The time to register your action is ending but the EWWR will not be the only moment for you to promote initiatives to reduce food waste. Access to food is a right but often a privilege and daily actions must be done to prevent food from becoming waste. There is a hub developed by the European Commission that can guide you on this important and needed challenge. We are happy to welcome the support and collaboration with DG SANTE to raise attention to the major impact of food loss and waste. The EU Food Loss and Waste Prevention Hub is always open for you and there you can find several materials on food waste in different languages. 

We have collected some key tools and materials that could inspire and improve your EWWR action! 

Are you a public authority? 

Design an effective information-based campaign on food waste 

Follow the 5 steps of this guide to improve your action: 

1. Consider your target audience 
2. Define what your campaign should focus on (planning, purchase, storage, preparation and serving, consumption) 
3. Measure food waste 
4. What works and what doesn’t 
5. Monitor and report 

Boost consumer food waste reduction 

53% of EU food waste is generated in households. Keeping in mind that a lot needs to be done along the whole food value chain, policymakers can play a key role to guide a drastic change on consumers behaviours: 

• identify local/national ambassadors 
• revise national food waste prevention programmes (learn from Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands) 
• invest in education programme focused on food waste reduction 
• orchestrate national food weeks (maybe between 16 and 24 November? 😉) 

Available in Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, German, Estonian, Greek, English, French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish 

Are you a private entrepreneur? 

Recommendations for food businesses 

9% of EU food waste arises in restaurants and food services including school canteens. Food businesses are included in many stages of the food supply chain, from production to consumption so their role is key. Some inspiring actions are included in the report: 

• offer stickers to place on the fridge to remind good storage habits 
• distribute portion-based measuring cups 
• share recipes to encourage the use of leftover food 
• encourage the use of shopping lists to improve meal planning 
• promote the use of doggy bags 
• give the opportunity to adjust portion sizes and ingredients 

Available in Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, German, Estonian, Greek, English, French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish 

The Empty Plates Challenge 

Campaign launched in Normandie to mobilize restaurants in the fight against food waste. Collective caterings are invited to weigh their waste (kitchen surplus and leftover plates) for a week.  

The HORECA sector against food waste 

The initiative has been organised by Elika Fundazioa in the Basque Country. Food professionals have access to 2 guides to reduce food waste, one specific for restaurants and caterings and one for retailers. 

Available in Spanish 

Are you a not-for-profit professional? 

Food Waste Action Week 

Get inspired by the activities implemented by WRAP during the Food Waste Action Week 

Messages from the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 

Get inspired by the material produced by FAO and UNEP. 

Are you an educator? 

Recommendations for schools 

Activities in schools could boost food waste reduction involving not only students but also teachers, educators and canteen staff. Parents can be informed about a programme focused on food waste and engaged to participate in the activities. These recommendations give a list of inspiring actions to be implemented: 

• a food eating programme (in Dutch) 
• demonstrations of optimal food preparation to avoid food waste in the school canteen (in Catalan) 
• encourage the use of doggy bags 
• allow students to choose their portion sizes and meals 

Available in Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, German, Estonian, Greek, English, French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish 

Do Good, Safe Food! 

A collaborative initiative between the IFWC and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. You can find: 

• a guide to engage all the school stakeholders in a food waste reduction initiative 
• a presentation for canteen staff 
• information pack to help teachers explain the importance of food waste reduction (age 5-7, age 8-9, age 10-13, age 14+, family) 
• a food waste tracker 
• a training to measure food waste in canteens and kitchen 

Are you a citizen? 

Reduce food waste in your everyday life 

A list of tips to reduce food waste at home, at the shop, at work or at school, and in cafés, restaurants and hotels. 

Be a food waste reduction chef with Zero Waste, More Taste! 

A cookbook where chefs from across the EU show how food that would otherwise be thrown away can be turned into flavourful, waste-free dishes. Watch also videos of the recipes. 

What do Best Before and Use mean? 

A guide on how to interpret the close-to-expiration dates on food packaging to prevent food waste and save money. Check also this video of the European Food Banks Federation. 

Available in Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Swedish, Slovenian, Slovak.