Changes in practices towards sustainability

The “Changes in practices towards sustainability” spearhead combines technology and socio-cultural change. The starting point is to guide consumers and food chain operators to reduce food waste, which requires tools but also commitment to reducing food waste. Well-planned guidance helps operators to make the desired choices practically on their own. The purpose of technology is not to resolve the problem of food waste, but to help operators to reduce their food waste.

Measures to reduce food waste are described below. The list will be supplemented as the work progresses.

 

MEASURES	IMPLEMENTATION
Re-design of the operating environment Guiding operators and/or making desired activities easier Product placement: displaying products nearing the end of their shelf life, and separate shelves for food waste products. Product range planning: shops and restaurants. Through dynamic pricing, shops can reduce the prices of products that expire first. In households, rearranging foods in the refrigerator: from the oldest to the newest products. Better arrangement of cupboards to prevent products from being forgotten. In the future, a better examination of the opportunities and implementation of changes in the operating environment (research, business cooperation, practical interventions)	Operators in the sector Research
Guiding consumers in online shops As online shops are becoming more and more common, consumers’ purchasing decisions can be increasingly influenced in the virtual environment. It must be studied how consumers can be influenced so that households only buy enough food for their own needs. Grocery bag services: ready meals and correctly dimensioned purchases using algorithms; refills: considering ingredients already available in households, proposed recipes, providing information on food waste, and giving practical tips in virtual environments.	Operators in the sector Research
Packaging design, service design By changing packaging and service methods, the behaviour of consumers can be guided to reduce food waste. Re-sealable packaging, modular packaging: consumers open separate sections of a single package according to use, smaller package sizes, changing the plate size, customers can have an impact on portion sizes, removing trays from food service companies and restaurants Giving ideas on the packaging on how nearly expiring products can be used in different ways Identifying the opportunities of packaging and service methods to reduce food waste in the future (research, business cooperation, practical interventions)	Operators in the sector Research
Technology-assisted drivers More tools for the management and monitoring of food waste. The use of technology-assisted drivers also requires actions from consumers to reduce food waste. Smart refrigerators, smart packaging, refrigerator cameras, various apps for consumers to buy groceries and plan and make recipes, and to reduce food waste Electronic food waste management systems in shops, industries and restaurants provide information on the amount of food waste and support the reduction of food waste. Primary production and the food industry need up-to-date information on demand and sales from shops. This serves to better estimate production volumes. Dialogue needs to be increased. Search engines for broader uses and for marketing to offer recipes according to one ingredient, helping to use nearly expiring products. In the future, a better examination of the opportunities and implementation of technology-assisted drivers (research, business cooperation, practical interventions)	Operators in the sector Research
Food waste branding Currently, some food waste products are available for sale, while consumers do not identify them as separate product sets. Food waste branding defines food waste products as a separate product group and/or creates a separate certificate for food waste products, with the aim of communicating the responsibility of the products. Products receive synergies by grouping them together. Testing whether food waste products could be displayed better on a separate shelf for food waste products, for example. Seeking new and more attractive terms in place of food waste in the marketing of products to consumers. Alternative terms for “food waste” need to be considered.	Operators in the sector
Studying behaviour and supporting preferred behavioural models as part of food waste solutions People’s behavioural models vary between individuals and situations (Comprehensive Action Development Model (CADM)): Behavioural models and decision-making mechanisms must be studied more thoroughly, and it must be identified why food waste is generated and how preferred behavioural models can be supported.