Client: Quality & Services S.p.A.
Start date: September 2025
End date: August 2027
Role of CibuSalus: Scientific partner for data analysis, nutritional assessment and waste reduction guidelines.
Description
FOODWISE is a European project dedicated to reducing food waste in school and family canteens, with the aim of improving the eating habits and nutritional quality of children’s meals. The project, coordinated by Quality & Services, is based on a Target-Measure-Act approach, which enables reliable measurement of waste, understanding its causes and developing targeted interventions. In this context, CibuSalus contributes specialized scientific expertise in data analysis and interpretation of nutritional impacts, identifying the most critical meals and factors influencing students’ acceptance or rejection of food.
Needs
Local governments and food services involved in the project need clear tools to understand how much food is actually wasted and what elements-nutritional, sensory, or organizational-influence children’s food choices. The main need is to create a solid knowledge base to plan effective actions to reduce waste, improve school menus, and foster more conscious behaviors within families as well. FOODWISE addresses this need by combining real data, scientific knowledge, and educational experiences to support strategic choices at the local and community levels.
Results
The project will produce a comprehensive diagnosis of food waste in the schools involved, highlighting patterns of waste, the most problematic categories of meals, and related nutritional losses. Based on this information, operational and nutritional guidelines will be developed to improve the quality and acceptability of meals. FOODWISE will also set measurable food waste reduction goals, including involving families in a process of raising awareness and co-creating recipes that will foster a lasting change in consumption habits.
Features
FOODWISE is distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach, integrating technical, nutritional, sensory, and organizational expertise. CibuSalus contributes advanced statistical analysis, nutritional assessments, and interpretation of factors driving food waste, turning complex data into easily applicable operational recommendations. The project represents an innovative model for sustainable school food service management, offering practical, evidence-based tools to improve meal quality and reduce the environmental and nutritional impact of waste.
Project website: https://www.foodwise.info/
