On 24 October 2025, the ROSETTA project took part in a European Commission workshop on Food Loss and Waste (FLW) research, organised under the Food 2030 framework by DG Research & Innovation (Unit B2 – Bioeconomy and Food System).
The workshop gathered coordinators from 14 Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 projects addressing the challenge of food loss and waste across the agri-food chain. Participants shared results, experiences, and future research priorities to inform the next generation of EU policies and R&I pathways towards a more sustainable food system.
ROSETTA’s contribution: understanding the role of marketing standards in food waste
Representing ROSETTA, Project Coordinator Dimitra Kyriakopoulou (Q-PLAN International Advisors) presented the project’s mission to reduce food waste caused by marketing standards and promote alternative market access for safe but sub-optimal foods.
ROSETTA explores how public and private marketing standards—such as size, shape, or appearance criteria—impact food waste across the supply chain. Its approach is built on Multi-Actor Innovation Platforms (MIPs) engaging stakeholders from four key food commodities (fruit & vegetables, cereals, meat, and dairy) across five national use cases.
“Food loss and waste is not only a production or consumer issue—it is also shaped by regulatory and market frameworks that define what is considered ‘acceptable’ food,” noted Dimitra Kyriakopoulou during her presentation.
Key insights shared from ROSETTA’s preliminary findings
- Diverging views among supply chain actors: Some stakeholders see EU marketing standards as a way to ensure safety and quality while promoting repurposing practices. Others believe that strict cosmetic criteria lead to significant and avoidable food waste—particularly in the fruit and vegetable sector.
- Public vs private standards: Private marketing standards are often confused with public regulations, but they tend to impose stricter and more complex requirements, which many actors perceive as more influential in generating food waste.
- Consumer behaviour: Across Europe, there is a strong willingness to reduce food waste, but acceptance of suboptimal foods varies by region and product type. Acceptance is high for fruits and vegetables, moderate for cereals, and low for meat and dairy products. These insights suggest the need for regionally tailored awareness campaigns to shift consumer perceptions.
A collaborative path forward
The workshop underscored the importance of cross-project collaboration and policy dialogue in reducing food waste along the entire food value chain. ROSETTA stands alongside other leading EU projects such as BREADCRUMB, MICROORC, FOODGUARD, WASTEWISE, and PRECIOUS, contributing to a shared European effort to make food systems more circular, inclusive, and resilient.
