Deadline: 15-Feb-22
The European Commission is calling proposals for Research and innovation for food losses and waste prevention and reduction through harmonised measurement and monitoring.
Scope
- Each year, a substantial amount of food is lost or wasted all along the food value chain, from primary production to final consumption. Food losses and waste have negative impacts on the society, the environment and the economy. They contribute to food insecurity and hinder nutrition, generate GHG emissions and create pressure on land and water, including through habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and are responsible for great economic losses. Such negative impacts are exacerbated in times of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, when additional food losses and wastes are generated by disruptions in food supply chains.
- Preventing and reducing the amount of food intended for human consumption that is eventually lost or wasted is a complex challenge. The robust and reliable measurement and monitoring of food losses and waste is key to tracking progress made over time and informing the development and implementation of effective strategies and actions.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
- In line with the European Green Deal priorities, and in particular the farm to fork strategy for a fair healthy and environmentally friendly food system, as well as with the EU’s climate objectives, the successful proposals should support prevention and reduction of food losses and waste. They should therefore contribute to creating sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems that deliver co-benefits for climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, environmental sustainability and circularity, sustainable healthy nutrition and safe food consumption, food poverty reduction and empowerment of communities, and thriving businesses.
- Projects results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- Successful implementation of the harmonisation of food waste measurement across Europe, supported by the development of new tools across the food system on land and at sea, from farm to fork, producing reliable and comparable data on food and waste (area A);
- With respect to food losses at the primary production stage:
- robust measurement of the magnitude of food losses at the primary production stage (i.e., agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture) at Member States and the EU levels for various commodities and at aggregated level, thereby contributing to the prevention and reduction of such losses (area B);
- better understanding of the drivers (root causes) of food losses at the primary production stage and identification of ways for policymakers and primary producers to prevent and reduce them (area B).
- Well-informed and more effective policy and business strategies for preventing and reducing food losses and waste across the food system on land and at sea, from farm to fork (area A and B).
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3FXmQko