The period is now open to submit applications for the Paco Muñoz Awards, convened for the third time by Mercabarna with the aim of recognizing the best initiatives in the fight against food waste. There is time until next September 12 to formalize the applications, which can compete in three categories: Best initiative for the prevention of food waste; Best technological innovation initiative against waste; and Best social innovation initiative. The people, companies, and entities deserving of the awards will be announced on October 11.
The name of the Mercabarna-Paco Muñoz Awards aims to be a tribute to the work carried out by Paco Muñoz throughout his professional career in the field of the fight against food waste, both from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and from the Plataforma Aprofitem els Aliments (APA). Wholesale, retail, or primary sector companies can apply, as well as initiatives and entrepreneurship projects linked to social innovation that are focused on this subject and are measurable.
The prize amount is 5,000 euros for the winner of each category and the jury will take into account for evaluating each application criteria of environmental, social, and economic impact, as well as the diversity of the actors involved in the different links of the value chain, the amount of food waste reduced, and the replicability, scalability, and economic viability of the projects. All initiatives competing for the awards must have been implemented at least one year before the application is submitted.
The jury of the awards is made up of representatives of relevant organizations in the fight against waste, such as the Agència de Residus de Catalunya, the Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural, the European Commission, the business association AECOC, the Col·legi Oficial d'Enginyers Agrònoms de Catalunya, and the UPC-Mercabarna Chair.
It is estimated that one third of the food produced in the world is thrown away. In the European Union, 154 million tons of food are wasted each year, of which 3% correspond to wholesale and retail sales. Food waste occurs at all links in the food chain, but losses from primary production are particularly notable, accounting for 59% of the total. In households, explains Mercabarna, an average of 28 kg of food per Spaniard is wasted each year (2021 data). This figure is equivalent to 4% of the food purchased in households. Likewise, it is estimated that waste represents a cost of 143 billion euros per year for businesses and households in the European sphere.
"Mercabarna calls for these awards in order to promote and recognize initiatives carried out in Catalunya in favor of the fight against losses and waste in the different links of the agri-food chain. All actors: private sector, public sector, and society, play a fundamental role in developing measures that mitigate the negative social and environmental effects caused by food losses and waste, as established by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN and which must be achieved by 2030," adds the Barcelona central market.
In the first edition of the Paco Muñoz Awards, created in 2019, six companies and entities were awarded that recovered 12.5 million kilos of food in one year. Thus, in the field of agricultural production, Kopgavà Service Trade was recognized for innovating in machinery and seeds with the aim of producing more homogeneous and smaller turnips and parsnips for broth, to avoid having to cut them. In parallel, the award for the best wholesale company initiative went to Ronda Fruits, for its strong involvement in donations to Banc dels Aliments. For its part, Caprabo won the award for the best retail company for its pioneering micro-donations program. The Fundación Espigoladors, the Ayuntamiento de Reus, and the Banc dels Aliments were also recognized.
The second edition of the awards took place in 2021 and the jury once again recognized the work of Caprabo, which received the award for the best private sector initiative for having implemented in its supermarkets a system for collecting organic matter (meat, cold cuts, and fish) not suitable for human consumption, which is recycled to obtain feed, soaps, and biogas.
The award for the best entrepreneurship initiative went to the Too Good To Go movement, which, through a mobile application, allows shops and restaurants to sell their daily food surplus at a reduced price so that it is not wasted. Finally, the award for the best third sector initiative was given to Nutrició Sense Fronteres, which has been developing the Comparteix el Menjar program since 2012.
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