On June 17th, Universitat Jaume I (UJI) played a significant role within the ToNoWaste project by advancing discussions on food loss and waste (FLW) reduction through its participation in the webinar “Current Developments in Food Loss & Waste Reduction” organised by WASTELESS project and FOLOU project. The focus of the session was on EU-level policies and regulatory strategies for monitoring FLW.
UJI’s participation centred on assessing the sustainability impacts of FLW prevention and reduction solutions within the EU regulatory framework. Led by Juana María Rivera, ToNoWaste WP1 coordinator, from the Universitat Jaume I, the session aimed to highlight effective strategies for addressing FLW in line with European standards.
Introducing the ToNoWaste Science-Based Framework
Professor Juana María provided an overview of the ToNoWaste project and explained the initiative’s science-based framework for FLW actions. She noted that while stakeholders recognize numerous solutions for preventing and reducing FLW, the assessment of their economic, social, and environmental impacts is still in its early stages. The goal of the ToNoWaste science-based assessment framework is to identify these impacts throughout the entire food supply chain, using a sustainability framework analysis, specific sustainability assessment tools for impacts assessment and hotspots, and a reporting tool to support decision-making. Juana María emphasized that “this comprehensive approach will help decision-makers select the most effective and sustainable FLW prevention and reduction solutions”.
Developing Advanced Sustainability Analysis Tools
This session also offered insights into the development of a sustainability assessment tool. Juana María described the introduction of advanced tools for measuring the environmental, social, and economic footprint of FLWPR actions. The next step involves conducting a hotspots’ analysis to pinpoint key areas for improvement. “This will lead to a sustainability impact analysis using multicriteria decision-making methods to synthesize the information and analyse the capacity for continuous improvement”, explained by professor Juana María.
The complete video recording of the session can be accessed via the following link: “Assessing the sustainability impact of FLW prevention and reduction solutions within EU regulatory framework”, Juana Maria Rivera-Lirio (ToNoWaste project)
This participation highlighted the collective commitment of ToNoWaste’s partners to shaping effective strategies towards a more sustainable and efficient food system.