2nd CIBUS regional stakeholder meeting in Kanta-Häme

Regional collaboration continued in Kanta-Häme, Finland when the second stakeholder group meeting took place on 13 March 2025.

Topics of the meeting were:

• latest project news,
• a business case regarding a solution for addressing food loss in households,
• ongoing policy development work in Kanta-Häme, and
• workshop on good practices for reducing food loss and waste.

Consumer level is important in reducing food loss and waste

To showcase a new solution for addressing food loss in households, a startup called Code Ananas presented their application that helps households to manage their fridges and use all ingredients available at home. Stakeholders welcomed this innovation and stressed the importance of changing consumers’ habits. They also considered the aspect of promoting local and organic food. Stakeholders agreed that there are various goals related to food: environment, food safety, health, and taste, for instance.

During the workshop part of the meeting, stakeholders brainstormed and discussed potential good practices in reducing food loss and waste in the Kanta-Häme region. Focus on consumer level was again emphasized and most of the ideas that stakeholders considered as potentially interesting to other regions were related to the consumer level. Solutions in retail were also seen as potential good practices.

From the interregional point of view, stakeholders learned about examples of innovations regarding food loss and waste from other CIBUS regions as well as other reflections from the interregional meeting in Hämeenlinna.

Participants represented research, circular economy organisations, food distribution, and businesses with solutions for addressing food loss. The online meeting was organized by Regional Council of Häme and Häme University of Applied Sciences.