The project investigates the causes of food waste and the barriers that may exist, hindering a reduction in food waste among actors in the food industry. One of the results was the desire for a better overview of which foods emitted the most greenhouse gases (GHG). DTU has contributed to the development of a software tool for use by food producers, industrial kitchens, cafeterias, and restaurants that aim to reduce their food waste and GHG emissions.
The GHG emissions of food items are stored in the database that the FoodWasteMonitor tool relies on. Both the database and the tool itself have been developed by DTU Sustain. Based on this, a recipe – including its ingredients and associated costs – can now be calculated for its total GHG emissions. This makes it a valuable decision support tool, as it clearly identifies where the major CO2 emitters lie, both at the recipe level and for individual ingredients.
The tool should be considered a beta version. It is still in an early stage but has been tested by three employees in two different companies and adjusted according to their needs.
Nevertheless, the tool is available in a free and accessible version for all interested parties. Responsibility for its use lies with the user.
For a detailed user manual, please refer to this link, and you can find an example of its use here.
