BREAD Building Responsibility and Developing Innovative Strategies for Tackling Food Waste

• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Szulecka, Julia; Bugge, Markus & Forsberg, Ellen-Marie (2026). Navigating sustainability paradoxes: Unveiling the dynamics of transformative change in the food industry. Research Policy. ISSN 0048-7333. 55(2). doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2025.105407. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The sustainability transitions literature suggests that individual firms struggle to move toward sustainability unless the broader socio-economic system also evolves. Despite firms' willingness to change, existing systemic challenges often impede their progress. This paper employs paradox theory to address this struggle and examines how firms balance economic and societal concerns in their transition from business thinking to sustainability thinking. Based on a qualitative case study of the food industry's collaboration initiatives on food waste reduction and prevention in Norway, the study identifies the systemic challenges and sustainability paradoxes that the industry faces. We find that the firms' efforts to reduce food waste collide with established food industry agreements, standards, business strategies, regulations, and agricultural policies, impeding a systemic and structural transformation of the industry. The paper discusses how the food industry may navigate these challenges collectively and draws implications for the sustainability transitions literature. Primarily, the conclusions signal a need for governance and incentive structures at the system level beyond the action space of individual firms, and secondarily, illustrate how such governance approaches to sustainability transitions are sector-specific and geographically embedded.

• Biggi, Gianluca; Principato, Ludovica & Castellacci, Fulvio (2024). Food waste reduction, corporate responsibility and national policies: evidence from Europe. British Food Journal. ISSN 0007-070X. 126(13), s. 470–485. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-11-2023-0982. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Purpose This paper investigates strategies for addressing the global challenge of food loss and waste (FLW) within the food industry. It examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and state regulatory interventions for reducing FLW. Design/methodology/approach This mixed method study utilizes a unique panel dataset which includes the 150 largest food industry companies in Italy, Norway and the UK. It combines quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights derived from corporate strategies and corporate communications. Findings The analysis reveals that food companies with an established CSR strategy and in particular companies whose CSR reports highlight their environmental and social achievements are more likely to achieve in effective FLW reduction. Additionally, national-level regulatory interventions guided by European Union waste strategies act as pivotal benchmarks and encourage stricter corporate food waste management policies. Practical implications This research underscores the significance of CSR strategies and effective state regulation in the fight against FLW and offers policymakers and businesses valuable insights enabling development of robust strategies. Social implications By emphasizing the interplay between CSR and regulatory intervention, this research contributes to the achievement of a more sustainable and efficient global food system that addresses both economic and ethical concerns and could have far-reaching societal and environmental implications. Originality/value The paper sheds light on the interplay between CSR initiatives and regulatory interventions for tackling FLW and emphasizes their synergistic impact on sustainable practices within the food industry.

• Szulecka, Julia; Bradshaw, Carrie & Principato, Ludovica (2024). Food Waste Governance Architectures in Europe: Actors, Steering Modes, and Harmonization Trends. Global Challenges. 8(11). doi: 10.1002/gch2.202300265. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The scale of food waste across Europe is alarming, and its reduction is becoming an important public policy and governance issue. Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 constitutes a global attempt to galvanize system-level reductions. In response, layers of varied regulation and governance at regional and national levels have emerged. This paper studies the types of governance architectures visible across Europe, what policy interventions they bring, and whether responses to the food waste challenge are converging. It looks at four leading food waste jurisdictions—France, England, Norway, and Italy—and investigates the hidden realities obscured by the simplistic division of legislative/top-down versus voluntary/bottom-up approaches. It applies a governance matrix to understand the variety of food waste “steering modes”, exploring both the extent to which a regime is hierarchical and/or non-hierarchical and why. Notably, the paper also identifies some general tendencies in food waste governance, including legislative threats, challenges in distributing responsibility across the actors, focus on “low hanging fruits”, and an overall harmonization of policy responses in a neoliberal paradigm, with redistribution often pursued as a panacea for the food waste crisis.

• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Berntsen, Ina Charlotte; Brekke, Andreas; Haugen, Anne-Grete; Stensgård, Aina Elstad & Strøm-Andersen, Nhat [Vis alle 8 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Norwegian supply chain collaboration when it is urgent to reduce food waste: the relation between efforts for good outcomes and engaging in RRI process dimensions. Journal of Responsible Innovation. ISSN 2329-9460. 11(1). doi: 10.1080/23299460.2024.2376781. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Food waste is a major source of avoidable greenhouse gas emissions. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) should contribute to meeting urgent challenges like climate change. This paper discusses collaborative innovations to reduce food waste and analyses this from the perspective of RRI, understood as purpose and process requirements. We study to what extent the focus on a responsible innovation outcome in Norwegian food supply chain collaboration corresponds with respecting the process dimensions of RRI, based on interviews and a consensus conference process. This contributes to understanding whether an urgent purpose can facilitate or is a barrier to the process dimensions of RRI. We find that besides aiming for a good outcome, the food companies intend to innovate in an inclusive and reflective way. The sustainability agenda as an important purpose for innovation, and the urgency of the goal of reducing food waste, is in our study well aligned with RRI.

• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Corceolani, Matteo; Szulecka, Julia & Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2023). Widening the scope of responsible innovation: food waste and the role of consumers. Journal of Responsible Innovation. ISSN 2329-9460. 10(1). doi: 10.1080/23299460.2023.2243080. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2022). Digital technologies and food waste reduction and prevention: benefits and challenges. I Bruce, Donald & Bruce, Ann (Red.), Transforming food systems: ethics, innovation and responsibility. Wageningen Academic Publishers. ISSN 9789086863877. s. 475–480. doi: 10.3920/978-90-8686-939-8_74. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper investigates the adoption of digital technologies for food waste reduction and prevention in Norway. It goes beyond studying one single technology, aiming to have a broad understanding of digital technology adoption as ‘a (digital) innovation system’ by applying a multiple case study of four different digital technologies used by companies in the food and hospitality sector in Norway. I strive to understand why Norwegian companies, i.e. food producers, grocery chains, restaurants, and cafes (or technology adopters) adopt the technologies in the first place and what benefits and challenges they may encounter along with the adoption. Data inputs for this paper are gathered from semi-structured interviews with several technology adopters. Empirical insights show that the benefits include economic advantage by reducing the amount of waste and increased awareness among employees. However, there are at least several challenges concerning the adoption of digital technologies. Some adopters found that the digital technologies were too costly, incompatible with their internal (IT) systems, or mismatched economic models. Another challenge is employee awareness about food waste and related digital technologies. The paper sheds light on the multiple and complex challenges in adopting digital technologies for food waste prevention and reduction.

• Szulecka, Julia; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat & Capodistrias, Paula (2022). Food (in)security in a Nordic Welfare State: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Activities of Oslo’s Food Bank. I Calabro, Francesco; Spina, Lucia Della & Mantinan, Maria Jose Pineira (Red.), New Metropolitan Perspectives. Post COVID Dynamics: Green and Digital Transition, between Metropolitan and Return to Villages Perspectives. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783031068249. s. 1448–1461. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-06825-6_140. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This chapter explores the impact of COVID-19 on metropolitan food redistribution chains in a Nordic welfare state by analyzing the case of Oslo’s Food Bank. It assesses how alternative redistribution schemes can support the welfare state or reach out to vulnerable groups without sufficient assistance. The study finds that Oslo’s Food Bank - Matsentralen Oslo - experienced an increase in food demand and new types of recipients. However, despite the COVID-related social challenges, it was able to redistribute more food in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019 thanks to the combination of new strategies, new administrative and control systems, new internal structures, as well as the establishment of new partnerships. The increased food demand and the availability of surplus food combined with the food bank's capacity to adapt to sudden changes suggest that the provision of food security requires the presence of dedicated institutions with the flexibility to make quick adjustments and connect supply and demand. The study shows that food banks complement the welfare state in bringing social services and additionally reduce food waste. They thus combine socio-economic and environmental services, which are beyond the scope of public financial transfers.

• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Bugge, Markus Michaelsen; Brekke, Andreas & Prestrud, Kjersti (2021). RRI and Value Chain Collaboration for Innovations Reducing Food Waste. I Bitran, Iain; Conn, Steffen; Huizingh, K.R.E. & Torkkeli, Marko (Red.), Proceedings on the 2021 ISPIM innovation conference : Innovating our common future. ISPIM Lappeenranta University of Technology Press. ISSN 9789523354678. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia & Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). Norway's Food Waste Reduction Governance: From Industry Self-Regulation to Governmental Regulation? Scandinavian Political Studies. ISSN 0080-6757. s. 1–24. doi: 10.1111/1467-9477.12219. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The scale of food waste across Europe is alarming, and its reduction has recently been identified as an important public policy issue. However, effective solutions require initiative and action both from the government and the food industry. What are the drivers of industry self-regulation in this area? We provide an in-depth analysis of the emergence and evolution of Norway's food waste reduction governance. In 2017, food sector companies signed a Voluntary Industry Agreement on food waste reduction, but as of 2021, a shift towards a binding law is increasingly likely. With outcome-explaining process tracing, we test three hypotheses, identifying causal factors and mechanisms that explain the emergence of the Agreement, and apply a typology of (self-)regulation to show how different actors and mechanisms played an important role in different phases of the process. We find that, initially, food waste reduction governance was clearly industry-led. However, societal and political pressure was necessary for institutionalizing self-regulation and its timing. We also note that despite Norway's tradition for co-regulation, in the wake of the Agreement, lawmakers continued to pressure the government for a binding law, with a clear move from initial industry self-regulation towards state-steered regulation.

• Capodistrias, Paula; Szulecka, Julia; Corciolani, Matteo & Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). European food banks and COVID-19: Resilience and innovation in times of crisis. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences. ISSN 0038-0121. doi: 10.1016/j.seps.2021.101187. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the functioning of European food banks and how resilient European food banks were in coping with the pandemic in 2020. We apply a multiple case study to assess how the first year of the pandemic affected European food banks’ operations and the amount of redistributed food. We further investigate innovation practices that have been developed to cope with the new situation, hoping to draw lessons for imminent future waves of the pandemic and other social crises. Our study finds that, compared to 2019, in 2020 food banks were able to redistribute a significantly higher amount of food despite numerous social restrictions and other challenges associated with the pandemic. To explain this, we delve into the organizational innovations implemented by the studied food banks and find that the introduction of new strategies and new internal structures, as well as the establishment of new types of external network relations with other firms and/or public organizations, proved to be particularly important, enabling food banks to respond quickly and effectively to the new emergency. The study thus highlights the role of food banks in food redistribution and food waste reduction in times of crisis.

• Szulecka, Julia; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Scordato, Lisa & Skrivervik, Eili (2019). Multi-level governance of food waste: Comparing Norway, Denmark and Sweden. I Klitkou, Antje; Fevolden, Arne Martin & Capasso, Marco (Red.), From Waste to Value: Valorisation Pathways for Organic Waste Streams in Circular Bioeconomies. Routledge. ISSN 9780429460289. s. 253–271. doi: 10.4324/9780429460289. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  From Waste to Value investigates how streams of organic waste and residues can be transformed into valuable products, to foster a transition towards a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. The studies are carried out within a cross-disciplinary framework, drawing on a diverse set of theoretical approaches and defining different valorisation pathways. Organic waste streams from households and industry are becoming a valuable resource in today’s economies. Substances that have long represented a cost to companies and a burden for society are now becoming an asset. Waste products, such as leftover food, forest residues and animal carcasses, can be turned into valuable products such as biomaterials, biochemicals and biopharmaceuticals. Exploiting these waste resources is challenging, however. It requires that companies develop new technologies and that public authorities introduce new regulation and governance models. This book helps policy-makers govern and regulate bio-based industries, and helps industry actors to identify and exploit new opportunities in the circular bioeconomy. Moreover, it provides important insights for all students and scholars concerned with renewable energy, sustainable development and climate change.

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• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2022). Digital technologies and food waste reduction and prevention: benefits and challenges. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2022). The challenges in adopting digital technologies and the case of food waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2022). Food systems transformation and digital innovations: the case of food waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Bugge, Markus Michaelsen; Brekke, Andreas & Prestrud, Kjersti (2022). When urgent challenges demand the time to collaborate: RRI and Value Chain Collaboration for Innovations Reducing Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Bugge, Markus Michaelsen; Brekke, Andreas & Prestrud, Kjersti (2021). RRI and Value Chain Collaboration for Innovations Reducing Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). BREAD project and its current activities. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). BREAD project as a case study of the challenges of RRI evaluation. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). Oppsummering av intervjuer i BREAD -prosjektet. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie; Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Bugge, Markus Michaelsen; Brekke, Andreas & Prestrud, Kjersti (2021). RRI and Value Chain Collaboration for Innovations Reducing Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Alm, Siril (2021). Sustainable eaters in Tromsø. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2021). European food banks and COVID-19. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Forsberg, Ellen-Marie (2021). Verdenskafé om matsvinn. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Bugge, Markus Michaelsen (2021). Verdenskafé om matsvinn. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat; Szulecka, Julia & Bugge, Markus Michaelsen (2021). A systemic negligence? The transition toward food sustainability and the case of food waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2021). A systemic negligence? The transition toward food sustainability and the case of food waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2020). Status of the BREAD project after the first year. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Strøm-Andersen, Nhat (2020). BREAD - prosjekt, fremtidige forskningsideer. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia; Scordato, Lisa & Koch, Per M. (2020). Developing Future Scenarios for Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2020). BREAD – Building REsponsibility And Developing Innovative Strategies for Tackling Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2020). Food waste in the COVID-19 era: Can the state coerce consumer responsibility? AFINO Blog. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  There are strong tensions between seeing food as a right and as a commodity. Taking into account that this is a limited resource, it seems obvious that we cannot rely on the food markets alone. But how far can regulation and pressure to reduce waste go without impeding civic liberties – and without backfiring?

• Szulecka, Julia (2020). TIK4040 Project presentations. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2020). Will the European Green Deal push for more food waste reductions? AFINO Blog. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Recent months brought important, forward-looking sustainability strategies for the European Union. Both the European Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork strategy identify food waste as a significant problem to deal with. Why is it important and how is it addressed on the EU agenda?

• Szulecka, Julia (2020). Ongoing research in BREAD: Working with the Norwegian food sector. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2020). Ongoing research and progress in BREAD. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Bjørnnes, Oda (2020). How to use the future to innovate the present: a look into the future(s) of food waste. Teknovatøren. s. 24–25. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Scordato, Lisa; Koch, Per M. & Szulecka, Julia (2020). Futures Literacy Lab on Food Waste. Summary Report. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This policy brief summarises the main reflections and images which emerged from a Futures Literacy Laboratory (FLL) on food waste conducted on October 22nd, 2020, in Oslo. The aim of the FLL was to mobilise the collective intelligence of a diverse group of experts and people with an interest in food waste problems and to explore their different stories about the future. The FLL made use of these stories to reflect on preconceptions, social, economic, environmental and technological drivers, paying attention to food waste problems in Norway.

• Szulecka, Julia (2019). Tackling Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Szulecka, Julia (2019). Building REsponsibility And Developing Innovative Strategies for Tackling Food Waste. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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