Gyula, Project Wasteless

I am Gyula, the founder and research director of Project Wasteless, the Hungarian food waste prevention programme. The programme was launched in 2016 with the support the EU LIFE Programme. 

Project Wasteless is an awareness-raising programme, that has reached every Hungarian citizen on average about 20 times with food waste-related information and motivating messages, since 2016. We also work together with schools and teachers to integrate knowledge about sustainable and safe food consumption into children's education. Since the beginning of our programme, we have monitored household food waste and public attitudes about sustainable food consumption to optimise the interventions, tools and messages we use.

I am very proud to be a member of the European Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum, and to have supported the EU Citizens' Panel on Food Waste. We think and work together with many other European initiatives to decrease food waste by 50% by 2030.

Tips for avoiding food waste at home!

1. Measure your food waste for one week - it will reveal any bad habits you might have.
2. The freezer is your best friend, when it comes to food waste prevention - especially when it's not full. So keep an eye on your frozen leftovers and use them regularly to free up some space for when it's needed.
3. Always eat something before you go shopping. An empty stomach leads to a wasteful shopping basket.
4. Start your shopping by looking around in your kitchen, pantry and fridge. This helps you to keep an eye on your leftovers and prevents buying too much food.
5. Learn about expiration dates. Food that is past its "Best before" date is not necessarily a food safety risk.
6. If you’ve got kids, try getting them involved in planning meals. It can help cut down on food waste and keep meals healthy.

#ForOurPlanet campaign