High levels of food waste are a direct outcome of an unsustainable industrial food system founded on a mechanism of wastage and overproduction, which treats food as a commodity. The drivers of food waste are many, as food waste occurs at several levels, from the field to the table and all across the supply chain. Therefore, tackling the problem of food waste requires acting at all those stages and acting both on prevention and re-using unavoidable food waste. Achieving food waste prevention requires a holistic approach that looks at the food system as a complex and interrelated set of agricultural, economic, social and cultural practices.

The inspiration for this project is given by the inadequate opportunities offered to young people to develop the practical skills they need to be active and responsible citizens. At present, 17.6 % of the 20-34 year-olds in the EU in 2020 were neither in employment nor in education and training (NEETs). Many of those who gain employment find that the reality of the job falls well below their ambitions and vision. Reliable pathways through education and training to quality employment often need to be improved. Inadequate opportunities exist for practical experience in skills needed to function in a multiagency, fast-changing environment, despite the high labour market demand for such capacities. Overall, education frequently fails to deliver skills essential for employment. For this reason, the FOODy project will increase youth’s entrepreneurial competencies and motivate them to find innovative solutions to the food waste issues in their community.

The activities proposed in the FOODy program will offer a new way to build up participants’ active participation and increase their confidence while enhancing employability skills using real issues connected to their community food waste problems. 

The partners will base the activities on the youth’s predisposition for innovation and their grasp of emerging trends, so they can start new initiatives to lower or prevent food waste in their communities.