The BREADCRUMB Project is Launched: How to Save Food Through Better Marketing Standards The quality and appearance of food products that we find on retailer shelves is at least partially defined by marketing standards. At early stages of the supply chain, like the interface of production and retail, certain product specifications may result in products being sorted out and becoming food loss or waste. 21 partners from eight European countries have come together in the Breadcrumb project aiming to better understand and reduce the impacts of marketing standards on food waste. 14 multi-actor case studies covering five food commodities (fruits & vegetables, meat, eggs, cereals and fish) will play a major role in the first year of the project by providing information on food waste (FW) caused by marketing standards. At the official project kick-off held in January 2024 in Brussels, Belgium, case study partners started the discussions within respective commodity groups on the best proceeding for the planning, monitoring and interaction strategy of the activities. During the kick-off meeting, the partners also explored the interaction of public and private food marketing standards on food waste generation in Europe. Together with the organic producer and wholesaler Lehmann Natur, the CSCP set the course for a purposeful cooperation for the German case study in the fruits and vegetable sector. “We are looking forward to the work with all Breadcrumb partners in creating high-quality new knowledge on FW-related marketing standards and then to strive for concrete solution implementation in Germany with actor-specific guidance. Moreover, the project looks to improve market access for suboptimal foods.”, states CSCP project director, Nora Brüggemann. “The partnership with Lehmann Natur will enable us to jointly position the topic in Germany – our networks and competencies complement each-other”, concludes Brüggemann. The project is funded by the EU Horizon research and innovation program and will run over 3 years (January 2024- December 2026). For additional information, please visit the Breadcrumb project page. For further questions, please contact Nora Brüggemann.