International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Introduction

The International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction, celebrated on September 29, aims to raise awareness and promote efforts to reduce food waste.  This year it comes with the theme 'Climate Finance for Food Loss and Waste Reduction'. 

In this webquest you will explore the causes and impacts of food waste, learn about global and local initiatives to combat it, and discover practical steps you can take to make a difference.

For More Information: https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/food-waste/international-day-awareness-food-loss-and-waste_en

Task

Through this WebQuest students will be able to:

  • Explain the main causes and impacts of food loss and food waste.

  • Research reliable sources to identify practical food-waste-reduction strategies.

  • Propose actionable tips that households can use to prevent waste, store food safely, and reuse leftovers.

  • Create and share digital content that communicates their strategies effectively.

  • Reflect on how understanding food loss helps them take meaningful action in their own lives and communities.

Process

Step 1: Watch the introductory video

Watch the following video: 

https://youtu.be/_DlIZ7GZtpQ?si=YV5h1boPsRP4JRkH

or read the video summary here.  

 

Step 2: Research

Use the following resources to gather information about food waste reduction strategies:

As you explore the resources, make note of the strategies that stand out. Consider:

  • How can households avoid over-purchasing food?
  • What strategies help extend the shelf life of food?
  • How can leftovers be creatively reused in new meals?

  • How can climate finance mechanisms be leveraged to support initiatives that reduce food loss and waste across the supply chain?

 

Step 3: Provide actionable advice and strategies

Provide actionable advice and strategies that individuals and households can implement to reduce their food waste. Share your findings on the padlet: https://padlet.com/meddiet4health/international-day-of-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-fo3ybetcmrs6ozqr

 

Step 4: Reflect

Use the Twinspace related forum to reflect on the question: 'How do you think learning about food loss can help us take meaningful action in our own lives?'

Evaluation

Students contribution will be evaluated through this rubric: 

Criteria

5 - Excellent

4 - Proficient

3 - Satisfactory

2 - Needs Improvement

1 - Incomplete/Unsatisfactory

Explanation of Causes and Impacts

Clearly and thoroughly explains the main causes and wide-ranging impacts of food loss and waste.

Explains causes and impacts with good detail and accuracy but lacks some depth or examples.

Provides a basic explanation of causes and impacts with minimal detail and some inaccuracies.

Explanation is incomplete, with several inaccuracies or missing key causes and impacts.

Does not explain causes or impacts, or explanation is mostly incorrect or irrelevant.

Research and Use of Sources

Uses multiple reliable sources effectively, synthesizing information to identify practical strategies.

Uses reliable sources and identifies practical strategies, with minor gaps or limited synthesis.

Uses some reliable sources but with limited practical strategies or superficial research.

Research is limited, sources are not reliable or poorly integrated, few strategies identified.

Little to no research evident, sources unreliable or missing, no practical strategies identified.

Actionable Advice and Strategies

Proposes clear, detailed, and feasible tips for preventing waste, safe storage, and reusing leftovers.

Proposes actionable tips that are mostly clear and feasible with minor omissions or vagueness.

Provides some tips but they may lack clarity, detail, or feasibility in practical application.

Tips are vague, impractical, or only partially related to preventing waste or reusing leftovers.

Provides no actionable advice or strategies, or advice is irrelevant or impractical.

Digital Content Creation

Creates engaging, well-organized digital content that effectively communicates strategies.

Creates digital content that communicates strategies clearly with minor organizational issues.

Digital content communicates strategies but lacks engagement or has organizational weaknesses.

Digital content is unclear, poorly organized, or does not effectively communicate strategies.

Digital content is missing, incomplete, or fails to communicate strategies.

Reflection on Learning and Action

Provides a thoughtful, insightful reflection on how learning about food loss encourages meaningful action.

Reflection shows good understanding, with some insight on personal/community action.

Reflection is basic and shows limited connection to meaningful action in personal/community life.

Reflection is superficial or only partially related to learning and action on food loss.

  
Conclusion

Through this WebQuest, you explored the causes and impacts of food loss and waste and discovered practical strategies for reducing them at home and in your community. By researching reliable sources, identifying effective solutions and sharing actionable advice, you learned how small everyday choices can significantly reduce waste. 

Credits
Teacher Page

This WebQuest was edited by two members of USGGED,Türkiye as part of the activities of the "Mediterranean Diet for Overall Health" (MedDiet4Health) Erasmus+ project (Project number: 2023-2-EL01-KA210-VET-000183592).

Through this WebQuest, students strengthen their research skills by gathering and evaluating information from reliable sources. They develop critical thinking as they turn what they learn into practical household strategies. By sharing their advice on Padlet, they improve digital communication, while the reflection task helps them build awareness and responsibility toward sustainable habits. Vocational students also gain practical problem-solving skills relevant to food, environment, and health-related fields.

This WebQuest reflects only the author’s views. The European Commission’s support for the production of this WebQuest does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.