Two days ahead of The World Food Safety Day which is celebrated on October 16th, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH) organised an educational culinary workshop led by a famous Croatian chef, Melkior Bašić. The workshop was held within EFSA’s Safe2Eat campaign. The objective of the workshop was education of the consumers on how to safely handle food and reduce food waste, and the participants learned how to prepare delicious meals from leftovers.
According to the latest Eurostat results, around 280 000 tonnes of food are wasted yearly in Croatia, i.e. around 72 kilograms per inhabitant. Taking this into consideration, Croatia is below European Union’s average of 131 kilograms per inhabitant, positioning itself as the second EU country with the least food waste per inhabitant, right after Slovenia.
However, 76 % of Croatia’s annual food waste is generated in households – significantly more compared to EU’s average of 54 %, which places Croatia at the top of the ranking in terms of the share of food thrown away in households.
The market value of food waste in EU is estimated at around 132 billion euros.
According to research, most food waste is generated due to poor planning, preparation of excessive amounts of food, expiration of food and not being familiar with the difference between „use by“ and „best before“ labels. Foodstuffs with short expiration dates such as fresh milk, meat and fish are being thrown away the most, followed by fruits, vegetables and bakery products.
Inspired by these statistics, this workshop’s objective was to educate the participants on mitigating food waste by implementing simple advice such as meal planning, properly storing food and using leftovers. With chef Melkior Bašić as the workshop’s leader accompanied by an expert advisor from HAPIH’s Center for Food Safety, Vlatka Buzjak Služek, the participants learned about the use of leftover food, as well as about the safety rules that should be followed when preparing a meal.
The workshop was attended by public figures, food bloggers and influencers, including Doris Pinčić, Morana Zibar, Lucija Lugomer, Nana Nadarević, Mila Butorca, Sandra Rončević, Maja Jalšovac, Sonja Švajhler, Slađana Ostić and Igor Jadan. They learned how to prepare delicious dishes from leftover food, such as arancina di rosi in tomato sauce, club sandwiches and fish pate, but also how to properly handle food, prepare and store it. Influencers, equipped with new knowledge and skills had the goal of continuing to educate citizens who follow their culinary and other content on social networks.
„Food safety awareness is key to everyone’s health. Therefore, through this workshop and other activities within the Safe2Eat campaign’s implementation, we aim to help individuals recognize and implement the best methods for preserving the quality and safety of their food, as well as make good food handling practices the norm in each household.“, pointed out associate professor Ph.D., Krunoslav Karalić, the acting director of HAPIH.
The workshop focused on mitigating food waste and meal preparation by using leftovers which many throw away, despite the leftovers being usable and safe.
„Too much food is unnecessarily wasted, but with a little creativity, each foodstuff can be completely utilized and „waste“ can transformed into delicious meals. The recommendations are simple and everyone can stick to them – buy what you need, serve smaller portions, store leftovers in the fridge and use them the next day, freeze leftovers or transform them into compost, and lastly, familiarize yourselves with the meanings of the labels „use by“ and „best before“. This is an opportunity to change our habits and show how every piece of food has its own value.“, said chef Melkior Bašić.
The objective of the educational campaign “Safe2Eat” is to increase consumers’ awareness of the safety of the food they consume, encourage them to think critically about it, and to strengthen their confidence in the European Union’s food safety system, which is among the strictest in the world and guarantees that food in Croatia and the entire EU is safe for consumption. In its fourth year, the campaign deals with understanding food labels, food handling, foodborne diseases, food recycling and promoting practices that can reduce food waste. In addition to Croatia, the campaign is being implemented in 16 other EU member states. More information on food safety and tips on how to reduce food waste can be found on the „Safe2Eat“ campaign’s website: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/safe2eat.
