June 11, 2025
On Wednesday 11 June, city practitioners and urban food system experts came together for a capacity-building webinar on how to leverage social norms to prevent food waste in cities. The session was hosted in the framework of the City Interest Group, and delivered by CSCP and ICLEI Europe.
Food waste remains a major challenge in cities, which account for over 70% of global food consumption. While local governments typically act through infrastructure, regulation or procurement, behavioural levers such as social norms offer additional potential. This webinar introduced social norms as shared expectations about behaviour that can influence how food is produced, consumed and discarded. Participants learned how cities can recognise and apply these norms in everyday settings, from households and schools to restaurants and public institutions, using the levers and powers they possess.
Key concepts such as injunctive norms (what people believe they ought to do) and descriptive norms (what people observe others doing) were unpacked using relatable examples. For instance, the idea of being a “good provider” can lead to oversized portions and unnecessary waste in school canteens or food services. Likewise, social discomfort around taking leftovers home or using “ugly” produce can reinforce wasteful habits. Participants also discussed how cities can shift these norms. Examples of local authority-led actions included default doggy bags in restaurants, awareness campaigns aimed at schoolchildren, and peer-to-peer initiatives such as the ambassador programme in Bruges, which helped neighbourhoods reduce household food waste by 65%.
The session also offered guidance on how to integrate social norms into behavioural interventions. Drawing from the CHORIZO project, speakers shared practical steps for planning actions: from identifying target behaviours and understanding audiences to designing messages and monitoring impact.
🟢 Further opportunities
To explore social norms further, join our final DeepAction Capacity Building Session on 2 July at 13:00. Participants will develop and refine food waste interventions and receive practical support from the CHORIZO team. Register now via Eventbrite to secure your spot.
Check out the CHORIZO Helpdesk function, run by our colleagues at CSCP at helpdesk.chorizo@cscp.org – you can find all the relevant information about how we can support you in implementing actions to reduce food waste in the context of social norms.
🟢 Next webinar
We have one more webinar to go before the CIG concludes in September. We want to make this final session special, serving as the legacy of the project. The goal is to reflect on and validate the policy brief on food waste prevention in cities, which we will develop over the summer within the CHORIZO project. We also aim to expand it by gathering additional input from you and targeting other stakeholders, including European institutions. The session is planned for the week of 8th of September, we will share more information with you soon!
