Food waste: Italy improves but is still above the EU average

In addition to the direct impact on household spending, waste generates knock-on effects: almost 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste, five times more than from commercial aviation. 28% of farmland and a quarter of fresh water are now used to produce food that will never be consumed, at enormous environmental cost.

The most wasted products remain fresh fruit (22.9 g per week/person), vegetables (21.5 g), bread (19.5 g), salad (18.4 g) and tubers (16.9 g). The regional map shows less wastage in the centre (490.6 g) and more in the south (628.6 g).

59% of Italians say they are very careful not to waste anything, 36% do so occasionally. The causes are often organisational: mainly forgetfulness and expiry dates (31%), and then offers that are too tempting (29%). Only 24% plan meals, while the majority rely on spot interventions, such as freezing leftover food (58%) and consuming perishable food first (63%).

Generation Z is the engine that can speed up change: according to the report, 10 per cent more than the national average reuse leftovers with recipes found online, 5 per cent more share food with relatives and neighbours, 2 per cent prefer seasonal fruit and vegetables and are more attentive to the environmental impact of purchased products.

In this scenario, the answer also comes from local experimentation and technology. Planeat, a company founded in 2020 by physicist Nicola Lamberti, has brought the MenSana project to the school canteen in Borgarello (Pavia): by involving families and children in the choice of portions and planning, after three months of application, 20% less food was produced than standard, with up to 52% less waste in the dining hall, from 52.28 kg to 20.18 kg of leftovers.

MenSana integrates digital and pedagogical tools: every day families could choose between two first courses, two second courses and two side dishes that were nutritionally perfectly equivalent. The monitoring of refusals made it possible to track behavioural changes: 90 per cent changed their portions at least once, choosing tasting options or half portions to encourage a gradual opening up to new foods. Thus bread, vegetables and pulses dropped to minimal levels of waste.

The digital reservation software, thanks to standardised processes and Qr-tracking, is fully scalable and replicable in other contexts. In addition, the reduction of food produced upstream leads to 20 per cent less use of raw materials and energy. "Educating children, families and schools on conscious choices, such as the tasting portion, is a fundamental step," explains Lamberti. "But to expand the model, administrations need to integrate digital planning into the tender specifications, aligning with national guidelines and European targets."

The project, included in the Pnrr OnFoods call for proposals and coordinated by the University Institute of Advanced Studies (IUSS) of Pavia, demonstrates how the synergy between planning, technology and family involvement is the way to combine environmental sustainability, economic efficiency and social innovation. In fact, the public school canteen market in Italy alone accounts for just over 2 million meals per day (400 million meals per year), for a total value of approximately EUR 3.5 billion per year.

Planeat is currently working on an agreement with one of the largest caterers in Italy, which produces 200,000 meals a day for school canteens: the goal is to apply the Planeat Scuola platform to some of their end users, which includes not only schools. "With its preventive approach, PlanEat makes it possible to cook only what is chosen, significantly reducing waste. In addition, the platform collects traceable data that will be useful for ESG reports and national monitoring, contributing to the transparency required by legislation. PlanEat also acts on a cultural level, educating families and operators to make more conscious choices. When the EU directive is transposed in our country, PlanEat will already be ready to support Italian institutions in achieving the objectives," explains Lamberti. The next step? "Developing predictive artificial intelligence modules to optimise menus, reduce waste and improve the nutritional quality and ecological footprint of the service," concludes Planeat's CEO.