A new certificate has been unveiled that aims to reduce food waste and support recycling in restaurants, hotels and other food-producing establishments in Denmark.
The REFOOD certificate has the ambitious goal of acquiring 10,000 members by 2020. To obtain membership, establishments must implement at least three food waste-reducing initiatives and have an arrangement for the recycling of food waste. Aside from that, membership is free.
“The REFOOD brand already has over 100 members and we are experiencing great interest in spreading the good message,” Jean-Luc Frast, a REFOOD spokesperson, said in a press release.
“We appreciate that, among others, Scandic Hotels have signed up all their Danish hotels and have helped increase awareness of the REFOOD brand.”
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Huge drain on society
REFOOD has been created by the nation’s largest volunteer movement against food waste, Stop Spild Af Mad (Ending Food Waste), Agro Business Park, the business organisation Landbrug & Fødevarer, food delivery solution provider Unilever Food Solutions and the recycling organisation Daka ReFood.
A recent survey compiled by Unilever Food Solutions deduced that 45 percent of 1,000 asked consumers said they preferred dining at a restaurant that worked at minimising food waste.
Food waste costs Danish society 16 billion kroner a year; just 23 percent of organic waste is recycled.
