300 meals can be saved from this kitchen – every month

This has been calculated by senior researcher Shraddha Mehta at SINTEF Ocean.

“Even though 300 meals isn’t much compared to the total food production, those meals can be a lifesaver for people who need them,” she says.

Matsentralen Trøndelag is a network of food banks. They depend on donations from the food industry to support disadvantaged people, but periodically run short of surplus food. 

The production kitchen in Trondheim has now stepped in to find solutions that would enable them to donate the food.

The Trondheim production kitchen is a busy place. The team produces meals for homebound individuals, hospitals, municipal and private institutions, and kindergartens. 

Large quantities of raw materials go into preparing tasty and nutritious food. 

The municipality, which joined Mehta's project to map food waste, also believed that waste was a big problem.

So did Tony Andersen, unit manager at the production kitchen. Then they discovered that food waste is not always food waste.

“Stock bones, citrus peels, banana peels, fish bones, and trimmings are examples of leftovers that we can’t eat. The raw materials have served their purpose and they become production waste, not food waste,” says Andersen.

Not so easy to measure

During the project period, the waste in the production kitchen was divided into different categories. 

The researchers looked at food waste that was inedible and food waste from overproduction or faulty production, storage waste, and individual portions. 

Composting and processing of food waste were included in the calculations in order to be able to calculate accurate emissions and costs related to the collection and final treatment of waste.

“The employees are surprised at how little food waste we have, and how little extra effort is required to track the waste and have an overview of it. They are very proud,” says Andersen.

Although the waste at the production kitchen is fairly minimal compared to the amount of food produced every day, a lot of food waste still occurs at the end-consumer stage. 

Those who receive the food do not always have a big appetite, or they may have visitors and end up eating something else. 

A production kitchen has little influence over end-consumer food waste, but researchers are continuing to track food waste in their own production locations to see if the waste can be reduced even more.

Waiting for a food waste law

It may pay for the production kitchen to be ahead of the curve.

In 2026, a dedicated food waste law will be introduced, titled the Act on the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste (link in Norwegian). Requirements for mandatory donation, reporting, and due diligence assessments are currently under consideration.

Trondheim municipality, REEN AS, and SINTEF Ocean are collaborating on the project. 

Together, they have tested REEN’s digital tool, which is used to map what is thrown away. Then they reviewed the routines for measuring the different categories. 

A robust data basis is important in order to propose measures to reduce food waste. These figures also make it possible for Mehta and her colleagues to calculate economic losses and greenhouse gas emissions from waste.

Goal is to halve food waste

Trondheim municipality has committed to cutting food waste by 50 per cent by 2030. 

The production kitchen alone accounts for about half of the municipality’s food purchases, so it was a natural place to start.

“The goal is certainly feasible, but we still have some distance to go. We’ve already introduced measures like reducing portion sizes, without reducing the nutritional content, and we’ve changed the cancellation deadline from three to five days to have more time to redistribute product,” says Linda Thorsteinsen, the advisor for food and circular economy in Trondheim municipality.

Food waste was recorded for about eight months. Even though the amount was less than expected, additional gains are still possible.

Because waste will never be zero. Requirements for nutritional content in food, late cancellations, or fewer orders than expected lead to surplus.

Changes in regulations need to be put in place

Mehta has calculated that about 300 meals per month can be kept in the food value chain if existing regulations allow it.

“The cost basis provides helpful insight into variations from month to month, and helps to identify deviations that are often not easy to detect through financial figures,” says Mehta.

It also becomes easier to see the effects of various measures and to adjust routines and production accordingly. The production kitchen team now goes through the cost reports every week, and discusses them with all employees at their monthly meetings.

“This process enables us to go back and identify the cause of any waste. The insights we gain can prevent food waste and support the achievement of a 50 per cent reduction target by 2030,” says Thorsteinsen.

The researchers hope other municipalities will be inspired to do the same, because there is a lot to be gained here.

Reference:

Mehta et al. Kartlegging av matsvinn hos Trondheim kommunes Produksjonskjøkken og tiltak for å redusere svinn (PDF) (Mapping of food waste at Trondheim production kitchens and measures to reduce waste), SINTEF Report, 2025.

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