The final REFRESH workshop discussed options and recommendations to integrate policies for food waste in the broader contexts of sustainable food systems and the Circular Economy. Building on the results created within the REFRESH project, the workshop brought together policy makers and experts from research, NGOs and businesses to discuss EU policy options that go beyond efforts to reduce food waste and includes other sustainability aspects such as health and social impacts.

This report examines and evaluates the availability and effectiveness of existing ICT-based tools and smart technologies for food management and waste reduction by consumers. It results that consumers seem to be interested in apps that help in reducing food waste, but do not perceive a clear need to use these as they think that they do not waste much food. Further, results of the study indicate that user-friendliness is a key component.

The REFRESH Spanish Platform has been cooperating with members on food waste reducing actions since 2016. Since then, pilot projects looking at whole supply chains, consumer acceptance studies, and food waste in hospitality have been carried out, alongside baselining and multiple meetings to share good practice and collaborate on open questions.

The REFRESH Community of Experts (CoE) is a knowledge-sharing platform which seeks to promote best practice, foster discussions and improve stakeholder engagement. The website compiles initiatives in food waste prevention and reduction, which are categorised and tagged for easy user accessibility. At the same time, the website facilitates dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders.

The spreadsheet tool FORKLIFT was developed to help stakeholders gain a general understanding of the environmental impacts and costs for selected valorisation routes of a given food processing side flow. The approach enables the user to change different parameters and to try out how these changes affect the life cycle costs and greenhouse gas emissions. This report provides the general methodological background for the tool.

This brochure describes the interim results of the REFRESH (Resource Efficient Food and dRink for the Entire Supply cHain) project through May 2018. REFRESH’s research into the behaviours, economics, and relationships that lead to food waste will inform future recommendations for efficient and versatile solutions to food waste at all levels of production.

This scientific paper analyses the benefits of agreements between charity organizations providing meals (e.g. soup kitchens) and the food industry. It shows that structural food donations reduce the overall costs of the soup kitchen and can contribute towards a good variety in the meals offered. Moreover, due to the redistribution of food, the overall waste levels in the supply chain are reduced.

This symposium will provide an invaluable opportunity for industry experts, policy makers, academics, NGOs and other key stakeholders to review the EU strategy on food waste and discuss behavioural, social and technological solutions aimed at promoting improved food waste management. Dr. Hilke Bos-Brouwers, REFRESH coordinator, will be presenting.

The IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute organizes a camp for youth from China to raise young people’s awareness about food waste. The camp includes visits to various locations within the whole food supply chain, covering food production, food transportation, food re-distribution, food consumption (in restaurants and at home) and food treatment.

A Sino-Nordic Seminar on Sustainable Food Systems and Food Waste was held on January 13-14, 2018, in Shanghai, China. Over 40 active researchers and stakeholders from the Nordic countries and China in the field of sustainable food systems and food waste shared experience and discussed potential directions of collaboration.

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