On September 10th, the online workshop “Exploring Social Norms and Food Waste Prevention” gathered 18 participants from across Europe to exchange knowledge and practical strategies to tackle food waste. The session highlighted synergies between our CHORIZO project and BREADCRUMBv – both EU-funded projects aiming to reduce food loss and waste by addressing consumer behaviour, social norms, and marketing practices.
CHORIZO partners shared key findings on how social norms influence food waste generation, demonstrating the impact of framing and messaging on consumer attitudes. The project presented examples of effective communication strategies, such as positive slogans (“Good Taste, Less Waste”, “Eat the Change: Join the Ugly Food Movement”), as well as insights on the importance of dynamic framing and visual cues to shift consumer choices towards suboptimal but perfectly edible foods.
In addition, CHORIZO introduced its suite of practical tools – including the Datahub, Visualizer, and Helpdesk service – which provide evidence, case studies, and direct support for stakeholders designing and testing food waste prevention interventions. These resources are already helping researchers, businesses, and policymakers develop more effective, consumer-focused solutions.
BREADCRUMB complemented this by showcasing its Food Loss and Waste Datahub, a platform that compiles household and food service datasets, survey results, and even an AI-supported chat function to foster innovation in food waste prevention.
The event underscored how collaboration across projects strengthens collective impact. By combining CHORIZO’s expertise in social norms and behavioural change with BREADCRUMB’s focus on market standards and retail interventions, both projects are advancing a shared mission: to reduce food waste and build a more sustainable, resource-efficient Europe.
👏 Many thanks to all participants for their contributions to this inspiring exchange.
