February 28, 2025

Raising Food Waste on the Research Agenda: BREADCRUMB at the Green Solutions Centre Workshop

Should food waste receive more attention in research?  

At Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen (UCPH), we believe so! Fortunately, tackling food waste has been a key priority within the Green Solutions Centre (GSC) for some time. 

Recently, UCPH researchers had the opportunity to present BREADCRUMB’s latest findings, developed in collaboration with 21 project partners, at the Thematic Meeting of the GSC Food Waste Workshop. 

The Role of Food Marketing Standards in Food Waste 

Did you know that an estimated 10-20% of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables are discarded due to food marketing standards? These regulations influence the marketability of suboptimal food products, shaping consumer choices and contributing to unnecessary waste. 

At UCPH , the BREADCRUMB team—Mukti R. Chapagain, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, and Julia Slifirczyk—is working to provide an evidence-based understanding of food marketing standards and their impact on food waste generation.  

Our goal is to identify and propose interventions that balance sustainability with market efficiency. 

We are also collaborating with Jørgen Nyberg Larsen from the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (LF) to conduct the Danish case study on eggs, further contributing to insights on food waste reduction strategies. 

Green Solutions Centre: A Living Lab for Sustainability 

The Green Solutions Centre – University of Copenhagen is a living lab dedicated to developing interdisciplinary, research-based solutions to accelerate the green transition. Established in 2021, GSC fosters collaboration across 16 thematic areas,  including the initiative “Fighting Food Waste”, where Bent Egberg Mikkelsen and Mukti R. Chapagain are active contributors.

The GSC Food Waste Workshop brought together researchers from across UCPH to discuss ongoing and future projects related to food waste. The event served as a networking platform for researchers and scholars, encouraging collaboration and innovation in food waste reduction efforts.

Looking Ahead 

With growing awareness of food waste and its impact, the BREADCRUMB project is committed to driving policy-relevant research and fostering solutions that promote sustainability. 

Agenda of the event : GSC TS Fighting Food Waste KU Workshop program