Current food supply chains are notoriously inefficient and show vulnerabilities from initial agriculture production down to the final household consumption and waste management. ACR+ is a partner in FoodRUs, a new project led by its member University of Deusto from 2020 to 2023. FoodRUs has been built on the basis of the three fundamental pillars of food sovereignty (Democracy, Health & Culture and Empowerment) to address food waste prevention challenge via circular economy as a model from which to generate, implement and replicate technical and organisational solutions in different value chains and at different scales.

FoodRUs will deployed 23 technological, social, financial, ethical, educational, political, labelling and organizational innovative solutions involving the mobilization and active participation of more than 40 actors including: experts on agro-industry, LCA, social innovation and economy, awareness raising, culinary arts, nutrition, labelling, fiscality and ICT tools, municipalities, policy makers, ethical finance organizations, stakeholders of the entire food value chains (producers, farmers, retailers, packaging and logistics services, HORECA, consumers associations and communities), waste managers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, Food Banks, social kitchens and educational centres. FoodRUs will screen 3 value chains focused in 3 specific types of food in Europe: Cross-regional Spanish pilot focused on vegetables and IV range salads; Danish pilot analysing the value chain for meat and fish; Slovak pilot analysing the bread value chain.

ACR+ will be in charge of ensuring the replication of the project’s results and issuing policy recommendations addressing food systems and food waste prevention.