Getting more children and youth in Europe involved in reducing and preventing food waste

More schoolchildren in Europe will soon have the opportunity to learn about the importance of reducing food waste. Thanks to the support of Member of the European Parliament and Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, Isabel Carvalhais and of the Portuguese Office of Planning, Policies and General Administration, FAO and the International Food Waste Coalition’s education package on food loss and waste “Do Good: Save Food!” is currently being translated into Portuguese.

The package is already available in English, French, Albanian, Croatian, Hungarian, Turkish and soon, it will be available in Lithuanian. The translation of these materials is instrumental in raising awareness of this issue in schools across Europe and making food systems more sustainable.

FAO and the International Food Waste Coalition joined forces to develop the “Do Good: Save Food!” series of teaching manuals targeted to children of four different age groups. The guides seek to promote awareness of the economic, social and environmental consequences of wasting food, advantages of preventing food waste, actions that children can take to reduce food waste, and good habits which they can develop and introduce to their friends, families and communities to reduce food waste. 

The package consists of different modules which can be used by teachers in class, for lesson planning, and for related activities. The materials are expected to make a significant contribution to reducing food waste in schools and households and the related negative socio-economic and environmental impacts.