Food Heroes | Improving resource efficiency through designing innovative solutions to reduce food waste

Worldwide one third of all food products is lost. Plenty of food products out of specification or byproducts are now all too often ignored. Many farmers and food processors are racking their brains over this. Together with designers, technologists and scientists they save food from destruction. The world simply needs more Food Heroes.

That’s why project Food Heroes ran a contest for Food Heroes and their food waste solutions. 76 Food Heroes came up with new market products and novel techniques. A special five headed jury, chaired by EU-commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, selected the top-9 Food Heroes to run to the final event at CFIA Expo 2019, Rennes (France). These are the finalists:

Project Food Heroes aims to reduce on farm food losses and wastes by creating higher value uses for by-products and products that are out of specification. Because throwing it away is such a waste!

The Food Heroes Award goes to… EnVie, In Ovo and Mussella!

Starting with 76 nominations for the Food Heroes Awards these Food Heroes got crowned as winners today during a special award show at CFIA Expo 2019. EnVie took away two awards: one award as the overall winner by public voting and one award as the jury winner sector Fruits & vegetables. In Ovo won the jury award in the sector Male animals. As Mussella took the jury award in the sector Fish & seafood.

The jury ranked Belgium based EnVie with a first place in the sector Fruits & vegetables. This social enterprise makes 100% natural soups from surplus vegetables. Head of the jury, EU-commissionner Vytenis Andriukaitis, highly appreciated the food waste solution of this hero: “Envie simply shows the most complete story of the value of food in our society. It is a holistic story. It places food in the heart of our society in combination with social employment and food banks. This solution is good for food, people and environment. Besides it scores high on impact because the involvement of a Belgian retail seller.”

Impact was also a crucial factor in the selection of the winner of the jury award in the sector Male animals. In Ovo (the Netherlands) develops a fast screening machine for early gender detection in eggs to prevent culling of male chicks. This Dutch Food Hero saves about 45 million male chicks a year. EU-commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis about this innovative solution: “This solution represents the highest level of food waste reduction in the waste hierarchy. It really saves resources in an early stage. And it saves animals. Once this technology operates it can be adopted in the complete hatching sector and will have a huge impact. Besides the co-creative solution outside the sector suits project Food Heroes well.”

The sector award Fish & seafood went to Mussella. Mussella is a brand new food waste solution from Briere Myticulture on the Breton coast of France, saving undersized mussels get dumped at sea by upcycling undersized mussels to new frozen mussel products. The jury was anonymous enthusiastic about this solution: “It is very brave new initiative to strive for food waste solutions caused by market competition. It’s a strong market oriented solution upcycling out-of-spec mussels that otherwise are left behind at sea. This solution gives a second opportunity to rejected mussels. It’s highly impactful because of its regional origin, taste and flavor.” quoted the EU-commissioner.

Public award

Finally EnVie also took away the public award. Over 16% of 4505 Food Heroes fans voted for this Belgian social enterprise which makes 100% natural soups from surplus vegetables.

More information about all the finalists and their food waste stories: www.foodheroesaward.eu/

Project Food Heroes aims to reduce food losses in the primary sectors (on farm and fisheries) by creating higher value uses for byproducts and products that are out of specification. Throwing it away is such a waste. This project is funded by INTERREG North West Europe, European Regional Development Fund.

enVie, winner in the category 'Fruits & vegetables' and winner of the public voting award!

Mussella, winner in the category 'Fish & Seafood'

In Ovo, winner in the category 'Male Animals'

How do we fight food waste currently? How can we do more? Join us at Digital Food Waste Fest 2.020!

Live from the Food Waste Fest studio, we broadcast keynotes, interviews and a sofa discussion that turn the topic of food waste inside out. Tristram Stuart (author of ‘Waste’), Carolyn Steel (author of ‘Sitopia’), Tom Suykerbuyk (Flanders DC), Victor Dries (Kabinet Zuhal Demir), enVie, Colruyt, Reo Veiling (Auction) lay the foundations of our quest to end food waste together.

Programme

8/12 - Opening level

• Keynotes by Tristam Stuart, Carolyn Steel, Tom Suykerbuyk and other pioneers
• Live interview with Victor Dries
• Sofa discussion with Colruyt, Naomi Smith (enVie), REO veiling & Melanie van Raaij (Innovatiesteunpunt)

9/12 - 7 missions

• Choose from 7 webinars on action at different parts of the food chain
• Tools, methods and inspiration

8 & 9/12 - Connect zone

• Reach out to fellow attendees and organisations in one-on-one discussions
• Register as yourself and occupy an organisation booth at Conversation Starter

The Food Heroes project worked on 16 solutions against food waste. You can have a look at them here:

Fruits & vegetables

• Small scale production facilities
• Value added products of tomatoes and other mini vegetables
• Service B2B platform to connect growers and businesses
• In field losses of carrots and potatoes
• Food products from undersized potatoes
• Food from oyster mushroom stalks
• Fermentation products
• New partnerships between farmers, food processors and manufacturers

Fish & Seafood

• Dried products of salmon and white fish by-products utilising heat recovery
• Mussella
• New products from white fish extracted from the bones after filleting
• New markets for fish heads and frames

Male animals

• Goatober
• New goat meat products
• In Ovo
• Breeding and valorisation of male chicks of laying hen races