Promoter organisation: Finnish Food Authority/The Consumers’ Union of Finland.
The Finnish Food Authority works for the good of humans, animals and plants, supports the vitality of the agricultural sector, and develops and maintains information systems under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The Consumers’ Union of Finland is a non-governmental and the only general consumer organisation in Finland safeguarding the interests of consumers, patients and clients of social services and health care. Its aims are to promote consumer and patient awareness and encourage them to further their interests nationwide through an active local consumer association network. Business as usual duties cover both national and international policy work, consumer education, and legal advice for consumers and patients. The organisation gives special attention to sustainable consumption and environmental protection.
In affiliation with Natural Resources Institute Finland, Motiva, The Martha Organization, The Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation, The Finnish Grocery Trade Association, and Choice Architecture Partners Oy.
Country: Finland
Describe the context, aims, the problems that good practice solves, target group addressed of the good practice.
What: The National Food Waste Forum, was a food chain development project to respond to the Finnish government’s commitment to the SDG goal of halving food waste per capita by 2030. Hävikkifoorumi aims to be the biggest food waste project in the nation by assembling all interested food sector operators, companies, organizations, local grass roots actors and others to collaborate and communicate effectively in order to halve household food waste in Finland by 2030.
Hävikkiviikko, the popular national food waste campaign organized annually by Kuluttaja magazine, was also organized as a part of the project in 2022 and 2023. The project was funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland.
How: The aim of the Hävikkifoorumi workshops was to innovate new ways to nudge and support consumers towards reducing food waste through, for instance, packaging design, modifying operating environments or developing various digital food waste solutions.
At the heart of the project is a research report done by Natural Resources Institute Finland and Choice Architecture Partners Oy. The report examines the barriers and drivers of change in consumer behavior in relation to reducing food waste.
The goal of the report is to find the best practices and tools with which to achieve genuine behavioral change.
The report studies:
The barriers and drivers regarding change in food waste related consumer behaviour by separating them into two parts:
A) consumer attitudes and motivation
B) operating environment and situational factors.
Best practices for changing consumer attitudes and motivation, reducing food waste and increasing food appreciation.
Best practices for modifying consumers’ everyday operating environments (everyday design) and supporting sustainable consumer behavior.
The report scrutinizes consumer behaviour in three environments in particular: home environments, grocery stores, and online food stores.
As part of the project Saa syödä website https://www.saasyoda.fi/ (n Finnish) maintained by Motiva has been developed into a more extensive web service that compiles information related to food waste. To better serve the consumers the website has been updated to a service focused more on cooking and orthodox preservation, not forgetting the information needs of educational institutions and the media.
The revamped website provides comprehensive information on storing various foods, recipes, food waste tips and tricks as well as old familiar services such as the recipe search and the dose calculator. Most of the recipes are imported via the interface directly from the website of The Martha Organization. The fact sections have also been updated to reflect the latest research and food waste figures of Natural Resources Institute Finland.
When: 2020-2023
Why it is relevant:
SUSTAINABILITY
1.1 Reduce global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains.
1.4 Ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
EFFICIENCY
2.2. The design and implementation of the practice answers to real problems of the target group or specific challenges that the country is facing (nationally, regionally, locally).
2.4. The means to achieve the social and financial objectives were appropriate and were adapted to the specific requirements of the practice.
TRANSFERABILITY
3.1. The practice may be repeated in the same or other geographical and / or sector level using the same methods.
3.2. The practice may be a model for similar actions in other geographical and / or organizational environment.
INNOVATION
4.1. New methods of design and implementation procedures were introduced which have not been applied before in the country/region.
4.3. The practice has promoted new forms of partnership, cooperation and networking among stakeholders.
Target Groups: Consumers, Industry, NGO’s
RESULTS OF THE GOOD PRACTICE
IMPACT
- less waste
- responsible consumption – foster free choice and moral responsibility
- protecting the environment
- saving resources and money
- ess CO2 emissions
- • sustainable lifestyles
Based on the project report and the material gathered from the workshops, concrete recommendations was made for the most effective ways to guide consumers towards a real change in consumer behavior and the reduction of food waste.
Freely available materials and campaigns to educate and encourage, and raise the awareness as well as providing practical methods in reducing food waste.
Targeted towards halving the amount of food waste by2030.
https://www.kuluttajaliitto.fi/en/havikkifoorumi-consumers-food-waste-forum/
Key recommendations and solutions from the project for retail, industry and NGOs is published here (In Finnish): Suositukset ja hyvät käytänteet kuluttajan ruokahävikin vähentämiseksi https://www.kuluttajaliitto.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/73849526-havikkifoorumi_suositukset_a4_2023.pdf
Esteet ja ajurit kuluttajien ruokahävikin vähentämisessä : Kirjallisuusselvitys Riipi, Inkeri; Poutiainen, Marika; Kuisma, Miia (2021)(Report on Barriers and Drivers in Reducing Consumer’s Food Waste/in Finnish) https://jukuri.luke.fi/handle/10024/548050