• València Innovation Capital, as part of the ToNoWaste project, is promoting a series of activities to combat food waste through innovation, the identification of synergies, and citizen participation
• The European ToNoWaste project promotes practical solutions that address the root causes of food waste to create a food waste management system that generates a positive social and environmental impact

Valencia hosted a professional conference on food donation organized by the Valencia City Council, through Valencia Innovation Capital, as part of the European ToNoWaste project, with the goal of facilitating compliance with Law 1/2025 on the prevention of food waste and promoting partnerships between businesses and social organizations.

The event brought together all stakeholders involved in food waste management: from companies that generate food surpluses (producers, the HORECA sector, the agri-food industry, retail, etc.) to social organizations that could potentially receive donations and intermediary entities, serving as a professional forum for collaboration and networking aimed at sharing challenges, discovering real solutions, and moving toward stable models of collaboration.

Within the new regulatory framework established by Law 1/2025, which designates food donation as the second priority after prevention, the conference highlighted the importance of having stable partnerships, clear processes, and tools that ensure traceability and food safety. Throughout the session, an open dialogue took place among the various stakeholders in the food system, fostering closer ties between those who generate surplus food and those who can distribute it safely and efficiently.

Paula Llobet, the Valencia City Council’s Councilor for Innovation, Tourism, and Investment Attraction, emphasized that “Every year in the European Union, more than 87 million metric tons of food are lost or wasted—a problem that cannot be addressed solely through end-consumer behavior. The new Food Waste Law requires us to take action at the source and throughout the entire supply chain, which calls for collaboration among businesses, social organizations, and public administrations.”

In this regard, the councilwoman emphasized that “at the Valencia City Council, through Valencia Innovation Capital, we are promoting collaborative spaces to support stakeholders in the food system in the practical implementation of regulations, fostering strategic connections that facilitate effective and responsible compliance with the law.”

The event was part of the initiatives that València Innovation Capital is promoting as part of the European ToNoWaste project, aimed at supporting stakeholders in the food system in the transition toward more sustainable waste management, based on scientific evidence, innovation, and cross-sector cooperation.

A schedule of activities to prevent food waste

April 27 marked the start of an extensive program of activities taking place throughout this week in Valencia, combining events aimed at food industry professionals with public awareness initiatives open to the general public.

Focusing on the culinary sector, two training workshops were held on Tuesday, April 28, at vocational schools, aimed at students and aspiring chefs. The first took place from 12:15 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. at the Mediterrani Culinary Center, and the second from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Xavier School, located in the Ciutat Vella district.

To raise public awareness, on Wednesday, April 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., an open workshop will be held in the Visual Room at the Las Naves building, focusing on analyzing food consumption and preservation habits and on understanding how everyday decisions directly influence the generation of food waste.

The schedule is rounded out by a street marketing event on Thursday, April 30—a participatory initiative that brings the message of food waste prevention to the university community to promote conscious and responsible consumption and management of surplus food, and will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Mercat Agroecològic of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

All of these initiatives are part of the pilot program that València Innovation Capital is carrying out in the city of Valencia together with its partners in the European ToNoWaste project, with the goal of generating knowledge, engaging the various stakeholders in the food system, and moving toward real and lasting solutions to food waste.

With this program of activities, Valencia is reinforcing its role as a city committed to the effective implementation of regulations and to building a collaborative ecosystem capable of turning food prevention and donation into an opportunity for social, economic, and environmental impact.