For working citizens without a tight budget and areas of the city with a high prevalence in working citizens without a tight budget we recommend the following initiatives:
A package with tools to reduce food waste and develop skills to reduce food waste was sent to households. It includes a shopping list pad, a sticker indicating how long certain foods can be stored in the freezer, and an app giving information on the shelf life of foods. Evaluation of the project in three studies showed that simply giving the package was not enough. Messages to motivate consumers and social norms were crucial for the initiative to be effective.
Food management app to keep track of their purchased and cooked food. The app has multiple features like 8am summary notifications on expired / about to expire items; an inventory list sorted by expiry date (calendar icon) etc.. The app was tested among students. The group using the Cozzo app reduced the quantity (mean value) of food waste produced more than the other two groups.
In this initiative participating households picked one day a week to prepare a meal with food they already had. Provided to the households were tools to indicate foods that had to be consumed soon, such as a magnetic dry erase board, a plastic basket or clips. Recipes using leftovers were also provided. As a basis for the intervention the MOA model was used.
Use It Up Tape – visual prompt for leftover consumption
This initiative focuses on reducing food waste at a household level by using tape to promote using food in the fridge or storage that is close to expiring. It advised to do this by cooking a meal using food that needs to be used soon. The tape can be used in two ways. Firstly by pointing out a separate place in the fridge or storage where items are placed that need to be consumed soon. In addition to this it can also be used on individual items that need to be used soon.
The aim was to reduce food waste by offering information on households’ food waste – its amount, how it is generated and its economic and climate impacts – and inspiration and tips to reduce it. The aim of the calculator is to make the consumer pay attention and understand their own food waste, it also calculates the amount of money one uses. Includes social influence and leverage; awareness raising campaigns. Tool used needs further refinement to reach its goals.
This initiative involves a package that can be sent inside a food container, which can be used to store food. The package entails a "reduce food waste, save money" postcard and fridge magnet together with tools to help reduce food waste, including a letter with explanations, freezer stickers and a grocery list notepad. It also includes directions to a website providing additional information.
An awareness campaign in West London, made out of advertisements on the radio, social media and digital adverts. The core message of the campaign was: throwing away less food could save you up to GBP 50 per month. Besides this, the initiative also provided cooking skills and information about how to make the most out of the food that you buy.
Zero Waste Scotland collaborated with internationally known celebrity and fashion photographer Rankin. The focus of the campaign was a series of five photography exhibits featuring some of Scotland’s most wasted foods. The campaign actually reached a lot of people.
This initiative was a collaboration between Zero Waste Scotland and Lidl. The campaign consisted of a series of four weekly ‘waste-free’ shopping lists, meal plans and accompanying recipes for Lidl shoppers in all stores in Scotland, featuring ingredients to make breakfast, lunch and dinner each day for less than GBP 40 a week for a family of four. This desired behavior was promoted via inserts in the Lidl customer magazine, billboards at Lidl stores, Zero Waste Scotland PR and social media (including a collaboration with Scottish social media influencer ‘this little house’) and the use of Spotify audio adverts.
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