Food Waste: Brussels Leads by Example

Did you know that some restaurants in Brussels make meals from food waste, such as peelings or parts usually discarded in the kitchen? Did you know that Brussels aims to have 30% of its households grow their own food by 2020? WeLoveBrussels is happy to share with you the excerpt on how the food waste is managed in Brussels written by Janusz Mizerny in his recent article on food waste. 

Brussels Implements the Good Food Programme

The session Towards the circular economy: local and regional solutions to food waste presented an interesting programme aimed at reducing food waste. It is called Good Food and will be implemented in the Brussels region. So what are its goals?

The main goal of this comprehensive programme is to reduce food waste by 30% by 2020. In addition it aims to support sustainable food production both in agriculture and among the citizens themselves. The region’s government wants to see the surface area of gardens used for food production double, so that by 2020, 30% of households will grow their own food.

Eliminating food waste right at the source is a priority, as is providing a collection and recycling system for unsold produce. Special containers for uneaten restaurant meals will also be promoted, dubbed rest-o-packs. Another aim is to oblige all supermarkets in the Brussels region to collaborate with at least one organization that manages unused food (e.g. a food bank).

Brussels Leads by Example

Various educational measures are, of course, a vital feature. People in and around Brussels will have access to cookery workshops demonstrating how to utilize food products to their full extent while minimizing waste. Teaching people to use local and seasonal products is also an important change of mindset.

Interestingly, 9 restaurants have already joined the Good Food programme, all taking the idea of eliminating food waste very seriously. Their menus feature meals made from waste products, such as peelings, or parts usually discarded in the kitchen, such as tops or leaves. You can use these to make vegetable stock or sometimes even a complete dish (e.g. soup).

Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to try these delicacies during our stay in Brussels, though not for want of trying — we simply didn’t expect all restaurants to close at 3 p.m. (yes, really). Even so, the Good Food concept really appeals to us. It’s only been a few months, so it’s still too early to say if the Brussels region will achieve all its stated programme goals, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

You can read the whole article in Polish or in English. If you are on the sustainable side you can also check out Instagram profile of green_projects_only.

Source: How to Stop Wasting Food. Janusz Mizerny. 2016.