17/06/2024
Presentation of the FOLOU project as one of the main active projects on preventing FL in the primary production
In May, representatives of the Department of Climate Action, Food, and Rural Agenda (DACC), in collaboration with Espigoladors, organised a conference on “Food losses in the primary sector: quantification, prevention, good practices, and technological solutions” at the Agricultural School of Cambrils, Catalonia.
This conference was not just about presenting studies on food losses, but also about fostering a sense of shared responsibility and knowledge about the incidence of food losses in the primary sector. The conference outcomes, which included identifying the principal causes and sharing best practices and new strategies, demonstrated this collaborative spirit to work together against food losses.
The four-hour conference was a platform for active participation and engagement. It was divided into two parts: the first part focused on Food Loss Studies in the region of Catalonia, while the second part was a dynamic debate with primary producers on the challenges and difficulties of preventing food losses. The valuable contributions of FOLOU partners, Espigoladors and DACC, were instrumental in enriching the event. Espigoladors presented their 2022 project on the diagnosis of food losses in the fruits and vegetables sector and participated in the debate roundtable with the primary sector. DACC introduced the FOLOU project and highlighted its advances in reducing Food Loss in the primary sector.
This event reflects the Catalan public administration’s interest in working with local and regional actors on new strategies to help reduce food loss in the primary sector and the importance of quantification and the analysis of the causes of food loss. After the first round of advancements in research, a round table discussion was held with primary producers currently working on this topic to share experiences between them to explain and debate about losses. They exposed that the main difficulties and challenges faced are the unharvested and un-saleable products or the unfair trading practices, such as producer take-back policies, cancellation of orders at short notice, and shifting quality criteria based on consumer demand. Furthermore, they explained how they work on crop planning and the management of the crops to prevent food losses and the valorisation of products by developing new products such as vegetables, creams, or other innovative products.
The meeting not only served as a platform for knowledge sharing, but also as a start for networking and collaboration between the primary production producers, researchers and the public administration. The roundtable discussion was an opportunity to showcase the FOLOU project’s potential in the primary food loss sector and the importance of preventing food losses from an origin perspective. This networking collaboration between researchers and primary production producers paves the way for future growth and innovation in the sector, with practical outcomes that can significantly reduce food loss in the primary sector.