STREFOWA - Strategies to reduce food waste
The first year of the three-year EU project Strefowa (Strategies to reduce food waste) is over and there are already many interesting news already.
Together with 8 partners from a total of 5 different Central European countries (Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy) various pilot projects are implemented along the entire value chain.
In May, a large-scale household survey on food waste was carried out. This was completely answered by 2,159 people. The objective of the survey was to divide consumers into groups that enable them to tailor their own needs to specific measures. The evaluation of the data led, among other things, to the following findings: For a considerable portion of the food waste (approx. 23%), different ways of disposal than the residual waste or the biotonne are used. This makes it more difficult to estimate the actual food waste from households. Furthermore, considerable uncertainties regarding the correct storage of foodstuffs were identified. This primarily concerns the handling of fruits and vegetables, e.g. 55% of the participants store their grapes at room temperature although these would last much longer in the refrigerator and no taste loss could be expected. Subsequently, the participants were asked to be informed about food waste prevention, what content and at which intervals the participants would like to be informed. A large part of the participants would like to see more detailed information on handling the product directly on the packaging.
At the start of the harvest, our pilot project 1 started, which deals with harvest losses and post-harvest potentials. Onion, potato and pumpkin fields have already been analyzed. Further varieties will follow in autumn.
Another pilot project deals with the preparation of school materials for the lower level of NMS and AHS students. So far, there were hardly any suitable materials for this age group. The developed worksheets are tested at different schools and optimized by feedback from teachers and pupils and are then to be made available to schools throughout Austria. In addition, the workshop concept "Tatort: Biotonne" was developed. This creative and easily adaptable concept can be used for different age groups. It enables the children to explore the causes of food waste themselves and learn how to play with them.
On the 23rd and 24th of September the first part of our Roadshow took place during the Wiener Mistfest. Children and adults had the opportunity to learn valuable tips and tricks for avoiding food waste and, of course, there was a lot of talk about the project. It was nice to see how many people were positive about changing their own habits and actively approaching us. Many thanks also to the Biohotel Retter and the Restaurant Edelsberger for providing the prices for our raffle!
Contact: DI Gudrun Obersteiner
