This wrap-up has been compiled by the Programme
PROGRAMME 2021-2027
Priority 3 Climate-neutral societies
Objective 3.1 Circular economy
FoodLoops:
Wrap-up of project achievements
More cooperation means less food waste: the Interreg project FoodLoops addressed fragmented cooperation in school food systems in Finland, Poland, Lithuania, and Germany by helping municipalities, schools, caterers, farmers, and waste-management service providers work together to prevent food waste, improve bio-waste sorting, and turn unavoidable food waste into compost.
Highlights
FoodLoops
Highlights
BREC
FoodLoops helped move from isolated food-waste actions towards more coordinated circular food practices: the project connected schools, municipalities, caterers, farmers, and waste-management service providers in Finland, Poland, Lithuania, and Germany, providing them with a cooperation model to prevent food waste, improve bio-waste sorting, and put unavoidable food waste back into use through composting.
In short, the project delivered:
- FoodLoops Manual: Local Cooperation for Circular Bio-Waste in Schools and Beyond
Download links
Project
Details
Project type
Small project
Project duration
August 2023 – July 2025
Contribution to the EUSBSR
PA Bioeconomy
Budget in million
EURO
Involved
Countries
Lead partner
Project partners
Biorefinery plant concept
Best practice guidance for advanced wastewater treatment
The FoodLoops Manual helps municipalities, schools, caterers, farmers and waste-management service providers close local bio-waste loops and better understand their roles in reducing food waste. It presents practical steps for mapping relevant actors, building cooperation, preventing food waste, composting and replicating.
The manual is based on hands-on experience and includes case studies and lessons from local work in Kuopio (FI), Gdańsk (PL), Vilnius and Panevėžys (LT). These examples show how local actors can move from single-school activities to more structured cooperation among public authorities, food services, and the agricultural sector.
Partners tested and validated the FoodLoops Manual through two transnational replication workshops: an online workshop in March 2025 and a hybrid workshop in Wuppertal in April 2025, bringing together municipalities, school administrations, caterers, farmers and other actors from different countries.
The value of transnational work lies in the possibility of comparing different school food systems, procurement rules, and waste-management practices. Experiences from Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Germany helped make the manual useful and adaptable to other local settings. The workshops also supported new ideas for cooperation, including a “Round Table on Circular Food” in Wuppertal. This permanent forum brings together the municipality, schools, and food-sector organisations to jointly develop and coordinate circular food solutions.
Get inspired
Interreg pays off
Follow-ups
Interreg pays off: BREC
FoodLoops established cooperation formats that will continue beyond the project. For example, Gdańsk (PL) will build on its Green Education Programme and advance steps towards green school certification, while Wuppertal (DE) will continue its Circular Food Round Table.
Rather than working with individual schools alone, FoodLoops strengthened the capacity of organisations able to drive wider change. Municipalities improved coordination with schools, caterers, and waste-management service providers, while caterers introduced better menu planning, student feedback, and food-waste monitoring.
In numbers
10 organisations cooperating across borders
36 organisations directly benefitting from project solutions
Project Wrap-Up
Thanks to Interreg funding and transnational cooperation, FoodLoops connected organisations that would otherwise likely deal with school food waste separately. Municipalities, school administrations, caterers, farmers and waste-management actors now have a practical manual, tested cooperation methods, examples and follow-up structures to reduce food waste and support circular bio-waste solutions in the Baltic Sea region.
