At this year’s 22nd GASTRU TUROPOLJA, Velika Gorica LAB organized a round table with the theme “Plan for the prevention and reduction of food waste in the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2023 to 2028”, which was presented to us by Melita Došen, B.Sc.Biotech., Univ. .spec.oecoing, Head of the Department for Food Waste Prevention and Ph.D. Sanja Kolarić Kravar, Head of the Department for Food Quality in the Directorate for Animal Husbandry and Food Quality from the Ministry of Agriculture. As part of the Plan, the Voluntary Agreement was discussed, the signatory of which is the City of Zagreb, led by Emil Tuk, MD. vet., Senior expert advisor for urban nutrition, presented the activities that are being carried out, what are his goals and obligations upon signing.
We are glad that the participants expressed interest in this event, which was intended to increase interest in signing this agreement, the main goal of which is to reduce food waste – according to the latest estimates, more than 280 thousand tons of food, or as much as 71 kg, are thrown away in Croatia annually per inhabitant. About how to reduce and how to carry out activities aimed at achieving the goal, which is to reduce these quantities by 30% by the end of 2028 – in addition to the presenters, the representatives of the City of Velika Gorica, the municipalities of Rugvica and Kravarsko, as well as representatives of the economy, Lidl and Inventivna rješana participated in the Round Table and we were joined by the VG Legacy Association, which opened the first social store in our city.
No Plan can be successful without the involvement, connection, and participation of all the stakeholders necessary for its implementation, so we hereby invite all representatives of food producers and processors, trade, hospitality, the scientific and academic community, local and regional self-government units, non-profit organizations and initiatives and associations and companies to participate in this much-needed initiative and sign the Agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture.
As part of the activities of the Velika Gorica project, LAB participated as the organizer of the opening of the 2nd Zagreb County Ecological Agriculture Festival, where various interesting lectures were held:
CITY OF ZAGREB – PLAVI CEKER quality label – gathering and organizing small and medium-sized agricultural farms that produce high-quality products. The goal of this initiative is to position these farms as important and recognizable producers on the market.
ALGOEKO D.O.O. – Inclusion in the system of ecological agricultural production, how to get a certificate, co-financing possibilities, the functioning of the control system, the future of agriculture, and sustainable development.
WOLT – New distribution model – an innovative food delivery model adapted to consumers, but also very interesting for local producers. Users of the WOLT application are generally urban consumers who value and look for quality products and are especially interested in buying products from local producers that are sometimes difficult to find. In this sense, Wolt recognizes the opportunity to bring local producers and consumers closer through their infrastructure.
PROF.DR.SC.ALBERT MARINCULIĆ – the impact of pesticides on human health, mass plagues of bees and wild pollinators, birds, and fish. Safe methods for use in agricultural production as the basis of organic farming.
EKO GOSPODARSTVO ČEGEC – The first Croatian eco-wine, how it was created, what kind of production it is engaged in, certificates and recognitions received, what kind of services they offer, vision and wines
At this year’s GASTRO, we did not neglect even our youngest members of the food system, and in cooperation with NESTLE nutritionist Koraljka Novina Brkić, we prepared workshops according to their program, and in cooperation with the students of the Secondary Vocational School and prof. Trumpeter:
- Get to know the plate of proper nutrition NutriPortion – drawing the plate of proper nutritionmore at the link Nutriporcija – Plate of proper nutrition | Nestlé (nestle.hr)
- We make fruit skewers with local consumers – kids and parents
- PETICA – play to health is a public health education program for lower-grade elementary school students, their parents, and the general public about the importance of proper nutrition and regular physical activity with the goal of obesity prevention.
Let’s transform the food system TOGETHER
