Betevé interviews Diana Reinoso and Bernat Benito about the pilot project “Gastrofira”

Gastrofira is the catering service of “Feria de Barcelona”, one of the most important European trade fair organisations. They have joined the Refresh platform, and specifically Spain’s first pilot project, as a way to reduce their food waste.

Diana Reinoso, researcher at CREDA_UPC_IRTA, is interviewed about Refresh and Gastrofira alongside Bernat Benito, the catering company’s Executive Chef.

Food Waste and Refresh

The issue of food waste is global and is originated at every stage of the food chain, says Diana Reinoso. REFRESH therefore adopts a holistic approach and seeks to reach out to all actors of the food chain who have a role to play in preventing or reducing the problem.

Gastrofira

Bernat Benito decided to join Refresh and take part in Spain’s first pilot project in order to reduce the food waste generated in his catering activities in Gastrofira. Gastrofira is already taking action to reduce waste, for example by donating part of the surplus food through the entity Nutrition Without Borders, or redistributing it to the Fira staff members. However, a certain percentage can not be redistributed at the moment, which is what the current project is focused on. In the case of a catering business, food is wasted at multiple stages (by the consumer, in the cooking process, because of overestimations…). The pilot project aims to identify those causes in order to implement the most adequate measures to prevent the waste. The first quantification phase has been completed and the work will continue over the next two years to design and apply solutions, evaluate the results achieved and successfully disseminate them.

Watch the full interview