Valencia Hosts Capacity Building Event for Food Loss and Waste Prevention in Cities

Last Updated : 02 October 2024

Valencia, Spain, 8th October 2024 – The World Sustainable Urban Food Centre of Valencia (CEMAS) and the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) are proud to co-organise a high- impact event titled ‘Capacity Building for Food Loss and Waste Prevention and Reduction in Cities.’ The event, taking place at Edificio Veles e Vents in La Marina de València on October 8, 2024, will bring together key stakeholders from cities
across Europe to Valencia, the European Green Capital 2024, to address one of the most pressing global challenges—foodwaste.

Food waste is a market failure, an environmental failure and most urgently, it is failing people. Even as food is being thrown away at scale, up to 783 million people are affected by hunger each year - the need for effective, scalable solutions has never been more pressing. Many food waste reduction initiatives occur at the city level, as they often have the relevant authority to oversee such matters. However, since food waste is an issue that covers many different sectors and levels, a multi-stakeholder, multi-level governance approach is key, which brings with it many challenges, in addition to the issue of lack of data and standards for measuring
food waste.

This event will explore innovative approaches and discuss practical strategies for building city-level capacity, showcasing city experiences, including those from Cagliari, Warsaw, Milan, Courbevoie, and Gothenburg. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about various initiatives being implemented by these cities to combat food loss and waste.

Event Features:

• Interactive Workshops: Engage in sessions tackling food loss and waste from diverse perspectives, including policy, technology, and community engagement.
• Expert Panels: Hear from leading experts who will share insights on best practices, emerging trends, and innovative solutions.
• Live Q&A: Participate in real-time discussions and get answers to pressing questions about tackling food waste at the city level.

"This event will focus on sharing best practices, inspiring innovative solutions and strengthening commitment towards a more sustainable future,” explains Carlos Mundina, President of CEMAS. “Cities have a key role to play in tackling food loss and waste as effectively and quickly as possible."

Event Objectives:

• Raise awareness of the current situation in the European Union, the objectives set, the legislation in force, the funding programmes and the tools available.
• Promote an exchange of experiences and knowledge between European cities on public policies and initiatives to reduce food loss and waste.
• Create a space for dialogue between cities with the aim of addressing their capacity building, the challenges and difficulties, but also finding the keys to success.

“Cities hold the power to drive real change in food waste prevention. By facilitating the exchange of best practices,” said Dr Laura Fernández Celemín, Director General at EUFIC, “we can help urban centres across Europe adopt more effective strategies to reduce food loss and build resilient food systems.

The event will be streamed live, with simultaneous translation in English and Spanish, ensuring wider accessibility. For more information and to registerforthe event and , please visit the CEMAS website.

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About CEMAS:

The World Sustainable Urban Food Centre (CEMAS) is an initiative of the València City Council created to identify, classify, disseminate and raise awareness about the important challenges facing cities and the general population in food and nutritional issues.

About EUFIC:

The European Food Information Council (EUFIC), is a consumer-oriented non-profit organisation, founded to make the science behind food and health more accessible and easier to understand among the public. EUFIC’s mission is to produce science-based content to empower and facilitate healthier and more sustainable diets and lifestyles among European citizens.

Media Contacts:

EUFIC Director General - Dr Laura Fernández Celemín: laura.fernandez@eufic.org
EUFIC Research Area Lead - Dr Betty Chang: betty.chang@eufic.org