Food Waste: European projects leading the fight against food waste

1 December 2025

Europe is accelerating the transformation of its food system. Reducing food waste has become a strategic priority, evident in the 75 European food waste projects launched over the past year, according to data analysed through Kaila.

These initiatives, funded by programmes such as Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund, Interreg and LIFE, share a common direction: Europe wants to turn food waste into an environmental, economic and social opportunity. But where is innovation heading? Thanks to Kaila’s analytical capabilities, five major trends now define the new European landscape.

Trend 1: Biotechnology to valorise food waste

The first major trend combines microbial innovation, advanced bioprocesses and intelligent bioeconomy models. Projects such as Waste2Ethanol explore new fermentation routes to convert food waste directly into ethanol using mixed cultures and non-sterile processes .

Meanwhile, Waste4Bio is developing biorefineries that turn food waste into hydrogen and biopolymers through dark fermentation and efficient microbial conversion .

Increasingly efficient bioprocessing

These projects show a clear trend: eliminating costly pre-treatment steps, using robust microbial consortia and reducing reliance on conventional inputs.

Higher-yield bioeconomy

Food waste becomes the new feedstock for processes previously dependent on agricultural crops.

Trend 2: Bioplastics and advanced materials from food waste

Europe is not only targeting energy recovery. The second trend focuses on producing advanced biomaterials from food waste. The FUTURE project is developing an industrial process to transform food waste into high-purity lactic acid, which is then used to manufacture PLA bioplastics without fossil inputs or polluting by-products .

Lower environmental footprint

Using residues instead of sugar-based crops avoids competition with food production.

Industrial-scale development

These initiatives aim not merely to test new ideas but to become part of Europe’s emerging sustainable plastics value chain.

Trend 3: Solutions to extend food shelf life

A significant share of waste occurs before products are even consumed. Europe is promoting technologies that reduce these losses. CRISP is developing a plant-based, edible and biodegradable coating that extends the shelf life of fruit and vegetables while reducing plastic use .

At the same time, FRESCO is creating colourimetric sensors that detect toxic compounds linked to spoilage in foods such as fish, meat and cheese, helping prevent unnecessary waste .

New coatings and films

These innovations demonstrate a strong shift towards natural solutions that delay oxidation and dehydration.

Real-time monitoring

Smart freshness detection reduces losses across supermarkets, logistics chains and households.

Trend 4: Local governance and citizen activation

Reducing food waste also requires cultural change and new local policies. The CLYMACT project addresses this by engaging young people and municipalities across Europe in food waste debates and actions, including composting, food poverty and organic waste management .

Better-prepared cities

Municipalities are integrating food waste prevention into climate and sustainability strategies.

Changing consumption habits

Education, participation and community mobilisation foster a more conscious and engaged society.

Trend 5: New biodegradable and bioactive packaging

Packaging plays a decisive role in preventing food waste. Europe is advancing towards materials that better preserve food while reducing plastic waste. Three projects stand out:

AQUAPACK, developing biodegradable materials from aquatic biomass for active packaging .
Bio2PEs, creating biodegradable polyethylene and polyesters from biomass and agricultural residues, enhancing recyclability and durability .
ECOSYSTEM, producing bio-based polyesters and active food and agricultural packaging derived from waste such as berries and pruning residues .

Next-generation materials

Fossil-free biopolymers, genuine biodegradability and active packaging that enhances food preservation.

Replacing conventional plastics

Innovation is moving towards compostable, bioactive packaging designed for reuse or advanced recycling.

A European ecosystem growing in strength

Kaila’s project analysis paints a clear picture:

The most active programmes

Horizon Europe: 39 projects
Interreg: 14
Innovation Fund: 8
LIFE: 5

Countries leading participation

Spain (87), Italy (53), Belgium (27), Denmark (26), France (26), the United Kingdom (26),

Greece (24), Germany (24), Portugal (23) and Norway (21).

A consolidated trend

Innovation in food waste is no longer marginal — it is embedded in Europe’s strategies for decarbonisation, bioeconomy and food system resilience.

Kaila: the key tool to understand innovation in food waste

Kaila makes it possible to map European food waste projects, compare technologies, identify funding opportunities and understand who is leading innovation in circular food systems.
Its visualisations and analytics help public bodies, companies and research centres anticipate emerging trends and make better-informed decisions.

Europe turns food waste into strategic opportunity

The trends identified reveal a Europe determined to transform food waste into energy, biomaterials, knowledge and stronger public policies.
The European food waste projects are paving the way for a more circular, resilient and efficient food system.
And tools like Kaila make it possible to follow this evolution and turn it into competitive advantage.