Food waste is one of the primary barriers to the improvement of sustainable food systems, with full implications for the environment, economy, society and health. It is estimated that 30-50% of all food produced worldwide is wasted. Food waste takes place across the supply chain, from agricultural production to distribution and consumption. The majority of food waste in low-income families is the result of technical limitations in storage, processing and distribution. The relevance of this problem has been underlined by the European Commission in the EU's Green Deal strategy, called the Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to reduce food waste across the EU by the end of 2023.

In the contemporary environment, however, that's particularly important when Europe is facing a current downturn and resource crisis. For this reason, it is essential to educate adults, who are responsible for their family's food habits and have the opportunity to change not only their own consumption habits, but also those of the whole family. 

In this European context, the Erasmus+ "FURBUS - Food resilience and sustainable eating in urban communities" project, KA220 action in adult education, whose partners come from Lithuania - Menas ir inovacijos (coordinator), Greece - Action for the civil society and Italy - ASCAE, was set up.

The goal of the "FURBUS" project is to support food behavior change among the adult population and beyond and ensure that communities in urban regions develop food resilience and sustainable eating habits and skills through sharing best practices and adapting digital (self)education tools.

The project goal will be achieved through the development of a digital map of 60 international best practices, the creation of an online learning course of 50 micro-learning modules, which will be flexibly adapted to adult self-training and to adult training providers. 

The first project activity related to the research of best practices on food

waste reduction and sustainable eating in urban communities has recently concluded. 

Best practices include partners' best local/regional/national initiatives or projects that help people to reduce food waste and promote sustainable food. The best practices collected will ensure territorial cohesion, resulting in new knowledge, shared experiences, and strengthened capacities among both participating organizations and target groups.

In Lithuania, the annual loss of edible food amounts to as much as 393,828 tons, or 141 kg per capita. 

From a social point of view, food waste has a serious impact on those living in poverty, while from an economic perspective, food waste imposes significant financial burdens on both consumers and municipalities for waste management. Environmentally, food waste contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. However, the recovery and redistribution of one ton of food for human consumption can prevent the release of 1.9 tons of CO2 into the environment.

To address this problem, the Republic of Lithuania's National Energy and Climate Action Plan 2021-2030 has set a goal to reduce food waste by 10 percent during this period. The plan includes measures to raise awareness, promote behavioral changes, and organize social campaigns through various media channels to educate the population on food waste prevention, consumption habits, sorting, recycling, and recovery. For example, one of the best practices developed in Lithuania is the "Know your food" app. "Know Your Food" is a mobile application intended to make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change. The app will offer a number of features to help users make informed decisions about the foods they buy. Online grocery stores will be able to integrate these functions into their websites, allowing consumers to access important data such as country of origin, packaging sustainability, carbon footprint, and fertilizer use for various food products. With "Know Your Food," consumers will be able to track their carbon footprint and receive rewards for purchasing sustainable food products.

Moving instead to Italy, an attractive application is: “TooGoodToGo”. It allows customers to purchase "Magic Boxes" with the day's unsold food from restaurants, bars, and grocery stores at a reduced price. This is an application that originated in Denmark and is being developed in several European countries. 

Food waste is also combined with an increasing number of poor people who find themselves in need of help. 

In Greece, there is a virtuous organization that has emerged as a pioneer in the field of food waste reduction and food rescue, driven by an unwavering mission to bridge the gap between the food surplus and the needy.

This is Boroume, which operates on the principle of connecting surplus food with individuals and charitable organizations that can benefit from it. Through strategic partnerships with companies and food producers, Boroume harnesses their surplus food resources, ensuring that perfectly edible and nutritious meals do not go to waste. 

So, preventing food waste, starting from the dinner table at home, plays a key role in protecting the environment. Fighting food waste is a battle that benefits everyone and the planet: reducing food loss or waste could ensure more food for all, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ease pressure on natural resources, and increase productivity and economic growth.

Related to the project, all the practices will then be integrated on the website digitally, which will ensure regular updating with new best practices, thus ensuring continuity and relevance for the future.