Between the Nordic countries, there is growing concern around the definitions, metrics and measurements that create the foundation of food waste mitigation. In all likelihood, this dilemma needs to be addressed before a common legislative framework can emerge.

The Nordic Food Waste Summit’s workshops and panels have made it clear that there are plenty of foundational frameworks and definitions that would need to be harmonized before moving forward.

Karin Fritz, project manager at the Swedish Food Agency, emphasized this need for clearer definitions.   

There are several areas where Nordic countries differ. Measuring edible and non-edible food waste is one obstacle; liquid food waste is another. Do we mean food loss or food waste – or both? Are corporations and primary producers being monitored by audits or self-evaluation? How is household food waste measured and how far are the different countries’ practices from each other?

Those and many other questions point to an important foundation that needs to be in place before collaborative acceleration can take place.

Karin Fritz, project manager at the Swedish Food Agency