The 2nd ROSETTA Community of Practice Meeting brought together researchers, retailers and food system actors to explore new findings, pilot action, digital tools and Horizon Europe synergies addressing food waste linked to marketing standards.
On 11 March 2026, the 2nd ROSETTA Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting brought together researchers, practitioners, retailers and project partners for an online exchange on one of the project’s core challenges: how marketing standards influence food waste, and what can be done to address it.
The meeting created space for sharing research findings, practical experiences from the Greek retail pilot, and opportunities for collaboration with other Horizon Europe initiatives. It also offered participants a closer look at the ROSETTA Digital Toolkit, designed to support knowledge exchange and stakeholder interaction beyond the project itself.
A growing community for exchange and collaboration
Opening the session, Michalis Vasou from White Research introduced the ROSETTA Community of Practice as a growing network dedicated to collaboration, knowledge sharing and the co-development of solutions related to marketing standards and food waste. The CoP currently brings together 219 members from across the food value chain, including representatives from food businesses, policymaking, civil society, academia and governance.
The meeting reaffirmed the value of the CoP as a space where different perspectives can meet, helping connect research with practical action and broader stakeholder dialogue.
Research findings highlight the complexity of food waste linked to marketing standards
The first part of the session focused on findings from Work Package 1 and Work Package 2, presented by Angelo Galatolo from TEAGASC and Zoe Johns from the Agricultural University of Athens.
The Work Package 1 presentation highlighted that food waste linked to marketing standards does not stem from a single cause. Instead, it emerges from a combination of market practices, the misinterpretation or implementation of standards, consumer expectations, and wider structural barriers. The findings showed important differences between public standards and private standards, with private requirements often being stricter, particularly regarding product appearance and shelf life, and therefore more likely to increase food waste risk.
Consumer behaviour also emerged as a major factor. High aesthetic expectations and confusion around date labels continue to influence purchasing and disposal practices, often leading to premature waste. At the same time, the discussion showed that some actors are already implementing waste reduction strategies, although these efforts remain constrained by systemic and operational challenges.
The Work Package 2 presentation then explored the business potential of so-called suboptimal foods: products that may not meet strict marketing standards but are still perfectly safe to eat. The session presented a range of good practices, from prevention at source and redistribution to social interventions, as well as eleven integrated business models developed through a sustainable business model approach.
Among the key insights shared were the importance of moderate discounts, clear labelling, sustainability messaging and recipe support in improving consumer uptake. At the same time, the findings pointed to trade-offs linked to costs, logistics and consumer acceptance. Even so, the discussion underlined the potential of combining business innovation with digital tools, education and community-based action.
Demonstrating the ROSETTA Digital Toolkit
The meeting also featured a live demonstration of the ROSETTA Digital Toolkit by Ioakeim Konstantinidis from DRAXIS.
The toolkit was presented as a practical and user-friendly resource structured around three pillars:
- a Repository with project materials and external resources,
- a Catalogue of interventions, alternative marketing models, case studies and key terms,
- and an Innovation Platform, where registered users can post, comment, interact and exchange ideas in a familiar social-media-style environment.
The demonstration showed how the toolkit supports both access to knowledge and interaction between users. While the repository and catalogue are open to all, the forum is available to registered members of the Community of Practice or Multi-Actor Innovation Platforms. The session also touched on future communication efforts to increase awareness and encourage more active use of the platform.
Greek retail pilot shares practical lessons from implementation
A particularly valuable part of the meeting came from the presentation of the Greek pilot case, delivered by Michalis Tzagarakis from Supermarket Halkiadakis.
The presentation focused on two pilot interventions aimed at reducing food waste in retail settings. The first involved in-store price reductions for suboptimal fruit and vegetables close to expiry, followed by the social distribution of unsold items. The second tested a digital intervention, sending app notifications to consumers after the purchase of packaged meat products, offering food storage advice and recipes to help reduce household waste.
The pilot shared several practical insights. Price-focused messaging proved especially effective in increasing sales of discounted items, while product-specific and logistical challenges affected outcomes in some categories. The digital notifications reached around 24,000 consumers, with a reported 33% success rate, although the pilot also revealed the technical complexity of integrating point-of-sale systems with expiry-related data.
Importantly, both interventions are expected to continue beyond the end of the project, showing how pilot action can support longer-term behavioural and operational change.
Strengthening synergies with BREADCRUMB and VISION4FOOD
The final thematic part of the meeting turned to synergies with other Horizon Europe projects.
Capwell Forbang Echo presented the BREADCRUMB project, which is examining food waste linked to marketing standards across supply chains and countries. The presentation highlighted the fragmented ways in which food waste is measured and the operational trade-offs that actors face in practice.
The session also welcomed Marie Vaney from the VISION4FOOD project, who introduced the initiative’s work on transforming European food systems through governance innovation and stakeholder collaboration across nine countries and five pilot regions. Their presentation outlined the project’s focus on food innovation platforms, governance models, co-creation processes and supporting assets such as knowledge platforms, toolkits and replication materials.
Together, the synergy presentations opened a useful discussion on future opportunities for joint activities, webinars and knowledge exchange events. Participants also highlighted the upcoming international roundtable on 3 June in Brussels as an important next step for networking and collaboration.
Moving from dialogue to continued engagement
Overall, the second ROSETTA Community of Practice meeting demonstrated the value of bringing together different actors around a shared challenge. From research findings and business models to digital tools and retail implementation, the session highlighted both the complexity of reducing food waste linked to marketing standards and the importance of coordinated, multi-actor approaches.
As the ROSETTA project moves forward, the Community of Practice will continue to serve as a space for dialogue, peer learning and collaboration across sectors and countries. Ongoing engagement through the Digital Toolkit, future CoP activities and joint work with synergy projects will remain central to this effort.
