ExpectedOutcome:
In line with the European Green Deal priorities, the farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, and the EU's climate ambition for 2030 and 2050, and the Commission communication “Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems”, the successful proposals will support R&I to prevent and reduce food losses and waste[1]. They should therefore contribute to the transformation of food systems to deliver co-benefits for climate (mitigation and adaptation), biodiversity, environmental sustainability and circularity, sustainable food consumption, food poverty reduction and empowerment of communities, and thriving businesses.
Projects results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:
- Better understanding of the impact of food marketing standards on the generation of food waste along the supply chain[2], including the food waste generated between stages of the supply chain, and for various commodities.
- Improved market access to foods that do not meet marketing standards but are still safe to eat.
- Better understanding of the purpose and nature of private marketing standards and the underlying reasons for establishing such standards.
Contribution to the Food 2030 priorities: nutrition for sustainable healthy diets, climate, biodiversity and environment, circularity and resource efficiency, innovation and empowering communities.
Scope:
Food marketing standards are standards individuals and businesses comply with to be able to put food on the market or to sell to a particular buyer. These standards include or may include requirements about technical definitions, classification, presentation, marking and labelling, packaging, production method, conservation, storage, transport related administrative documents, certifications and time limits, restriction of use and disposal, …
As these standards focus on quality, they are different from food safety standards (foods that do not comply with marketing standards can still be safe to eat).
The marketing standards applied to food marketed in the EU exist at different levels and in different forms:
- International standards[3].
- EU marketing standards, contained in the Common Market Organisation (CMO) Regulation, the CMO secondary legislation and the “Breakfast Directives”.
- National marketing standards set up by governments of Member States
- Private marketing standards.
Proposals should address all the following points:
- Provide estimates of the amounts of food waste resulting from the application of the above-mentioned marketing standards along the food supply chain. In particular, estimates of the amounts of food waste due to interactions between the stages and actors of the value chain should be provided. These estimates should be differentiated according to the responsible marketing standard(s).
- Assess trade-offs between food waste prevention/reduction objectives and other objectives pursued by marketing standards (e.g. keeping food of unsatisfactory quality off the market, providing clarity and transparency on the market, facilitating the functioning of the internal market; responding to consumers’ and society’s expectations).
- Assess the underlying reasons for setting up private marketing standards, including aspects related to consumers expectations.
- Identify solutions that would enable to improve the business potential for suboptimal foods not meeting market standards yet still safe to eat. This should include the identification of alternative marketing channels or models (including processing and other destinations), whilst ensuring the highest possible value for their valorisation and considering trade-offs between the different valorisation options. The most promising interventions and good practices already in place for similar foods or food categories should be considered.
- Provide recommendations/solutions to food businesses, owners of marketing standards and regulators on how to prevent/reduce food waste due to marketing standards.
- Some recommendations may help design marketing standards or support future policy development, in order to prevent and reduce food waste.
- Implement the multi-actor approach (see eligibility conditions) by conducting inter- and trans-disciplinary research and involving a wide range of food system actors.
The proposal activities should be performed at least for fruits and vegetables. Applicants may choose to cover additional commodities from the following food types: cereals, fish, meat, dairy and eggs.
The proposal activities should be performed across several Member States, in different parts of the EU.
Proposals should build on past or ongoing research projects and ensure synergy with relevant initiatives, including the Commission’s EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste[4] and the evaluations already carried out by the European Commission in view of the revision of EU marketing standards and date marking rules. Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and any other relevant topic, e.g. by participating in joint activities, workshops, etc. Selected proposals under this topic will thus need to work together and adapt their initial work plan. Communication and dissemination activities should also be grouped and coordinated in a complementary manner.
Social innovation is recommended when the solution is at the socio-technical interface and requires social change, new social practices, social ownership or market uptake.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH.
[1]Definition of food waste included in the Waste Framework Directive: Food waste means all food as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2022 of the European Parliament and of the Council that has become waste. Food waste does not include losses at stages of the food supply chain where certain products have not yet become food as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, such as edible plants which have not been harvested. Such products would be considered food losses. In addition, food waste does not include by-products from the production of food that fulfil the criteria set out in Article 5(1) of Directive 2008/98/EC, since such by-products are not waste.
[2]The Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2019/1597 establishing a common EU methodology to measure food waste outlines the following stages of the food supply chain: primary production; processing and manufacturing; retail and other distribution of food; restaurants and food services and households. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_del/2019/1597/oj
[3]E.g. the United Nations Economic commission for Europe (UNECE) standards, the Codex Alimentarius standards, or international guidelines such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) schemes. These standards serve or may serve as a basis for standards adopted at EU or national level or for private standards.
[4]https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food-waste/eu-actions-against-food-waste/eu-platform-food-losses-and-food-waste_en
