Category: Uncategorized

Cooperation project with Foodsharing Germany: “Foodsharing Akademie” crosses borders

The first international cooperation project between foodsharing Luxembourg and the foodsharing Academy in Germany has been running since the beginning of this year. With the help of funding from the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, the cooperation and exchange between the two food sharing networks in Luxembourg and Germany are to be expanded, the capacities of the partner organisation strengthened, and the implementation of educational activities in Luxembourg promoted. At the same time, both organisations can benefit from each other’s experiences and strengthen the international exchange in the fight against food waste. In the summer of 2022, the knowledge gained will be passed on in the form of a multiplier training course in Luxembourg where multipliers will be trained to implement educational activities.

Together with the Earthship project of CELL, we would like to implement joint educational projects. In mid-March, our project team visited the Earthship and its crew for the first time and received an impressive tour of the (not yet completely finished) building. The Earthship is built entirely from sustainable and recycled materials and aims to produce the human needs of light, heat, water and food in a self-sufficient and cycle-oriented way. A flagship for sustainable building and living!

Here at the Erdschiff, a wide range of educational programmes take place on the topic of sustainability and circular economy – and soon also on food waste and food appreciation. We are happy about the starting cooperation with this great project!

In June, we would like to hold our first educational seminar in Luxembourg. This will be aimed at teachers who can have the seminar hours recognised by the Institut de la Formation Education Nationale as further training hours. On the other hand, in the second part of the seminar, the Luxembourgish food sharers and all those who are interested in this topic would be addressed. For this, we need your input: what would you like to learn more about? What are the topics relating to foodsharing that interest you? Where could you use support from experienced coaches or team members?

If you have topics that interest you, would like to learn more about this project or would like to participate yourself – please write to our project coordinator Taalke Wolf: projektkoordination@foodsharing-akademie.org

More about the project and Foodsharing Academy (unfortunately only in German).

Foodsharing Academy

13 people on a bike tour visit the FP Lintgen

photo by Ekkehart Schmidt

The Foodsharing Point Lintgen had a group of 13 people come and visit on a bike tour ( with velosophie https://velosophie.lu/de/) as part of their annual outing with etika -a non-profit association founded in 1996 who aims to promote alternative finance and thus support the transformation towards a more sustainable world – https://etika.lu/ . Their focus this year was food waste and so they came to visit our FP to learn more about FSL and how they can take part in reducing food waste. It was a glorious morning, the sun was shining and it was a success for everyone involved. After some ‘saved food’ refreshments and stocking up from the fridge in the FP for their picnic lunch, they cycled off to Kass Haff and Naturata.

Donation of €5,000

On Thursday 3 March 2022, Foodsharing Luxembourg received a donation of €5,000 from the Rotary Club Junglinster-Syrdall and the Rotary Club Schengen/Mondorf at the Belenhaff in Junglinster. After a presentation of our association and our activities, we were able to receive this check which will be used in the procurement of professional refrigeration equipment for our Distribution Days in order to be able to meet even more the requirements of food safety.

Thank you again to both Rotary clubs.

Foodsharing Luxembourg received a trophy

Yesterday, Foodsharing Luxembourg received a trophy for its project submitted in 2020 at the European Solidarity Corps. This EU funding program for the duration of one year enabled us to solidify our foundation and to extend our activities, with for example the Distribution Days. A big thank you to the national EU agency Anefore for their support.

Advent Window at Foodsharing Point Lintgen

Foodsharing Point Lintgen, Photo by Hannah Proffitt-Perchard, December 2021

On December 1st, the Foodsharing Point in Lintgen revealed their Advent Window. The event was organised by the commune of Lintgen over the 24 days of Advent.

The window decorations were lovingly crafted by local children and all the lights and Christmas decorations were donated to us by SIVEC recycling centre.

The event was a team effort, and everyone had an enjoyable evening sharing saved food and drinking warm spiced apple juice made with local fruit!

It was a special occasion to connect with people from the village. It gave us the opportunity to explain and demonstrate how the Foodsharing Point works, discuss some common misconceptions, and spread the message to help fight food waste in Luxembourg.

Come to see our Advent Window – our window is lit up every night from 18:00 to 21:00 and you can also visit the Foodsharing Point.

“Take what you need, share what you can, fighting food waste together!”

Thank you, from the Foodsharing Point team Lintgen

EYE 2021

United Against Food Waste: Making sure food ends up in people’s stomachs

Foodsharing Luxembourg participated at the European Youth Event (EYE) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg with thousands of young people from all over the European Union and beyond with a workshop where participants came up with ideas on how to tackle food loss and food waste.

Thank you! That is what “United Against Food Waste” stands for!

Our workshop took place on Saturday, October 9, 2021, from 14:00 to 15:00

Picture by Eunice Sánchez González

Results from the workshop

We divided up the workshop participants into 5 groups. Each group was dealing with one of the following topics: food loss, food service, retail, household. Only the last topic – household – was treated by two groups as we had to split it up due the huge interest. Here the top 3 political demands of each group are listed.

Food loss

  1. Increase youth education about how to value food, how to prevent food waste and how to reduce wasteful tendencies
  2. Optimise food production with scientifically proven solutions
  3. Open more channels for redistribution, e.g. special stores for overproduction or for unconventional looking vegetables

Food services

  1. Make food waste visible by forcing food services to publish their food waste production and to quantify the GHG emissions of their food offered
  2. Make donating unsold surplus mandatory and fund organisations that work with food leftovers
  3. Include food waste solutions in climate policies

Retail

  1. Simplify the expiration law and ban throwing away food
  2. Remove all legal barriers to sell expired but still edible food and fund stores that do sell them
  3. Force retail businesses to inform their customers about their food waste

Household 1

  1. Make consumers reflect on their consumption
  2. Support consumers by instructing them on how to prepare and conserve food at home
  3. Introduce food waste regulations for stores selling food

Household 2

  1. Educate consumers about food waste
  2. Make consumers aware of secondary uses
  3. Introduce penalties for food being wasted

We will continue to work with these and all the other ideas for political demands in our upcoming political work activities. Stay tuned!

Thanks to all the workshop’s organisers, facilitators and participants!

First Foodsharing Point opened

Picture by Daniel Waxweiler

Foodsharing Luxembourg is proud to announce the opening of their first Foodsharing Point! A Foodsharing Point is a public place to share food from private to private person and usually consists of a fridge and a shelf. You can take what you want, and you can put inside what you do not need. You find it at the shop Naturwelten, 7 rue Auguste Charles, in Bonnevoie, in Luxembourg City.

Thanks to Naturwelten for providing us with the place and to Frères des Hommes for providing us with a fridge!

Offer to restaurants and to cafés

In case your restaurant or café cannot use up its stock of food due to the latest COVID-19 restrictions you do not have to throw everything away! Our foodsavers are happy to come to pick up any food products to distribute them through our network. Just send us an e-mail to moien@foodsharing.lu and leave us a phone number for a quick reply.

Financial report 2019

Here is the financial report, which was presented on the general assembly on the 8th June 2020:

Amount [€]
Account423,68
Refunds we need to do-320,76
Deposit for 3 gas canisters75
Costs that will be covered29,09
207,01
Overview as of 31.12.2019
Amount [€]
Donations collected on events261,64
Donation by Votum Klima for the cooking event on the 27th September 2019166,04
Account fee-4
423,68
Account in detail as of 31.12.2019

Open letter to Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development

Here is our letter sent to the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development during their public consultation of the national climate action plan called Plan national intégré en matière d’énergie et de climat (PNEC).

Gudde Moien,

Mat dëser E-Mail bezitt Foodsharing Luxembourg Stellung wärend der ëffentlecher Consultatioun zum Plan national intégré en matière d’énergie et de climat (PNEC). 

Foodsharing Luxembourg ass ee Veräin ouni Gewënnzweck, deen d’Liewensmëtteloffäll zu Lëtzebuerg reduzéiere wëll. Aktuell ziele mir 55 Memberen a kommen eisem Ziel duerch verschidde Projete méi no. Dorënner sinn d’Ariichte vun ëffentlech zougänglechen Tauschplatze fir Liewensmëttel am private Kader, dem Opbau vu Kooperatioune mat Supermarchéen an anere Liewensmëttelbetriber fir d’Ofhuele vun onverkafbare Wueren an der Sensibiliséierung op diverse Veranstaltungen.

D’Reduktioun vun der Liewensmëttelverschwendung ass eng vun den Aktioune mat dem gréissten Impakt am Kampf géint d’Fortschreite vum Klimawandel. Engem IPCC-Spezial-Rapport no hunn déi global Liewensmëttelverloschter- a verschwendung tëschent 2010 an 2016 8 bis 10% vun den totalen Zäregasen ausgemaach [1]. Bis 2050 kéint ee weltwäit eleng duerch eng Reduzéierung vun der Liewensmëttelverschwendung tëschent 87,45 a 94,56 Gigatonnen CO2 aspueren [2]. Domat stellt dëst wëssenschaftlech gesinn eng vun den effektiivste Platze fir Zäregaser anzespueren duer [3].

Dowéinst begréisse mir, dass d’Liewensmëttelverschwendung zwee Mol am Plang erwäänt gëtt:
– Säit 79: “Im Abfallsektor sind alle Maßnahmen im nationalen Abfallwirtschaftsplan aufgelistet. Zusätzliche Maßnahmen werden mit der neuen Abfallverordnung eingeführt. In Bezug auf die Treibhausgasemissionen sind hier in erster Linie Maßnahmen relevant, welche eine Reduzierung des Abfallaufkommens erzielen. Insbesondere soll die Lebensmittelverschwendung bis 2022 um 50% gesenkt werden.”
– Säit 82: “Das Vermeiden von Lebensmittelverschwendung trägt entscheidend zur Emissionsreduktion bei. Die Kampagne „Antigaspi“ muss weitergeführt und intensiviert werden, um Abfälle entlang der gesamten Ernährungskette zu vermeiden.”

Leider feelt et aus eiser Sicht an dësem Plang awer nach u konkrete Léisunge fir Liewensmëttelverschwendung ze bekämpfen. Esou si mir ganz dermat averstan, dass d’Campagn “Antigaspi” weidergefouert an intensivéiert gi soll, mä wat heescht dat konkret?

Mir hunn hei e puer Virschléi, déi Dir iwwerhuele kënnt:
– Verbuet vum Ewechgeheie vun nach iessbare Liewensmëttel fir Butteker, wéi a Frankräich
– Ophiewe vum Verbuet Liewensmëttel, déi an Ariichtungen, wéi Kantinnen, Maison relaisen asw., iwwreg bleiwen ewechgeheien ze mussen an d’Verflichtung se Hëllefsorganisatiounen unzebidden oder anescht ze verdeelen
– Antrieden zur Ofschafung vum Mindesthaltbarkeetsdatum op Produkter, déi sech éiweg halen, op europäeschem Niveau, z.B. Esseg, Reis, Salz, Zocker
– Antrieden zur Ofschafung vun allen nach existéierende Vermarktungs-Normen, um Niveau vun der Europäischen Union an um Niveau vun der Wirtschaftskommissioun fir Europa vun de Vereenten Natiounen (UNECE)
– D’Campagn “Antigaspi” méi an de Schoulen abréngen. Vue dass d’Verschwendung an de Privathaushalter mat 72% [4] am stäerksten ass, ass eng ausféierlech Opklärung an Thematiséierung vum Problem a senge Léisungen e wichtege Bäitrag zum Klimaschutz; vu gezieltem a geplangtem Akafen, iwwert d’korrekt Lagerung bis hin zum korrekten Akachen an Afréiere vu Liewensmëttel.

Mir hoffen op eng Ergänzung vu konkrete Léisunge fir dass mir dës Problemer net ëmmer weider virun eis hier drécken. Bei Froe sti mir gären zu Ärer Verfügung.

Bescht Gréiss,
Foodsharing Luxembourg a.s.b.l.

[1]: IPCC Spezielle Rapport iwwert Klimawandel a Land, August 2019 (Kapitel 5): https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2019/11/08_Chapter-5.pdf
[2]: Project Drawdown iwwert Liewensmëttelverschwendung https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/reduced-food-waste
[3]: Project Drawdown mat enger Iwwersiicht mat Léisungen géint d’Klimakris https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions
[4]: Zesummefaassung vun enger Studie iwwert d’Liewensmëttelverschwendung zu Lëtzebuerg: https://web.archive.org/web/20190201111744/http://antigaspi.lu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2016_03_Studie_FoodWaste_Luxemburg_Zusammenfassung.pdf