The University of Bologna Research Group workes closely with thestakeholders and the schools taking part in the foodCIRCUS project. The team brought together key national stakeholders to present and discuss the main findings emerging from the awareness-raising and nudging interventions already implemented across the 17 Italian schools participating in the foodCIRCUS project.
The National Workshop brought together 19 stakeholders, including representatives from Regional Authorities and the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Services (SIAN). It provided a valuable forum for exchanging perspectives, discussing the evidence collected, and gathering feedback on the interventions implemented.
📊 What did the results tell us?
🥗 Side dishes were confirmed as the food category with the highest level of waste, accounting for an average of 41% of plate waste.
At the same time, the interventions did not result in an immediate reduction in side-dish plate waste, nor did the data indicate a gradual decrease over time.
However, in research, results that do not confirm the initial hypothesis can still generate valuable knowledge.
These findings helped identify potential limitations in the experimental design and, most importantly, provided new insights into how future interventions can be further refined, adapted and scaled up to increase their effectiveness.
This is precisely where stakeholder dialogue plays a crucial role: transforming evidence — including unexpected findings — into lessons learned and contributing to more robust, science-based approaches to food waste prevention in schools.
The National Workshop also provided an opportunity to promote the second edition of the Young Food Waste Fighters Award, continuing to engage schools and younger generations in developing creative solutions to prevent food waste.
Another important step forward for foodCIRCUS — connecting research, practice and stakeholder knowledge to support the development of more effective food waste prevention strategies across Central Europe.