Pilot action to reduce food waste by donating or re-using food
Food Waste Prevention in Primary Production (PA 1)
Food is lost or wasted throughout the whole supply chain, from initial agricultural production down to final household consumption. Production of food starts at the field and at the farm. Within Pilot Action 1 the focus on waste prevention is laid on fresh fruits and vegetables in Vienna and hinterlands which due to different reasons do not reach the next step of the supply chain either processing or distribution and retail.
Within the last years more and more research was done to identify losses and gather data in the first stages of the food production. Still there is a big gap to be closed even though previous research showed that there is a significant part of food loss quantities which occur in the production and processing phase. The losses in the primary stage have different reasons and differ from the respective product.
In order to prevent food losses in primary production different solution are possible. One of the most important and established initiatives in terms of preventing food waste in primary production, concrete at farmer's level are gleaning activities, mostly conducted in the form of gleaning networks.
Gleaning means picking fruits and vegetables not harvested by farmers. Fruits and vegetables are used by the collectors themselves or are given to charitable institutions involved in food redistribution, which in the most cases are happening by gleaning networks.
In Austria no coordinated gleaning activities could be detected. There were some single initiatives but mainly due to organisational or logistical reasons, no sustainable gleaning initiative could have been installed.
Within PA1 it should be recognised which kind of gleaning activity fits best for our involved farmers (gleaning actions done by individuals or by a group of volunteers). Out of the results an evaluation of the first implementation phase will be conducted. Elaboration of optimization measures will be done and tested by another gleaning phase in order to establish sustainable gleaning actions to reduce food waste in primary production.
Within the last years more and more research was done to identify losses and gather data in the first stages of the food production. Still there is a big gap to be closed even though previous research showed that there is a significant part of food loss quantities which occur in the production and processing phase. The losses in the primary stage have different reasons and differ from the respective product.
In order to prevent food losses in primary production different solution are possible. One of the most important and established initiatives in terms of preventing food waste in primary production, concrete at farmer's level are gleaning activities, mostly conducted in the form of gleaning networks.
Gleaning means picking fruits and vegetables not harvested by farmers. Fruits and vegetables are used by the collectors themselves or are given to charitable institutions involved in food redistribution, which in the most cases are happening by gleaning networks.
In Austria no coordinated gleaning activities could be detected. There were some single initiatives but mainly due to organisational or logistical reasons, no sustainable gleaning initiative could have been installed.
Within PA1 it should be recognised which kind of gleaning activity fits best for our involved farmers (gleaning actions done by individuals or by a group of volunteers). Out of the results an evaluation of the first implementation phase will be conducted. Elaboration of optimization measures will be done and tested by another gleaning phase in order to establish sustainable gleaning actions to reduce food waste in primary production.
Increase donations as food waste prevention in the Czech Republic (PA5)
Food re-use/donation has been identified by the Czech Ministry of Environment which has food waste in its gesture as one of the key methods to reduce the amount of food ending in landfills. Food Banks are considered the most important tool for this at the moment, as long as earlier prevention is still not possible.
Since the change in methodological counting of VAT for donated food at the end of 2014, the amount of food donated to Food Banks has grown considerably (only in 2016 they have received over 1000 tons of food compared to 5000 tons between 2006-2015).
A further increase in donations is expected from 2018 when a new amendment will come into force regarding the obligation for stores of over 400 sq. meters of donating food to charitable organizations . To ensure that this excess in donated food will be distributed on time before it perishes, the Prague Food Bank would like to find ways how to preserve it and thus prolong the time for distributing.
Connected to this, this pilot action will combine the new methods of preserving food with raising awareness among children who will visit the Prague Food Bank to learn more about the value of food, food waste and Food Banks.
Since the change in methodological counting of VAT for donated food at the end of 2014, the amount of food donated to Food Banks has grown considerably (only in 2016 they have received over 1000 tons of food compared to 5000 tons between 2006-2015).
A further increase in donations is expected from 2018 when a new amendment will come into force regarding the obligation for stores of over 400 sq. meters of donating food to charitable organizations . To ensure that this excess in donated food will be distributed on time before it perishes, the Prague Food Bank would like to find ways how to preserve it and thus prolong the time for distributing.
Connected to this, this pilot action will combine the new methods of preserving food with raising awareness among children who will visit the Prague Food Bank to learn more about the value of food, food waste and Food Banks.
Redistributing post-harvest food waste or new marketing channel for discarded vegetables from farms in Austria (PA02)
The Pilot Action started with a feasibility study to survey primary production and marketing of
vegetables in the functional urban area (FUA) Innsbruck and surrounding. The study is focused on
vegetables for human consumption, due to the large production areas close to Innsbruck and the
large quantity of food waste.
Together with stakeholder detailed information about possibilities, requirements and willingness to
implement and use new marketing channels were gathered; same as the interest to market and use
discarded vegetables.
Interviewpartners are representing the sectors 1 – primary production, 2 – food processing, 3 –wholesale, retail, 4 – food service.
vegetables in the functional urban area (FUA) Innsbruck and surrounding. The study is focused on
vegetables for human consumption, due to the large production areas close to Innsbruck and the
large quantity of food waste.
Together with stakeholder detailed information about possibilities, requirements and willingness to
implement and use new marketing channels were gathered; same as the interest to market and use
discarded vegetables.
Interviewpartners are representing the sectors 1 – primary production, 2 – food processing, 3 –wholesale, retail, 4 – food service.
Results from the Feasibility Study
A lot of different discarded vegetables are available in the FUA Innsbruck
• interest is existing by:
• farmers to market
• sector 2 – 4 to use … discarded vegetables
• what is missing: the link between these sectors
• interest is existing by:
• farmers to market
• sector 2 – 4 to use … discarded vegetables
• what is missing: the link between these sectors
Aim of the pilot actions
A platform should be established to provide information about discarded vegetables
and to market them.
and to market them.
- One partner will be the primary production sector; farmers who are interested in participating and marketing discarded vegetables.
- Other partners will be companies and consumers interested in using these vegetables.
- Through the platform the missing link will be provided: information where to get discarded vegetables.
During springtime 2017 we will prepare with different stakeholders the first version of the platform. This
platform will be implemented in summer 2017 within the next harvesting season. With all the feedback, information and reaction gathered in the first period the platform will be adapted through the next winter season to start with a beta-platform in the harvesting season 2018.
platform will be implemented in summer 2017 within the next harvesting season. With all the feedback, information and reaction gathered in the first period the platform will be adapted through the next winter season to start with a beta-platform in the harvesting season 2018.
Questions to be clarified
To get started and to find the right design for the platform a lot of questions need to be clarified like: Logistic, financial and legal aspects.
To raise the consciousness of the inhabitants in order to reduce
the amount of the food waste in Hungary (PA 3)
More than half of the food waste in the world is occurs in households. This pilot actions’s primary aim is to prevent the food from becoming waste, with the additional benefit of increasing the consciousness of the inhabitants. This pilot action is supported by SPAR Hungary Ltd. Due to the impact of this activity, the future routines of inhabitants such as purchasing and eating habits may change. This motivating force can also have a social impact, because people can donate the food, that they do not need anymore, but is still good food. In these food-saving actions, the food will help people in need distributed by charity.
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AimChanging the bad – food wastage – habits of the population; reducing the amount of the food waste; offering the surplus food to donation.
StakeholdersSPAR Hungary Ltd.
Hungarian Málta Charity Next steps– future plans
Every six months food-saving actions will be organized. These actions aim reaching the inhabitants and changing their consciousness and donating the food surplus of the inhabitants to people in need. Based on the experience from the pilot actions, the main aim is to reach the best practices on reducing the food-waste.
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