Minister Christian Schmidt said, “It is my goal to decrease food waste by 50% before 2030, just as the United Nations plan Agenda 2030: the Sustainable Development Goals. It is an ambitious goal. And that is why we need innovative ideas, for production, marketing, retail, and catering, and we need everybody to pitch in. That is why I present the first ‘Too good to throw away!’ awards for commitment against food waste. The idea is to reward good ideas and create more a sense of awareness in society. The interest and the large number of entries show that is a good idea continue this award in future. On the political level I will expand this successful initiative against food waste, ‘Too good to throw away!’ to a national reduction strategy involving all stakeholders in the food production chain.”

Winners

Retail Category: Im Angebot & SALT Solutions, Leipzig

The retailer Im Angebot (on special offer) offers with the support of SALT Solutions food that is still edible but at or over the best before date. This project stood out because of the large amounts of saved produce, about six to eight metric tons daily. 

Production Category: Ugly Fruits, Berlin/München

Ugly Fruits gives with the regional sales of oddly shaped fruit and vegetables the produce a second chance. The young company particularly impressed with its high originality and its great appeal.

Catering Category: biond, Kassel

The company biond prepares food for schools and daycare centers wasting next to nothing, and shows children the value of food. The mix of sustainable management, combined with a large impact and a clear educational mission convinced the jury.

Society and education category: foodsharing, Cologne

foodsharing offers people and companies the opportunity to give away surplus food, in other words save the food from the bin. And the idea of foodsharing is now the basis of many projects against wasting food; this clearly shows the project’s pioneer position.

Encouragement prize: Take me first, Cologne

The plan, ‘Take me first!’ of Noelle Gangloff supports supermarkets with the sales of product that are reaching their best before date. Customers buying products close to the best before date are rewarded through a bonus system. The idea was developed as a bachelor thesis and is currently tested by an EDEKA supermarket. 

Background

The ‘Too good to throw away!’ awards were instated by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the summer of 2015. It recognizes the attempts of retail, catering, production and society and education to reduce the waste of food. In addition to these awards, an encouragement prize of €3000 was awarded.

The awards against wasting food are an imitative of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Every year every person wastes about 82 kilograms of food that is one product in every eight that Germans buy, and two thirds of that can be avoided. ‘Too good to throw away!’ shows how to reduce food wastage.

Stakeholders in industry, retail, catering and agriculture, as well as consumer organizations, churches and NGOs give their support to lower food waste.

Photo: Minister of Food and Agricultural Christian Schmidt (in the middle) with the winners of the first German price winners of the awards against food waste

Source: BMEL/phototek.net/Michael Gottschalk