"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."
 

"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."
 

"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."
 

"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."
 

"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."
 

"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…."
 

"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."
 

"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."
 

"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."
 

"""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."
 

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.

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.

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/

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/

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.