Reduced bread waste through innovative business and consumer strategies

In Norway, approximately 300,000 loaves of bread are wasted every day, which accounts for 18 per cent of food waste in households and 42 per cent in the retail sector. In Norway, bread is a very important part of the diet. 96 percent of Norwegian consumers consume bread regularly. This makes bread an impactful product for implementing new, sustainable strategies for the prevention and reduction of bread waste from the industry, retail sector and consumers. 

Goal 

The aim of the project is to develop new and efficient strategies for the prevention and reduction of bread waste from bakeries to consumers. The goal is to cut bread waste by half 

Intermediate goals: 

• Rethink the Norwegian bread system and develop useful strategies to address the systemic barriers against waste prevention and reduction 
• Evaluate specific measures and business strategies that may contribute to prevent and reduce bread waste at both the consumer and retail level 
• Develop and evaluate technological solutions for reusing and repurposing surplus bread as new ingredients and bakery products. 
• Facilitate an adaptation of the Norwegian bread system towards a higher level of circular economy through responsible policy and industry recommendations as well as effective communication. 

Bread Rescuers is based on the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), where open innovation is combined with ethics and sustainability thinking. 

How we work 

Bread Rescuers is based on three strategies; Rethink, Reduce, and Repurpose. The research includes surveying solutions from other countries for inspiration. We develop new strategies in cooperation with partners in the Norwegian cereal industry. We gather insights through online consumer surveys, household interviews, purchase point tests as well as small and large scale baking trials.  

Work packages

The project is divided into four work packages: 

Rethink

We draw inspiration from both Norway and abroad through a literature review and interviews with industry experts and stakeholders along the Norwegian value chain of bread. For instance, we will look at how return agreements lead to less waste in stores, but more waste in the bakeries that are obliged accept the return bread. We will also conduct studies with approximately 30 families with children to identify triggers and solutions that reduce bread waste, using the children’s packed lunches as a case. The findings will be used to further develop the value chain in collaboration with the participants in the bread system.  

Reduce

We evaluate whether frozen bread is a good strategy to prevent and reduce bread waste at the consumer and retail level, and explore the possibility to expand frozen bread as an attractive option in the grocery store. Studies will be done both in households and in grocery stores. Nofima’s trained sensory panel will map the sensory properties of bread under different freezing and thawing conditions. The findings will be used to develop recommendations on frozen bread strategies for both consumers and the retail industry. 

Repurpose

We develop and evaluate technological solutions to repurpose surplus bread into new ingredients and bakery products. We will map the chemical composition, functional and baking properties of the crumble flour milled from surplus bread. We will examine attitudes, acceptance and price sensitivity, and establish insights on how consumers relate to different concepts with repurposed bread. The findings will be used to develop recipes where part of the wheat flour is replaced by crumble flour, and pilot test production in the baking industry. 

RRI and effective dissemination and communication

We facilitate an adaptation to less bread waste. This applies to both policy and industry recommendations, as well as communication that reaches consumers, cereal and bakery stakeholder, the retail sector and the authorities.  

The end results of the project should lead to 

1. new, scientifically based knowledge and methodological approaches that will be transferrable to other food systems  

2. recommendations for households, industry and policy makers promoting circular economy in the value chain of bread.