The ever-increasing amount of food waste is an economic, ecological and ethical problem. To help solve it, a new Institute for Food Waste has been established at Brno’s Mendel University, in partnership with the South Moravian Region. The institute will serve as a platform to connect various stakeholders, enabling them to work together to reduce food waste at all levels of the food chain.
“We want our platform to serve as a source of comprehensive and up-to-date data, analysis and reporting to help understand and support efforts to address this important global challenge,” said Lea Kubíčková from the Institute of Marketing and Trade at MENDELU’s Faculty of Business and Economics, who has been dealing with the issue of food waste for a long time. “We strive to publish only independent studies and relevant sources of information that provide users with as much information as possible on the issue of food waste.”
The aim of this independent institute is to create space and opportunities to share good practice, innovation and information about food waste and measures to address it, connecting producers, traders, consumers, the academic sector, the education system and responsible state authorities.
The main communication platform of the Food Waste Institute is the website https://fwinstitut.cz/, which serves as a central place for sharing information, news, research data and best practices. “The main goal of our website is to provide users with one place where they can get as much relevant information as possible regarding the issue of food waste, which is based on scientific knowledge and relevant sources,” added Kubíčková.
“The establishment of the Food Waste Institute is a fundamental step in the fight against food waste,” said Martin Klimánek, MENDELU vice-rector for strategy, sustainability and targeted activities. “We are happy to support this initiative, which promises concrete and measurable results. The institute will be a key player in connecting research, innovation and practice, which is necessary to achieve long-term change.”
