• The tool, still in development, seeks to connect users in the fruit and vegetable sector to avoid wasting food that can be used by other agents.
• The Operational Group (OG) aims to carry out a diagnosis of the real waste in the sector and help digitalize processes to reduce food waste.

The most expensive food for farmers is the food they throw away. And around a third of the world's food is wasted between harvest, distribution, and consumption, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO ) . This highlights the fact that many steps remain to be taken to create a sustainable food system.

With this data in hand and with the aim of preventing part of this loss, the PDApp Operational Group ( GO PDApp ) was born on March 8 .

This GO focuses its activities on preventing food waste in the fruit and vegetable sector through digital tools .

Measures to avoid waste

The GO has planned a series of actions:

1. Support service for companies and agents in the link: design work to create a contact channel to advise and support the agents involved.
2. Digitalization: advice and mentoring in the digitalization process of "Food Loss and Waste Prevention and Reduction Plans," which will be mandatory in a few years.
3. Digital surplus tool: development of an app to facilitate the exchange of surpluses between different parties (processors, NGOs, livestock farmers, manufacturers, and feed producers, etc.). This will enable traceability and reporting of waste to public authorities.
4. Loss and waste assessment: establishing the real situation in this regard in the fruit and vegetable sector.

The GO particularly seeks to raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of measuring and reducing waste . It thus takes as a reference the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals , which aim to halve global per capita waste by 2030.

According to their work, the fruit and vegetable sector needs to establish more implementation plans, conduct a thorough assessment of the situation, and enable companies and stakeholders to implement prevention plans and utilize more alternatives for reusing potentially wasted food.

Projects in progress

The GO is currently in the process of creating a digital tool for exchanging surpluses for diagnosing fruit and vegetable losses and waste, as reported at a meeting in Barcelona on May 4.

To highlight and learn about an example of surplus utilization, they visited the workshop of one of their collaborators, Es Im-perfect , which creates jams, vegetable pâtés, and sauces using fruits and vegetables discarded at the market due to their imperfection. Therefore, they reuse products that would normally have been wasted.

Members and funding

The GOPDApp is formed by the Espigoladors Foundation (representing entity), the Energy and Environment Technology Centre ( CETENMA ) (technical coordinator), the EnergyLab Technology Centre , Oreka Circular Economy , the Coordinator of Farmers' and Ranchers' Organisations ( COAG ) , Kiwi Atlántico , Jimbofresh and the Conca de la Tordera Agricultural Cooperative . Also collaborating are Galinsect , Trasdeza Natur , Es Im-Perfect Food , the Levante Sur Agricultural Cooperative , Verdcamp Fruits and Camposeven .

The project has a total investment of 599,480.28 euros , 80% of which comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ( EAFRD ) and 20% from the General Directorate of Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training ( DGDRIFA ) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food .