INESC TEC joins a competition to change Porto’s food system

INESC TEC joined the FoodLoop competition as a communication partner; this initiative promoted by the Municipality of Porto aims to fight against food waste.

The competition is looking for ideas and projects that focus on preventing food waste and reducing organic waste, based on the principles of circular economy. The main goal is to help accelerating the transition to a circular economy, with an emphasis on the social and tourism sectors, thus contributing to change the food system in the city of Porto. The ideas and/or projects submitted to the competition must focus on one of the following themes: local and ecological production, food distribution, consumption habits, food and/or garden waste, shelf life of food, and industrial and natural ecosystems.

The application phase is open until January 21, 2022, and candidates can register here:

This initiative, part of Porto’s CityLoops project, was specifically created to change the city’s food system. Food waste is a cross-sectoral issue, with a negative impact on the environment, economy, and society. In Portugal, close to one million tons of food are wasted annually. This means that each Portuguese is responsible for an average of 100 kg of waste.

According to the information provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about a third of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted; in the EU, this translates into a loss of around 87.6 million tons of food every year.

How can we help? By disseminating this competition among potential stakeholders, while making those around us aware of the need to reduce food waste, while being more responsible in terms of our daily choices.