SUSFOOD2: Adding value in resource effective food systems

The aim of the project was to prevent, reduce and reuse food waste from various sectors and thus support both Norway's and the EU's goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. The project had partners from Finland (LUKE; coordinator), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), University of Berlin and University of applied Science Muenster Institute of sustainable nutrition in Germany, in addition to NORSUS from Norway. In the work package on best practice for preventing and reducing food waste, various methods have been tested through case studies in the catering sector, e.g. development of internal processes and technical solutions, e.g. planning and purchasing, menus, production and serving, and testing of technical solution for easy registration of food waste Data and results from national projects in the participating countries were collected to be able to compare on a broader basis, both between countries and between the different segments such as school canteens, nursing homes, hotels, cafes and restaurants. In addition to this, a survey was also conducted in each country on how the restaurant registered food waste and what measures were implemented. According to the findings, around 20% of the food served was food waste. Food waste per portion varied widely between restaurants, ranging from 50 g / portion for canteens to 192 g / portion for restaurants. The results showed that 61% of the restaurants included in the project had reduced food waste and that restaurants with high food waste per guest at the start of the project had the largest reduction. Several international expert workshops have also been held on the topics of measures to reduce food waste in the care sector, national reporting of food waste statistics and food waste as renewable raw materials in bioproduction. In the project, experiments have also been made with food waste raw material to produce fish feed. An environmental assessment of fatty acids from microalgae from fermented food waste shows a lower environmental impact compared to fish oil used in the feed for farmed fish. As the results suggest, algae oil has a promising potential for increased sustainability in aquaculture, and this is a technology that is constantly evolving. The results from the project are described in scientific articles, where some still are in the publication process.

The project has contributed to interdisciplinary exchange of data, results and experiences and research collaboration with international partners and made it possible to analyse the effect of various measures to reduce food waste in the hospitality sector. This, combined with the national project KuttMatsvinn2020, has provided a platform for the development of national statistics for food waste in the hospitality sector and evaluation of reduction measures. This has been of great importance for the focus on food waste in food serving companies and provided best practice methods. This can have a major future impact for both stakeholders and the authorities to achieve the goal of a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.

The project adopts a whole system approach and aims to close the food chain loop among fostering a combination of cost-effective technological and social innovations though its embedded activities to support the EC’s circular economy zero waste programme. The proposed study will broadly involve two strands of crossdisciplinary activities i) developing improved understanding of the social aspects of waste generation, handling and reutilisation aiming to overcome these through innovative business and consumer solutions; ii) evaluating economically competitive technologies and life cycle benefits of different options in food waste prevention, reduction and valorisation. In WP1, pilot studies in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany will be conducted to test food waste reduction means in the hospitality sector and its supply chain. Interviews, workshops and forums will be use to discuss ways to reduce food waste and increase food donations. The work will be coordinated with ongoing research in Norway, Sweden and Finland, organized by Ostfold Research. In WP2, lab scale reactors are used to study and optimize the production of small molecules with new monitoring tools to lower risks of process failures and increase feedstock quality in terms of composition and quality. The small molecules can serve as substrate in other biotechnological processes, which as such has been investigated at partner TUB, who will provide data to achieve the basis for sustainability assessment. A Holistic Biorefinery Circular Bioeconomy approach will be applied to sum up feedstocks, process technologies, platforms and products. The focus is on improved use and recycling of food waste and in the reduction of waste and GHG emissions. In WP3, LCA, LCC and SLCA will be used to assess the overall sustainability of the suggested methods of WP1 and 2. In WP4, the overall approaches to reduce food waste and find better uses for waste will be discussed at workshops and interviews.