From better data to better action: WASTEWISE joins FOLOU’s final event
On 30 October 2026, Hanna Hartikainen, one of WASTEWISE’s scientific coordinators at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), participated in the final event of the sister project FOLOU in Barcelona, Spain. Felicitas Schneider, a WASTEWISE Advisory Board member who also served as an adviser on the FOLOU project, also made a contribution.
The event brought together researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders to share FOLOU’s key results and reflect on the challenges of understanding, measuring and reducing food losses in primary production. As part of a technical panel discussion moderated by Raquel Díaz, Hanna Hartikainen joined Letizia Piras (ROSETTA), Idoya Ferrero (ToNoWaste) and Anna Sagrera Cots (FOLOU) to discuss how current knowledge can be translated into more effective action.
The discussion highlighted the progress made in defining and measuring food losses, while exploring how loss data could complement the food waste data already reported by EU Member States. Improving data availability and quality is essential, but participants also stressed the importance of taking action based on the evidence currently available, while remaining transparent about existing knowledge gaps.
As Hanna Hartikainen highlighted, “Thanks to FOLOU, we now have a much better understanding of food losses in primary production and how to define and measure them. This helps fill an important gap in a picture that has so far focused mainly on food waste.”
Beyond quantifying losses and waste, WASTEWISE aims to assess the food system as a whole and identify solutions that genuinely improve it. As Hanna explained, “We want to look behind the numbers and understand their environmental and nutritional impacts, so that better data can lead to better-informed action.”
Reflecting on the need to move forward despite remaining uncertainties, Hilke Bos-Brouwers, former scientific coordinator of the FUSIONS and REFRESH projects, reminded participants that “Perfect is the enemy of good.” Better data are needed, but perfect data should not be a prerequisite for action. The key is to use what we know, be transparent about what we do not know, and continue improving the evidence as we move forward.
WASTEWISE thanks the FOLOU coordination team, the entire consortium and everyone involved in organising this valuable event and fostering collaboration across European research initiatives.
