European Union Prize for Citizen Science
Diversity & Collaboration Award

MoFWaste - The Museum of Food Waste. Because food waste should be in the past.

Rio Neiva - Environmental NGO (PT), António Rodrigues Sampaio School Group (PT), António Correia de Oliveira School Group (PT), Henrique Medina Secondary School (PT), Monte da Ola School Group (PT), ATAHCA – Association for the Development of Terras Altas do Homem, Cávado e Ave (PT), Municipality of Esposende (PT), Municipality of Viana do Castelo (PT)

The Museum of Food Waste is a citizen science project aiming to monitor food waste in six school canteens in Esposende and Viana do Castelo, Portugal, recognizing that “food waste should be in the past”. It is grounded on the relevance of engaging a younger generation as upcoming ‘change agents’ through local schools, as a privileged medium to empower them, and on the need to act on the ‘food consumption’ side.

The project partnered with a total of six schools, the Municipality of Esposende (co-manager of five schools), the Municipality of Viana do Castelo (co-manager of one school), and a regional Association as food waste expertise training provider.

536 students (10 to 15 years old) were engaged across several stages of the process, including during 40 continuous (working) days of food waste monitoring in 2024. To facilitate this, we co-developed a food waste monitoring toolkit, which included a detailed protocol and a data collection sheet. This led to identifying 6,24 tons of waste in this period for all canteens, in the form of students' plate leftovers, kitchen food surplus, and kitchen inedible food waste. The project results were incorporated in an itinerant visual exhibition, traveling between the participating schools, and included student-led guided tours. 

Students were also engaged in the co-creation of food waste minimization strategies, resulting in six recommendations. Students further developed the topic of food waste in nine disciplines. A total of 26 teachers were engaged, guiding students throughout this process. 24 school canteen staff were also engaged both in food waste separation and in two hands-on training workshops for food waste reduction, and were critical in identifying good practices.

The project is currently advocating for the implementation of food waste reduction strategies in these schools and for regular food waste monitoring and evaluation practices.

www.rioneiva.com/mofwaste

The Museum of Food Waste is led by Rio Neiva - Environmental NGO, a community-based association, founded in 1989, with the mission to defend and enhance the local environment and promote sustainable development. Our primary target-locations are Esposende and Viana do Castelo, in northern coastal Portugal.

- Environmental NGO Status

- Public Interest Organisation Status

- Member of CLAS – Esposende Local Council for Social Action

- Member of Viana do Castelo Council for the Environment and Climate Action

- New European Bauhaus Official Partners since 2021

- In 2024: 9000 participations and 300 activities

In the project, students, educators, and school canteen staff in Esposende, Portugal, work together to identify, measure, and reduce food waste. Activities include hands-on workshops on composting, fruit preservation, and sustainable cooking, alongside interactive games and exhibitions. The project goes beyond raising awareness by co-creating and implementing actionable strategies in collaboration with diverse stakeholders engaged in the issue. Monitoring kits, educational materials, and collected data are made publicly available. Students were empowered to take full ownership of the process, actively participating in both data collection and analysis.

With its playful title, Museum of Food Waste draws attention to the urgent need to make food waste a thing of the past—especially in light of the growing importance of global food security. Led by Associação Rio Neiva, active in environmental education since 1989, and strongly supported by local schools, the project shows high potential for initiating networked action. The project serves as an advocacy tool to influence school boards and local policy. 

The jury emphasized the fact that the project stands out for its strong stakeholder collaboration—from schoolchildren to food providers to policymakers, for its solid Citizen Science methodology, and for its potential to scale. The jury decision is based on the project’s commitment to participant ownership. It offers a replicable, inspiring model for addressing food security and responsible consumption across regions and borders. Its results and methods deserve wider visibility—including publication in academic journals—ideally in collaboration with scientists to further strengthen and expand future project campaigns.