EU Food Loss and Waste Prevention Hub

Public institution Pilieciu iniciatyvos or City Lab (Miesto Laboratorija) is a Vilnius-based NGO working in catering, community development, and environmental education. From 2023 to 2024, City Lab implemented an EU-funded project, "Food Waste Prevention and Awareness Raising" (No 101111865), to measure and prevent food waste in the cafeteria. This case study briefly presents the organisation, implemented solutions, key food waste monitoring data, and achieved results.

The project has helped us install advanced equipment (smart scales with software and a smart cash register with software). The project has also helped to train staff, carry out long-term measurements of food waste, implement strategies to prevent and reduce food waste on customers’ plates and in the kitchen (control portion sizes, optimise menu management, carry out communication actions to present the results, control kitchen waste from cutting and peeling food products, take proactive measures to avoid out-of-date products and spoiled food, and educate customers directly).

Food waste measurement data showed that there is potential for savings even in our micro-enterprise café. In the period from 30/10/2023 to 30/11/2024, we avoided more than 0.9 tonnes of food waste. In 13 months, we managed to reduce waste by almost 50%! These savings, expressed in terms of environmental and social value created, meant that 6.6 metric tons of CO2 emissions were avoided, water equivalent to over 22,000 baths was not used, and 1,674 portions of food were not thrown away (thus contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3: to halve global food waste and food loss by 2030). For our café, these are impressive numbers! Meanwhile, the financial savings (more than €500) have allowed us to partially absorb the price rises due to inflation.