Driving Sustainability in Food Retail: EIT Food SUCCESS Launched Toolkits to Empower Retailers and Consumers
Last Updated : 11 December 2024The EU-funded EIT Food SUCCESS project launched two key outputs — a Retailer Toolkit and a Consumer Toolkit — during the final online symposium on 26 November 2024. These resources have been designed to help retailers and consumers adopt healthier, more sustainable food practices and promote conscious choices across Europe.
The role of supermarkets in driving sustainability
Food waste and dietary choices are major contributors to the environmental impact of food systems. Around 59 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the EU, generating about 16% of the total greenhouse gases from the region's food system.
Shifting toward more plant-based diets could further reduce the environmental footprint. Supermarkets, as key intermediaries between producers and consumers, have a unique role in promoting sustainable behaviours through product offerings, education, and waste reduction initiatives.
The EIT Food SUCCESS project demonstrated how supermarkets can drive sustainability by reducing food waste through discounts and food rescue apps and promoting plant-based diets with recipes, meal kits, and environmental labels.
3 years of research & collaboration with retailers from Belgium, Finland & Poland
During the online symposium on November 26th, the project launched the toolkits and shared insights from three years of research and hands-on experience in collaboration with major retailers from Belgium, Finland and Poland. The symposium presented an excellent opportunity for professionals to engage with experts in the field, revealing trends and priorities among consumers and retailers and will provide context for future discussions.
Benefits of the retailer and consumer toolkits
The Retailer Toolkit offers retailers strategies to implement sustainable practices and encourage consumers in adopting sustainable practices through innovative strategies and impactful initiatives.
The Consumer Toolkit provides individuals with practical guidance to make sustainable dietary choices, reduce food waste and how retailers can offer an enabling environment for such behaviour.
Key project outcomes and impact
- Retailer engagement: Supporting retailers to promote plant-based products to different consumer segments and organise products in ways that encourage more sustainable choices. Showing retailers how they can educate and encourage consumers to reduce food waste.
- Consumer empowerment: Providing guidance to help individuals consume food more sustainably by considering environmental factors alongside their need for convenience and affordability.
- Collaboration: Encouraging cooperation among producers, retailers, researchers, and policymakers to ensure sustainable food practices remain a priority.
Further information
- Retailer Toolkit
- Consumer Toolkit
- Recording of the online symposium ‘Shaping Sustainable Food Consumption - How can We Achieve SUCCESS Together?’
- Conclusions after 2 years of cooperation in Poland, Finland and Belgium Maarten Corten from Rikolto in the article Supermarket or consumer: Who’s in the driver’s seat for changing our food habits?
For more information, please contact: Stephan Kampshoff, EUFIC (stephan.kampshoff@eufic.org)
About the EIT Food SUCCESS project:
The EIT Food SUCCESS project is a 3-year European initiative aimed at promoting sustainable food consumption by reshaping shopping behaviour through collaboration between consumers, retailers, and civil society partners. Recognising that individual responsibility alone is insufficient, the project focuses on shifting food environments to make sustainable choices easier and more appealing for shoppers in Belgium, Poland, and Finland.
Through collaborative research between the project partners and stakeholders in the participating countries, the project increases consumer awareness, engages citizens to co-create solutions with retailers, and implements behavioural interventions in supermarkets. By aligning consumer behaviour with sustainable retail environments, SUCCESS drives positive change toward healthier diets and eco-friendly shopping habits.
About EIT Food:
EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community and accelerates innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.
Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT Food invests in projects, organisations and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. EIT Food unlocks innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scales agrifood startups to bring new technologies and products to market. They equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of theirwork, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.
EIT Food is one of nine innovation communities established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
Find out more at www.eitfood.eu or via social media: X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.
