Supporting eco-innovation to reduce food waste and promote a better resource efficient economy
The ECOWASTE4FOOD project brings together seven local and regional authorities from seven countries throughout Europe. Its ambition is to address the crucial issue of food waste, not only to stop an unacceptable situation which causes the loss of up to 50% of the agricultural production that keeps not consumed or is consumed in a wrong way regarding health concerns, but also to demonstrate that food waste could be at source of a resource efficient and environmentally friendly economy for the territories.
Local and regional authorities partners of the project are convinced of that and they work together, exchanging their experiences and learning from each other, to promote in their territories eco-innovation to reduce food waste, as a way to move toward a smart sustainable and inclusive growth. These public authorities have committed themselves to improve their own policies during the four years duration of the project, in particular by influencing or even by raising existing ERDF funds within their regional operational programme 2014-2020 or equivalent. 
Within each participating territory, a group of local stakeholders will be actively involved in the selection of good practice to be transferred and in the validation of the action plan to be implemented during the two last years. 
More generally, ECOWASTE4FOOD project is expected to provide valuable inputs for the debate on the future priorities of development of these territories to be discussed as of 2019.