The kick-off event for the Salzburg-Bavaria Food Hub of the CEFoodCycle project took place in Augsburg on March 14th 2024. The almost 20 participants enjoyed an exciting and varied programme.
The meeting began with a brief introduction of the agenda and a keynote speech by Dr Amelie Michalke, who provided interesting insights into the life cycle assessment of food and the resulting costs for the environment (true cost accounting). The project was then presented by the two project managers at the environmental cluster, Anja Beckord and Stephanie Lizak. Special emphasis was placed on the four objectives of the project, the Food Hub, the pilot tests, the IDLCASS software tool and the dissemination of the project results.
Afterwards, all participants headed to the kitchen to create a zero-waste menu together. Under the guidance of Lena Marie Radu from the vegan cookery school “Veganesha” in Augsburg, not only banana peels but also cauliflower leaves were processed during the cooking course, so that in the end only a handful of organic waste was produced. After sharing and networking during the cooking, the food was eaten during the lunch break. The remaining food was packed in lunch boxes and given to the participants.
In the afternoon, part three of the event, various open questions from the project were addressed in three interactive workshops, including what food waste is actually produced, what a smart software tool should entail and which networks should be established in order to actively close loops. Some of the participants then presented their best practices in the areas of “reducing food waste” and “recycling residual materials”, including KErn’s “digital raw materials exchange” and the utilisation of agricultural residues for insulation materials made from mycelium.
We would like to thank all participants for the great event, the open dialogue and the good discussions.
