market" (Reg (EU) 1308/2013) and to facilitate contacts and collaboration between producer organizations (POs) which have to donate these fruit and vegetables and charitable organizations and institutions which receive them for free (as provided of EU Reg 2017/891).
The platform has numerous advantages compared to paper-based management such as, complete dematerialization of all documents, a higher transparency in all phases of the process, an enhancement of charitable distribution of the products (or other secondary uses) compared to the destruction of the product, as it makes the product available in the shortest possible time to all the charities/beneficiaries potentially eligible to receive the product.
Thanks to the LOWINFOOD project, an attempt was made to "export" the SIR platform to Romania, where a demonstration was conducted. A complete simulation of the SIR adoption in Romania has been created, except for the (real) refunding of farmers. The stakeholders (the farmers and the charity with the support of the University of Pitesty as a mediator) monitored their monthly food donation in 2023-2024, to test the platform in their context. 
 

Nei periodi di picco della produzione di frutta e verdura, i prezzi di mercato possono scendere al di sotto di livelli che rendono non redditizio per gli agricoltori raccogliere i raccolti. Per evitare ciò, l'UE ha implementato un sistema per ritirare questi prodotti dal mercato. L'UE compensa le aziende agricole attraverso le OP per le quantità di frutta e verdura fresca ritirate dal mercato e destinate gratuitamente al consumo umano (la destinazione più desiderabile) o ad "altre destinazioni" (biodigestore, mangimi per animali, compostaggio, ecc.).
La piattaforma S.I.R. è uno strumento informatico online creato per la gestione dei "Ritiri di frutta e verdura dal mercato" (Reg (UE) 1308/2013) e per facilitare i contatti e la collaborazione tra le organizzazioni di produttori (OP) che devono donare questa frutta e verdura e le organizzazioni e istituzioni caritatevoli che la ricevono gratuitamente (come previsto dal Reg UE 2017/891). La piattaforma presenta numerosi vantaggi rispetto alla gestione cartacea, come la completa dematerializzazione di tutti i documenti, una maggiore trasparenza in tutte le fasi del processo, un miglioramento della distribuzione benefica dei prodotti (o altri usi secondari) rispetto alla distruzione del prodotto, poiché rende il prodotto disponibile nel più breve tempo possibile a tutte le organizzazioni benefiche/beneficiari potenzialmente idonei a ricevere il prodotto. Grazie al progetto LOWINFOOD, si è tentato di "esportare" la piattaforma SIR in Romania, dove è stata condotta una dimostrazione. È stata creata una simulazione completa dell'adozione di SIR in Romania, ad eccezione del rimborso (reale) degli agricoltori. Gli stakeholder (gli agricoltori e l'organizzazione benefica con il supporto dell'Università di Pitesty come mediatore) hanno monitorato la loro donazione alimentare mensile nel 2023-2024, per testare la piattaforma nel loro contesto.

"Accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 in the European Union is a crucial mission, and the European Commission has put forth ambitious efforts to make it happen. LOWINFOOD is a visionary project that spearheads the charge with innovative solutions tailored for: 1) processing & manufacturing and 2) retail & consumption. These technological, social, and organizational innovations hold the key to reducing food waste in different value chains.
LOWINFOOD goes beyond mere aspirations by providing concrete data-driven results: measuring the efficacy of each innovation in food waste reduction is considered crucial to the project. A comprehensive multi-actor approach has been meticulously crafted based on Delegated Decision 2019/1597 of 3rd May 2019. Through a Delphi consultation with scientific partners and in-depth interviews with innovators, we've laid the groundwork for reliable measurement (KPIs, indicators, methods).
Two data collection phases have been foreseen to measure efficacy: the baseline, which offers an invaluable understanding of food waste in selected environments before the application of the innovations; and the monitoring, which collects data during or after the application of the innovative solution. 
Through this meticulous data collection and rigorous analysis, we can confidently showcase the true impact of our efforts in curbing food waste. Our commitment to precision and accuracy ensures that we pave the way towards a future where sustainability and waste reduction go hand in hand."
 

Refer to the English version
 

"What gets measured, gets managed. This famous quote also applies to the fight against food loss and waste (FLW).
Measuring the amounts of FLW, and their impact, is crucial to understand which initiatives and innovations can really help. For example, innovations that process FLW into bio-based materials can be beneficial because of the reduction in waste but may not make sense from an environmental perspective because of the additional energy/resource input required. Or they can generate new income and jobs in the bio-based packaging industry at the expenses of the waste management industry, which requires a calculation of the net gain. Also, a holistic approach is necessary to avoid shifting FLW from one sector to another. For a future implementation of promising innovations, an appropriate evaluation is therefore essential.
Measuring food waste requires the involvement of the people who work every day in food companies, restaurants, catering etc. Hence, LOWINFOOD researchers apply a multi-actor approach to involve different actors of the food supply chain. In this collaboration, researchers look at robustness of methods for the evaluation, practitioners contribute with making these methods feasible in real life. This can be challenging, but also beneficial when used for selected aspects. The evaluation of innovations to prevent and reduce FLW is conducted for the efficacy as well as the environmental, social, and economic impacts. Two systems are compared:
• Conventional food supply chain (baseline); the system before implementation of innovation and
• Low-waste food supply chain (monitoring); the system after the implementation of innovation
The main challenge is finding the most robust but at the same time most feasible data collection method. The experience within LOWINFOOD showed that partners can judge quite well, which method can successfully be applied. This decreases the risk of failures and increases the quality of data."
 

Refer to the English version
 

"The innovative educational concept for school canteen staff and pupils helps to avoid food waste in schools. In Austria's catering sector, there is often a lack of awareness and sensitisation to the issue of food waste. Food is wasted in Austrian canteens from purchasing, over preparation and serving, to consumption. In order to build the necessary knowledge and put it directly into practice, these subjects were introduced and discussed in workshops with the employees of the school canteens and pupils, and then put into practice in the common preparation of meals.
The overall goal was to identify avoidable food waste in preparation, serving, and consumption through the innovative educational concept and to reduce it in the long term. In addition to raising awareness, target group-specific practical measures are presented and positive incentives to become active are developed. A Michelin-star chef demonstrated the correct handling of food during preparation to strike up a discussion around food waste prevention practices in canteens. The common challenge in the workshop is to cook as many portions as possible from one shopping basket while producing a minimum amount of waste.
In order to test the impact of the educational concept, it will be carried out at up to 12 schools in Austria. The aim of this part of the project is to answer some questions about the potential to reduce food waste in canteens, save costs and create awareness. The concept will be used as a validated method and valuable tool for canteens and restaurants."
 

"Das innovative Bildungskonzept für Schulen hilft Lebensmittelabfälle in Schulen zu vermeiden. In der Gastronomie fehlt es oft an Bewusstsein und Sensibilisierung zum Thema Lebensmittelabfall. Vom Einkauf über die Zubereitung bis hin zur Ausgabe der Speisen werden in österreichischen Kantinen Lebensmittel verschwendet. Um das benötigte Fachwissen direkt in die Praxis zu bringen wurde in Workshops mit den Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern der Schulkantinen sowie den Schülerinnen und Schülern das notwendige Wissen vermittelt, diskutiert und im Anschluss beim gemeinsamen Kochen direkt umgesetzt.
Das übergreifende Ziel ist, durch das innovative Bildungskonzept vermeidbare Lebensmittelabfälle in der Zubereitung, Ausgabe und beim Verzehr zu identifizieren und langfristig zu reduzieren. Neben der Bewusstseinsbildung sollen zielgruppenspezifische Handlungsmaßnahmen vorgestellt und positive Anreize zum Aktivwerden geschaffen werden. Dabei zeigte ein Sternekoch den richtigen Umgang mit den Lebensmitteln bei der Zubereitung der Speisen. Gemeinsames Ziel im Workshop war es, aus einem Einkaufskorb so viele Portionen wie möglich zu kochen und dabei so wenig Abfall wie möglich zu produzieren.
Um die Wirksamkeit zu testen, wird das Konzept an bis zu 12 Schulen in Österreich durchgeführt. Dabei sollen Fragen über beispielsweise das Reduktionspotenzial der Lebensmittelabfälle in Kantinen, Kosteneinsparungen und Bewusstseinsbildung beantwortet werden. Das Konzept wurde gemeinsam mit Kolleginnen und Kollegen der Schwedischen Universität für Agrarwissenschaften (SLU) entwickelt und dann an nationale Unterschiede angepasst. Das Bildungskonzept soll als validierte Methode und wertvolles Werkzeug für Schulkantinen und Restaurantbetriebe eingesetzt werden."
 

"The Matomatic plate waste tracker, developed by Matomatic AB, a Swedish company, is a technological innovation designed to enhance children's awareness of the food waste issue. It achieves this by engaging with students in school canteens and providing information about the food they discard directly at the point of disposal. This innovation incorporates a scale connected to a tablet computer. The scale is positioned beneath the bin where plate waste is deposited in the eating hall at the school canteen. Whenever something is thrown away by a guest, the mass of t he item is displayed to the individual along with relevant metrics (environmental & economic) illustrating the impact of its waste. In addition, the plate waste tracker enables guests to provide anonymous feedback regarding the reasons behind their food waste, which can be invaluable for canteen staff in their day-to-day operations. This feedback mechanism serves as a valuable tool for understanding the factors contributing to food waste and empowers the staff to make informed decisions and improvements based on this feedback.
The tool also informs guests and staff about the total plate waste per school per day and week which adds educational aspects for the guests.
In the context of LOWINFOOD, the plate waste tracker has been successfully implemented in 10 primary schools in Sweden, 3 schools in Germany, and 5 schools in Austria. The potential for expanding its usage to other markets exists, particularly in canteens where encouraging guests to minimize food waste is a viable option. The effectiveness of the innovation in reducing waste depends on the initial scope for improvement. Establishments that have identified plate waste issues would benefit the most from implementing a plate waste tracker."
 

"Tallrikssvinnsvågen utvecklad av Matomatic AB är en teknologisk innovation som är utformad för att öka barns medvetenhet om problemet med matsvinn. Detta uppnås genom att visa hur mycket mat den enskilda individen slänger och visa dess miljöpåverkan i termer som barn kan relatera till. Själva innovationen består av en våg som är ansluten till en surfplatta. Vågen placeras under behållaren där mat från tallriken slängs. Varje gång något slängs visas vikten på föremålet som nyss slängdes för gästen tillsammans med andra relevanta mätvärden som visar konsekvenserna av själva tallriksvinnet. Dessutom möjliggör tallrikssvinnsvågen för gästerna att lämna återkoppling till kökspersonalen om varför något slängdes, vilket kan vara ovärderligt för personalen i skolköket i deras dagliga arbete. Denna återkopplingsmekanism möjliggör för att förstå faktorer som bidrar till matsvinn och ger personalen möjlighet att fatta informerade beslut och göra förbättringar baserat på återkopplingen.
I projektet LOWINFOOD har tallrikssvinnsvågen framgångsrikt implementerats i 10 grundskolor i Sverige, 3 skolor i Tyskland och 5 skolor i Österrike. Potentialen att utöka användningen till andra marknader finns, särskilt i skolmatsalar där det är möjligt att uppmuntra gäster att minimera sitt matsvinn. Effektiviteten hos denna innovation för att minska matsvinnet beror på den initiala potentialen till förbättring. Verksamheter som har identifierat problem med tallrikssvinn skulle ha störst nytta av att implementera tallrikssvinnsvågen."
 

"The Mitakus is a forecasting software that is used in the out-of-home sector, such as in business or university canteens, to predict sales, i.e., the number of guests buying meals. Mitakus helps food service businesses to improve their planning and forecasting by producing the right amount of food and lowering food waste in the process.
The food service businesses provide Mitakus with historical sales data of their different menu lines. Mitakus then cleans the data and uses AI to identify patterns. Variables such as the season, weather, menu line, and day of the week are taken into consideration. Based on the algorithms derived by Mitakus, forecasts for sales are made. This enables decision makers to better adjust the production volume to the actual demand.
The forecast provided by Mitakus can be accessed online and can be used as a planning tool. Chefs and supervisors can compare tool predictions for specific meals and even ingredients, to their own planning planning. Usually, users work on a weekly basis with the tool, viewing the forecast and making adjustments if necessary. These can involve changing the purchase volume or making short-term adjustments to cooking volumes on a specific day. If the purchase volume can be reduced due to more accurate planning, food cost may be lowered.
While an innovation can save a company money by producing just the right amount of food and wasting less, Mitakus may also reduce stress. With a reliable forecast, the decision of whether the food will suffice for everyone or if more should be produced (and possibly wasted) becomes easier.
In the LOWINFOOD project, we test and evaluate Mitakus in two university canteens and two business canteens. We expect that Mitakus will reduce food waste, because the volume of food needed can be predicted better. We are still testing the innovation right now."
 

"Die Innovation Mitakus wird in der Außer-Haus-Verpflegung genutzt, zum Beispiel in der Studierenden- oder Betriebsverpflegung, um die Nachfrage der Gäste vorherzusagen. Somit unterstützt Mitakus die Betriebe darin, ihre Planung zu verbessern und dabei Lebensmittelabfälle zu reduzieren.
Die Betriebe senden Mitakus Verkaufsdaten der letzten Monate oder Jahre. Mitakus bereinigt die Daten anschließend und nutzt künstliche Intelligenz, um Muster zu identifizieren. Dabei werden Variablen wie der Wochentag, die Jahreszeit, die Menüzusammenstellung oder das Wetter in Betracht gezogen. Durch die von Mitakus bereitgestellten Vorhersagen können Entscheidungsträger in den Betrieben in ihren Planungsaktivitäten entlastet werden.
Die Vorhersagen von Mitakus können sind online über ein Dashboard verfügbar. Küchenleitungen können ihre eigene Planung für Gerichte oder sogar Zutaten mit den Mitakus-Werten vergleichen. Üblicherweise nutzen die Betriebe Mitakus wöchentlich, um die prognostizierten Verkaufszahlen einzusehen und ihre Planung entsprechend anzupassen. So kann z.B. die Einkaufsmenge lang- oder kurzfristig verändert werden, wodurch der Wareneinsatz der Betriebe sinken kann. Kurzfristig können Betriebe ihre Produktionsmenge an die vorhergesagte Verkaufsmenge anpassen.
Die Innovation Mitakus kann dabei helfen, Kosten zu reduzieren, da passgenau eingekauft und Überstände und Abfälle vermieden werden. Zusätzlich lässt sich so ggf. auch Stress im Arbeitsalltag reduzieren: Die Entscheidung, ob Essen kurzfristig nachproduziert werden muss, fällt durch Mitakus leichter.
Im LOWINFOOD-Projekt testen und evaluieren wir Mitakus in zwei Universitätsmensen und zwei Betriebsrestaurants. Wir erwarten, dass weniger Essen weggeworfen wird und sind aktuell dabei, die Innovation zu testen."
 

"Among the drivers of food waste, those related to social dynamics are particularly difficult to address since supply chain stakeholders have potentially contrasting goals. This requires mutual understanding and long-lasting collaboration and is very relevant for perishable products like seafood. Thus, in LOWINFOOD, we run a dialogue between stakeholders of the whole Scottish fish supply chain.
Our dialogue has four goals: develop an in-depth overview of waste hotspots; identify policy gaps and opportunities; promote awareness of innovative solutions; and favour their adoption by creating new relations or strengthening existing ones. Our stakeholders can exchange ideas as well as fish products and by-products at risk of becoming waste. We have been engaging with stakeholders dealing with fish for human and non-human consumption: fishermen’s and processors’ associations, primary and secondary processors, retailers, by-products users, policy-makers, and research and innovation institutions.
Due to the high value of seafood products, the supply chain is efficient in allocating them to the most profitable use. Still, some mismatches between economic and environmental goals remain. Waste quantification is poor, and issues such as the offshore disposal of unwanted catch remain very sensitive. Spatial dispersal makes the transportation of by-products towards potential users unprofitable in many instances, even more when users are located overseas. For this reason, the creation of localised clusters of industry and innovators is key.
Successful cooperation requires the building of trust between industry stakeholders across all levels of the value chain, and with researchers and innovators that might be perceived as outsiders, as well as to make the reputational benefits of innovation clear. Small actors should be supported in adapting to change rather than blamed for their possibly unsustainable practices.
Our stakeholder dialogue started in July 2021 and will continue until October 2024. Interested stakeholders can get in touch through our Hutton website: https://www.hutton.ac.uk/research/projects/lowinfood-%E2%80%93-multi-ac…."
 

Refer to the English version
 

"The supplier-retailer interface is a key hotspot of food waste in the Swedish bakery sector, partly due to the reversed logistic management system applied to a large part of the national bread value chain: “take back agreements” (TBA). This holds the bakeries responsible for forecasting, producing and delivering their products, and also responsible for unsold products from an economic and a waste perspective. As the bread waste is mainly generated in the supermarkets, but currently owned by the bakeries, the retailers have limited mandate and economic incentives to reduce the waste – leading to overproduction and inefficient bread management. By quantifying how much waste is generated at the supplier-retailer interface and simulating the outcome of multiple waste reducing scenarios, we can assess the potential benefits and identify limitations of future waste management options.
Five industry actors, including bakeries, retailers and logistic companies, contributed in stakeholder dialogues through which information was shared about the current and future potentials within the bread supply chain. This was used to quantify the waste of bakery products in Sweden (both savory and sweet) sold under TBA, which will next be simulated alongside the potential benefits of removing the TBA or applying changes to it.
The preliminary results suggest that there was considerable waste reduction potential in innovations such as data sharing and price reduction. This result is valuable for supporting incentives for future waste reduction work, both at bakeries and supermark ets. The outcome of this task can also provide guidance on which waste reduction pathway has the highest potential benefits with respect to source reduction and environmental impact."
 

"Samverkan mellan leverantörer och återförsäljare ger idag upphov till en betydande mängd matsvinn inom den svenska bagerisektorn, delvis på grund av det återtagssystem som tillämpas på en stor del av svenskt bröd och bageriprodukter som säljs färdigpackat. Genom att kvantifiera hur mycket svinn som genereras i leverantörer och återförsäljare, och sedan simulera påverkan av olika svinnminskningsinnovationer, kan vi bedöma de potentiella fördelarna och identifiera begränsningar kring hur brödsvinnet kan minska i framtiden.
5 branschaktörer, inklusive bagerier, återförsäljare och logistikföretag, deltog i intressentdialoger där information delades om nuvarande och framtida potentialer inom brödförsörjningskedjan. Detta användes för att kvantifiera flödet av bageriprodukter i Sverige (både matbröd och fikabröd) som omfattas av återtag. Härnäst kommer olika strategier för att minska svinn simuleras, för att identifiera vilken åtgärd som har störst svinnminskningspotential samt störst miljönytta.
De preliminära resultaten tyder på att det finns en betydande nytta med datadelning mellan producenter och återförsäljare, samt även med prissänkning i butik. Dessa resultat bidrar till att stödja framtida incitament för minskat svinn av bröd och bageriprodukter genom att visa på nyttan med olika innovationer. Resultatet kan även ge vägledning kring vilka strategier som har största potentiella fördelarna med avseende på svinnminskning och miljönytta."
 

"The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has developed an innovative forecasting software aimed at reducing food waste, particularly in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector. This software utilizes cutting-edge machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to achieve its goals. By analysing sales data from three Italian stores, which have accumulated years of data specifically from the fresh produce department, the software generates models that focus on daily sales forecasts for a specific set of crucial products identified by the stores.
The algorithm powering the forecasting software considers various factors to make accurate predictions. It considers the previous 30 days of sales data, as well as the day of the month, month of the year, and day of the week. Additionally, it factors in in formation about holidays, pricing, and promotional periods to predict the quantities of each product that will be sold. To evaluate the accuracy of the model, forecasts have been generated for an entire year and compared against the actual sales data recor ded on corresponding days.
The performance of this model represents a significant improvement over current practices, demonstrating an approximate 50% enhancement in the accuracy of the forecasts.
The next step involves integrating the software into the retail stores and conducting tests to assess its effectiveness in real-world settings, to evaluate how the availability of more accurate sales forecasts can reduce the frequency and extent of food waste at retail stores."
 

"La Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences ha sviluppato un innovativo software di previsione delle vendite con lo scopo di ridurre gli sprechi alimentari nella filiera dell’ortofrutta. Il software utilizza tecniche avanzate di apprendimento statistico e intelligenza artificiale per prevedere le vendite di prodotti ortofrutticoli nei supermercati. Nell’ambito del progetto LOWINFOOD, il software viene testato in tre punti vendita della grande distribuzione, situati in Italia. Basandosi sulle serie storiche di dati di vendita del reparto ortofrutta, il software genera modelli che restituiscono previsioni di vendita giornaliere per un insieme specifico di prodotti chiave.
L'algoritmo che alimenta il software valuta diversi fattori per garantire previsioni accurate. Prende in considerazione i dati di vendita dei 30 giorni precedenti, il giorno del mese, il mese dell'anno e il giorno della settimana. Inoltre, tiene conto delle informazioni sulle festività, sui prezzi e sulle offerte promozionali per prevedere la quantità venduta di ciascun prodotto.
Per valutare l’accuratezza del modello prima dell’inizio del test, sono state generate previsioni su un intero anno (già trascorso), confrontandole con i dati di vendita reali registrati nei giorni corrispondenti.Le prestazioni di questo modello rappresentano un significativo miglioramento rispetto alle pratiche attuali di previsione delle vendite attive presso i punti vendita considerati, dimostrando un miglioramento di circa il 50% nell’accuratezza delle previsioni.
Il passo successivo prevede l’integrazione del software in più punti vendita e l’esecuzione di test per valutare l’efficacia in contesti reali, valutando in che misura la disponibilità di previsioni di vendita più accurate è in grado di ridurre la frequenza e l’entità degli sprechi alimentari presso i punti vendita."
 

"LEROMA aims to revolutionize the procurement process in the food industry.
Digital, efficient, and simple: this is what today's industry processes should look like. Especially in the B2B (business-to-business) sector, the exchange between external parties should be made less complicated. In the food industry, food manufacturers often spend weeks looking for raw materials for their products that meet the required quality standards, while raw material suppliers search for buyers for their goods.
LEROMA, a startup from Düsseldorf, provides both manufacturers and suppliers with a digital B2B platform with the aim of simplifying the procurement process at the beginning of the value chain. Raw material suppliers can advertise their products on the platform, contributing to a constantly growing global database. This is available to food manufacturers and other industries free of charge and can even be filtered according to product-specific criteria - the platform's unique selling point. In this way, manufacturers can find the ideal raw material with just a few clicks and avoid a time-consuming search.
Manufacturers can also buy and sell raw materials at favourable prices on the Surplus Exchange, a digital marketplace for leftover materials, residual items, and surpluses, to save money and reduce food waste. At the beginning of the value chain, where LEROMA operates, a large proportion of food waste is generated. Reasons for this include the fact that too much or the wrong amount was purchased due to high minimum purchase quantities, that raw materials were supplied with unsuitable technical criteria, or that a customer dropped out at short notice.
If raw materials can no longer be processed in one's own company, it makes sense to offer them to companies in the food industry on the surplus exchange. Buyers save money, avoid long waiting times and bypass high minimum purchase quantities. This allows them to respond flexibly to short-term customer requests or trends.
LEROMA aims to raise awareness of the potential of these raw materials, which can still be used within and outside the food industry, and to encourage various industries to make greater use of raw materials that are already available, thus contributing to a sustainable circular economy."
 

"LEROMA hat zum Ziel, den Beschaffungsprozess in der Lebensmittelindustrie zu revolutionieren
Digital, effizient und einfach: So sollten Prozesse von heute aussehen. Gerade im B2B-Bereich soll der Austausch zwischen zwei Parteien unkomplizierter sein. In der Lebensmittelindustrie suchen Lebensmittelhersteller oft wochenlang nach Rohstoffen für ihre Produkte, die den geforderten Qualitätsstandards entsprechen, während Rohstofflieferanten nach Abnehmern für ihre Waren suchen.
LEROMA, ein Startup aus Düsseldorf, stellt beiden Parteien eine digitale B2B-Plattform mit dem Ziel zur Verfügung, den Beschaffungsprozess am Anfang der Wertschöpfungskette zu vereinfachen. Rohstofflieferanten können ihre Produkte auf der Plattform bewerben und so zu einer stetig wachsenden globalen Datenbank beitragen. Diese steht Lebensmittelherstellern kostenlos zur Verfügung und lässt sich sogar nach produktspezifischen Kriterien filtern – das Alleinstellungsmerkmal der Plattform. So finden Hersteller mit wenigen Klicks den idealen Rohstoff und ersparen sich eine zeitraubende Suche.
Außerdem gibt es die Überschussbörse, einen digitalen Marktplatz, wo Unternehmen Rohstoffe zu günstigen Preisen kaufen und verkaufen können, um Geld zu sparen und Lebensmittelabfälle zu reduzieren. Am Anfang der Wertschöpfungskette, wo LEROMA tätig ist, entsteht ein erheblicher Teil der Lebensmittelabfälle. Gründe dafür sind unter anderem, dass aufgrund hoher Mindestabnahmemengen zu viel oder generell falsch eingekauft wurde, Rohstoffe mit ungeeigneten technischen Eigenschaften geliefert wurden oder ein Kunde kurzfristig ausfällt.
Können Rohstoffe im eigenen Unternehmen nicht mehr verarbeitet werden, ist es sinnvoll, sie über die Überschussbörse anderen Unternehmen anzubieten. Käufer sparen Geld, vermeiden lange Wartezeiten und umgehen hohe Mindestabnahmemengen. Dadurch können sie flexibel auf kurzfristige Kundenwünsche oder Trends reagieren.
LEROMA möchte das Bewusstsein für das Potenzial dieser Rohstoffe schärfen, die innerhalb und außerhalb der Lebensmittelindustrie noch Verwendung finden können, und verschiedene Industrien dazu ermutigen, bereits vorhandene Rohstoffe stärker zu nutzen und so zu einer nachhaltigen Kreislaufwirtschaft beizutragen."
 

"""The crooked cucumber"" is one of the better-known examples of food that is not very marketable. Fruit and vegetables may not end up on the usual consumer shelves for a variety of reasons: produce that measures a few grams or millimetres too much or too little, produce with damaged peel or skin. Pretty or not, these foods are still perfectly edible and valuable. Finding suitable buyers for them, however, often comes up against logistical and economic lim its.
The company ""Unverschwendet GmbH"" (UNV) from Vienna (Austria) has developed a business concept to close the gap between supplier and buyer of surplus food. UNV exclusively buys surplus food, i.e. food that cannot be marketed or is produced in excess for various reasons (e.g. due to overproduction, due to errors in the ordering system). They created acceptance criteria that need to be stated by the supplier, e.g. reasons for surplus food as well as information on allergens and hygienic requirements. Suppliers also have to sign a contr act that the surplus is sold for less than the current market value. This is important to prevent incentives for further surplus production. Furthermore, they have classified surplus food into
different grades to support price negotiations negotiations.
Generating trust and willingness to cooperate are essential in this business segment and these are the key competences of UNV. Farmers, wholesalers, deep-freeze warehouse are suitable partners on the supply side. Direct distribution to food service and ret ail sector is not feasible on the demand side due to inefficiency (high time efforts) or too strict requirements (from retailers). Instead, large companies were acquired and supplied with fresh or semi-finished products from surplus food. UNV has continuously managed to create a sustainable network between supply and demand of surplus food and increase increased the distributed amount of surplus food per transaction from a few tons in 2021 to between 10 and 30 tons in 2022."
 

"„Die krumme Gurke“ ist eines der bekannteren Beispiele für Lebensmittel, die nicht oder wenig marktfähig sind. Obst und Gemüse kann aus verschiedensten Gründen nicht in den üblichen Regalen für Konsumenten landen: Produkte, die einige Gramm oder Millimeter zu viel oder zu wenig messen, Produkte mit schadhafter Schale oder Haut. Ob hübsch oder nicht, diese Lebensmittel sind immer noch einwandfrei genießbar und wertvoll. Geeignete Abnehmer dafür zu finden, stößt allerdings oft auf logistische und wirtschaftliche Grenzen.
Das Unternehmen ""Unverschwendet GmbH"" (UNV) aus Wien (Österreich) hat ein Geschäftskonzept entwickelt, um die Lücke zwischen Anbieter und Abnehmer von Überschussware zu schließen. UNV kauft ausschließlich überschüssige Lebensmittel, das heißt Lebensmittel, die aus verschiedenen Gründen nicht vermarktet werden können oder zu viel produziert werden (z. B. durch Überproduktion, durch Fehler im Bestellsystem). Es wurden Annahmekriterien entwickelt, die vom Lieferanten angegeben werden müssen, z. B. Gründe für überschüssige Lebensmittel sowie Informationen über Allergene und hygienische Anforderungen. Die Lieferanten müssen auch eine Klausel unterschreiben, dass die Überschüsse unter dem aktuellen Marktwert verkauft werden. Dies ist wichtig, um Anreize für eine weitere Überschussproduktion zu verhindern. Außerdem werden die überschüssigen Lebensmittel in verschiedene Güteklassen eingeteilt, um Preisverhandlungen zu erleichtern.
Vertrauen und Kooperationsbereitschaft sind in diesem Geschäftsfeld unerlässlich und Schlüsselkompetenzen von UNV. Landwirte, Großhändler, Tiefkühllager sind geeignete Partner auf der Angebotsseite. Auf der Nachfrageseite ist der Direktvertrieb an die Gastronomie und an den Einzelhandel aufgrund von Ineffizienz (hoher Zeitaufwand) oder zu strengen Anforderungen (seitens des Einzelhandels) nicht machbar. Stattdessen wurden Großbetriebe als Geschäftspartner gewonnen und mit frischen oder halbfertigen Produkten aus Lebensmittelüberschüssen beliefert. UNV ist es mit einem nachhaltigen Netzwerk gelungen, die vermittelte Menge an überschüssigen Lebensmitteln pro Transaktion von einigen Tonnen im Jahr 2021 auf 10 bis 30 Tonnen im Jahr 2022 zu erhöhen."
 

In LOWINFOOD, REGUSTO's innovation aims at monitoring food taken home by consumers from restaurants by tracking food destination, consumption and food waste generation from food taken home through the REGUSTO Bag, whether it is complete meals to be consumed at home (take-away food) or leftover meals taken home through the (REGUSTO) doggy-bag.Together with the implemented REGUSTO App and the REGUSTO Bag, an additional tool has been developed to monitor the food brought home to the basket. A QR code has been developed and distributed to selected restaurants involved in the activity with the continuous aim of collecting and validating data on at least 500 consumers. The QR code is applied to the REGUSTO Bags that are used to take meals out. By scanning this tag with their smartphones, users will access a questionnaire to monitor the food left in the bag at the end of the meal. The innovation has been implemented to allow consumers to record a photo to show leftovers at the time of REGUSTO's food delivery (both takeaway meals and restaurant leftovers) and at the latest 24 hours later.The data collected will increase the information on the destination of food after take-away by answering the question "Is the food taken away from restaurants actually consumed at home?" and the question of exploring the generation of food waste from take-away and leftover consumption. The full picture of the analysis also involves restaurants for which the level of food waste is analysed and closely monitored before, during and after the introduction of the innovation to provide valuable tools for management and cost optimisation.

In LOWINFOOD, l'innovazione di REGUSTO mira a monitorare il cibo portato a casa dai consumatori dai ristoranti tracciando la destinazione del cibo, il consumo e la generazione di rifiuti alimentari dal cibo portato a casa attraverso la REGUSTO Bag, sia che si tratti di pasti completi da consumare a casa (cibo da asporto) o di pasti avanzati portati a casa attraverso la (REGUSTO) doggy-bag.Insieme alla App e alla REGUSTO bag, è stato sviluppato un ulteriore strumento per monitorare il cibo portato a casa dal ristorante. Si tratta di un QR code che è stato sviluppato e distribuito a ristoranti selezionati coinvolti nell'attività con l'obiettivo di raccogliere e validare dati su almeno 500 consumatori. Il codice QR viene applicato alle bag di REGUSTO. Scannerizzando questo tag con il proprio smartphone, gli utenti accederanno a un questionario per monitorare il consumo di cibo contenuto nella bag. L'innovazione è stata implementata per permettere ai consumatori di scattare una foto al momento della consegna della bag (sia pasti da asporto che cibo avanzato a fine pasto al ristorante) e un’altra, al più tardi, 24 ore dopo.I dati raccolti contribuiranno ad aumentare la conoscenza sulla destinazione del cibo dopo il take-away rispondendo alla domanda "il cibo portato via dai ristoranti viene effettivamente consumato a casa?" e la questione di esplorare la generazione di rifiuti alimentari dal consumo take-away. Il quadro completo dell'analisi coinvolge anche i ristoranti per i quali il livello di spreco alimentare viene analizzato e monitorato attentamente prima, durante e dopo l'introduzione dell'innovazione per fornire strumenti preziosi per la gestione e l'ottimizzazione dei costi.

Good food management practices help reduce food waste at home. CozZo is a home grocery management system that provides a solution to keep track of purchases and cooked meals in order to organize more accurately the purchase of food supplies and to avoid over-purchasing, over-cooking and spoilage of food.As consumers are spending an increasing amount of time on their mobile devices, mobile apps hold great potential in providing help with food management and food waste reduction at home. To demonstrate this potential, households recruited from Austria, Finland, and Greece will use the mobile application “CozZo” in their everyday life for six weeks.The expected results of the demonstration will shed light on the effects of using the app on food waste and other food management practices. Effectiveness of the app will be assessed by food waste measurement and analysis (one week before the use and one week at the end of demonstration period).By demonstrating the use in three countries, some differences connected to the cultural and geographical backgrounds are also expected. The value of the upcoming results lies in the identification of both the enabling and hindering factors in adopting a mobile application in household food management and food waste reduction, which can be used as a basis to develop the application further.

Erhebungen zeigen, dass in Haushalten große Mengen an Lebensmittelabfällen entstehen. Die Lebensmittelverschwendung in den Haushalten ist mit verschiedenen alltäglichen Routinen und Gewohnheiten im Zusammenhang mit Lebensmitteln verwoben. Die Gründe für das Aufkommen von Lebensmittelabfällen in Haushalten sind häufig auf Probleme beim Management, wie z. B. auf schlechte Planung oder einem fehlenden Überblick über die Vorräte zurückzuführen.Da Konsumentinnen allerdings immer mehr Zeit mit ihren Handys verbringen, sind Apps prädestiniert dazu diese beim Umgang mit Lebensmitteln zu unterstützen. Um mehr über das Potential herauszufinden, werden Haushalte aus Österreich, Finnland und Griechenland sechs Wochen lang die "CozZo" App in ihrem Alltag nutzen. "CozZo" hilft Lebensmittelvorräte zu verwalten und unterstützt bei der Planung von Einkäufen und Mahlzeiten.Die erwarteten Ergebnisse der Studie werden Aufschluss darüber geben, inwiefern sich die Nutzung der App auf die Lebensmittelabfälle und das gesamte Lebensmittelmanagement im Haushalt auswirkt. Die Durchführung in drei Ländern soll dazu beitragen auch kulturelle bzw. geographische Unterschiede zu erfassen. Der Wert, der bald vorliegenden Ergebnisse, liegt in der Identifizierung von förderlichen als auch von hinderlichen Faktoren, welche die Nutzung der App mit sich bringt. Diese können als Grundlage für die Weiterentwicklung der App verwendet werden.

KITRO is aimed at large kitchens in canteens, hotels or restaurants and enables food waste to be reduced with the help of artificial intelligence, thus saving costs. The innovation consists of a scale and a camera that are installed under and above the waste bin and automatically identify and record discarded food and determine waste quantities. The system is easy to set up and can be adapted to all kitchen waste bins. Measurements are taken automatically with KITRO, eliminating the need for additional labour to operate the device. The collected data, in the form of photos and weights, is then visible via a personalized analytics dashboard. They provide the basis for setting measurable goals and taking action. This allows decisions to be made based on artificial intelligence and processes to be optimized precisely for each property. Throughout the entire period of use of KITRO, the respective kitchens are supported in the installation, application, and data evaluation.In LOWINFOOD, KITRO is tested in WP5 in one Swiss, two German, and two Greek food services in the field of hotel and business catering. So far, a feasibility assessment of a new market entry could be conducted with Greece opening as a new trial location. New insights into our consumer’s operational behaviour and drivers feed the advancements in the reporting and analytics tool. Limited reduction performance metrics could be determined due to covid related delays.https://www.kitro.ch/

KITRO richtet sich insbesondere an Großküchen in Kantinen, Hotels oder Restaurants und ermöglicht es, Lebensmittelabfälle mithilfe künstlicher Intelligenz zu reduzieren und somit Kosten einzusparen. Die Innovation besteht aus einer Waage sowie einer Kamera, die unter bzw. über dem Behälter für Lebensmittelabfälle installiert werden und weggeworfene Lebensmittel automatisch identifizieren und Abfallmengen bestimmen. Das System ist einfach einzurichten und lässt sich an alle Küchenabfallbehälter anpassen. Gemessen wird mit KITRO automatisch, wodurch kein zusätzlicher Arbeitsaufwand für das Bedienen des Gerätes erforderlich ist. Die gesammelten Daten, in Form von Fotos und Gewichten, lassen sich über ein Dashboard in Echtzeit einsehen. Sie stellen die Basis dar, um messbare Ziele zu setzen und Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Somit lassen Entscheidungen auf Basis von künstlicher Intelligenz treffen treffen und Abläufe passgenau für jede Küche optimieren. Während der gesamten Nutzungszeit von KITRO werden die jeweiligen Betriebe bei der Installation, der Anwendung und Datenauswertung unterstützt.Im Rahmen von LOWINFOOD wird KITRO in einem Schweizer, zwei Deutschen und zwei Griechischen Gastronomiebetrieben im Bereich der Hotel- und Betriebsverpflegung getestet. Bislang konnte eine Machbarkeitsstudie für einen neuen Markteintritt durchgeführt werden, wobei Griechenland als neuer Teststandort eröffnet wurde. Neue Einblicke in das operative Verhalten unserer Kunden und deren Einflussfaktoren fließen in die Weiterentwicklung des Analysetools ein. Aufgrund von Verzögerungen im Zusammenhang mit Covid-19 konnten nur begrenzte Kennzahlen für Food Waste Reduktionen ermittelt werden.

FoodTracks (FT) is an intelligent software that enables to optimize ordering processes in bakeries. It is a demand planning software that provides insights into orders and sales. The challenge many bakeries face is that ordering decisions are made on-site at stores without taking all relevant circumstances into account. This can lead to a high rate of returns or early sell-outs. FT uses the data provided by the bakeries on past sales figures and derives order suggestions for the bakery branches from this. Customer preference, i.e. what the employees in charge of placing the orders finally want to decide, is not disregarded, but can be factored into every ordering decision, so final customers buying the products are never faced with an empty sales counter.FT lets three sides benefit: Environment, sales, and customer satisfaction. During implementation, the focus is on a gradual changeover so that all employees in all areas of the operations are involved. Understanding and enthusiasm for the software should encourage employees to work on the changeover of their own accord.FT is being tested in WP3 in at least three large bakeries in Germany to optimize orders for their stores. In LOWINFOOD the user-friendliness of FT could be further developed. Based on customer feedback FT added a feature to handle changing assortments. For example, the cake assortment changes every 2 weeks, and the software needs to choose data for predictions differently. FT now also shows more detailed weather warnings, for example when the first sunny day in spring is expected to adapt order amounts accordingly. In addition, FT now has a more refined rules system to warn users if returns exceed certain limits.https://www.foodtracks.de/

FoodTracks (FT) ist eine intelligente Software, die es ermöglicht Bestellprozesse in Bäckereien zu optimieren. Es handelt sich um eine Bedarfsplanungssoftware, die Einblicke in die Bestellungen, Verkäufe und das Personalmanagement bietet. Die Herausforderung vieler Bäckereien liegt darin, dass Bestellentscheidungen vor Ort in den Filialen getroffen werden, ohne alle relevanten Umstände zu berücksichtigen. Dies kann zu einer hohen Retourenquote oder zu frühen Ausverkäufen führen. FT nutzt die von den Bäckereien zur Verfügung gestellte Datengrundlage vergangener Verkaufszahlen und leitet daraus Bestellvorschläge für die Bäckereifilialen her. Der Kundenwunsch, d.h. das was die Verantwortlichen für die Bestellung letztlich entscheiden möchten wird dabei nicht außer Acht gelassen, sondern kann bei jeder Bestellentscheidung einbezogen werden, sodass Endkundinnen und -kunden, die in den Bäckereifilialen einkaufen,nie vor einer leeren Theke stehen.FT lässt drei Seiten profitieren: Umwelt, Umsatz und Kundenzufriedenheit. Bei der Umsetzung wird der Fokus auf eine schrittweise Umstellung gelegt, sodass alle Mitarbeiter der Betriebe in allen Bereichen mitgenommen werden. Verständnis und Begeisterung für die Software soll die Mitarbeiter dazu bringen, aus eigenem Antrieb an der Umstellung mitzuarbeiten.FT wird in mind. drei Großbäckereien in Deutschland eingesetzt, um die Bestellungen für deren Filialbetriebe zu optimieren. Im Rahmen von LOWINFOOD konnte die Benutzerfreundlichkeit von FT weiterentwickelt werden. So wurde auf der Grundlage von Kundenrückmeldungen in FT eine Funktion zur Handhabung wechselnder Sortimente hinzugefügt. Beispielsweise ändert sich das Kuchensortiment alle 2 Wochen und die Software muss die Daten für die Vorhersagen anders auswählen. FT zeigt jetzt auch detailliertere Wetterwarnungen an, z. B. wenn der erste sonnige Tag im Frühling erwartet wird, um die Bestellmengen entsprechend anzupassen. Außerdem verfügt FT jetzt über ein verfeinertes Regelsystem, das die Nutzer warnt, wenn die Retouren bestimmte Grenzen überschreiten.
 

Stakeholder dialogues are social innovations that deliver a shared solution to tackle a problem. This approach in the bakery sector has the aim to prevent the waste of bread. This collaborative approach may create a competitive advantage between the participants since they can find shared solution upon common problems. To obtain this, stakeholder networking activities are essential and should be improved.12 small bakeries located in the area of Viterbo, Central Italy, have joined round table meetings with the UNITUS researchers and the local branch of the Italian Confederation of SMEs.The conversation focused on how and why there is a waste of product in the bakery sector and what are the most wasted bakery products. Bakers also discussed the frequency and extent of surplus production, and the strategies to reduce it. During the meetings, the researchers acted as moderators, directing the conversation, and allowing the bakers to talk among themselves.Most bakeries claim that they do not produce relevant quantities of surplus or waste, one of them even said “I can write on each loaf of bread who will be the customer that will buy it!”. However, none of them has ever measured the quantity of surplus and wasted bread, thus lacking a systematic monitoring of waste. Also at the national level, the extent of bread and bakery waste is largely unknown.As a first action agreed within the stakeholder dialogue, a diary has been developed to measure every day the quantity of unsold common bread, white pizza, and a special bread. The assessment will last for several months to see in practice the extent of this waste.The stakeholder dialogue is part of the Work Package (WP) 3 in the LOWINFOOD project, and it aims to analyse innovations against loss of bakery products. The same activities are conducted in parallel in Italy, Sweden and Finland.
 

I dialoghi con gli stakeholder sono innovazioni sociali che forniscono una soluzione condivisa per affrontare un problema. Questo approccio nel settore della panificazione ha l'obiettivo di prevenire lo spreco di pane. Questo approccio collaborativo può creare un vantaggio competitivo tra i partecipanti per trovare soluzioni condivise su problemi comuni. Per fare questo sono indispensabili le attività di networking degli stakeholder e dovrebbero essere implementate.Dodici piccole panetterie ubicate nell'area di Viterbo, nel centro Italia, hanno partecipato ad una serie di incontri con i ricercatori UNITUS e la sezione locale della Confederazione Italiana delle PMI.La conversazione si è concentrata su come e perché c'è uno spreco di prodotto e su quali sono i prodotti da forno più sprecati. I fornai hanno anche discusso la frequenza e l'entità della produzione in eccesso e le strategie per ridurla. Durante gli incontri, i ricercatori hanno agito da moderatori, dirigendo la conversazione e permettendo ai fornai di dialogare tra loro.La maggior parte dei panificatori afferma di non produrre quantità rilevanti di eccedenza o di scarto di prodotti da forno, uno di loro ha persino affermato "Posso scrivere su ogni pagnotta chi sarà il cliente che lo comprerà!". Nessuno di loro, però, ha mai misurato la quantità di pane in eccesso e sprecato, non è stato mai effettuato monitoraggio sistematico degli sprechi. Anche a livello nazionale, quantità di spreco di pane e prodotti da forno è in gran parte sconosciutaCome prima azione concordata all'interno del dialogo con gli stakeholder, è stato così sviluppato un diario per misurare ogni giorno la quantità di pane comune invenduto, pizza bianca e un pane speciale. La valutazione durerà diversi mesi per vedere nella pratica l'entità di questi rifiuti.Il dialogo con gli stakeholder fa parte del Work Package (WP) 3 del progetto LOWINFOOD e mira ad analizzare le innovazioni contro la perdita di prodotti da forno. Le stesse attività sono condotte parallelamente in Italia, Svezia e Finlandia.

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