Romania–Sweden: Dialogue for a Circular Food System

Swedish Models, Local Solutions, and Cooperation to Reduce Food Waste

On 24 November 2025, the Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests hosted the second edition of the Romania–Sweden Expert Exchange dedicated to the Circular Food System, an event organised in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Bucharest and the Sustainable Living Podcast. The meeting, held in a hybrid format, brought together central authorities, researchers, representatives from the retail sector, NGOs, and international leaders in food resource management.

The event was opened by Diana Buzoianu, Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, who emphasised Romania’s commitment to accelerating food waste prevention measures, strengthening the legislative framework, and enhancing collaboration between authorities and the private sector. In the context of current challenges, the Minister underlined that only coordinated efforts and data-driven action can reduce the climate and economic impact of food waste.

The discussion was moderated by Raul Pop, State Secretary within the Ministry, who outlined the objectives of the session and guided the dialogue between experts. He stressed the need for a shared working platform bringing together institutions, retailers, producers, and civil society organisations, as well as an operational mechanism capable of transforming good intentions into concrete results.

Sweden’s Perspective: integrated policies, reliable data, and cultural change

The interventions of the Swedish experts showcased the country’s successful national model for reducing food waste. Sweden’s approach is built on coherent policies, integrated actions, and a public culture in which responsibility for resources is embedded in civic education.

Karin Fritz, Advisor at the Swedish Food Agency, offered an overview of Sweden’s National Action Plan against food waste. She presented the four pillars of the plan: clear objectives and monitoring methods, collaboration across the food supply chain, consumer behaviour change, and innovation. The data revealed significant progress in households, where edible food waste has consistently decreased—from 19 kg per capita in 2018 to 16 kg in 2023—alongside a notable increase in consumer awareness, based on surveys from 2020, 2022, and 2024. Karin also highlighted the importance of education in public institutions, showing how measuring food waste in schools and canteens has become a central tool for improving nutritional performance and reducing costs.

Prof. Mattias Eriksson, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, detailed Sweden’s methodology for collecting national food waste data. He explained that Sweden invests between €50,000 and €100,000 annually in monitoring food waste across the entire supply chain, from production to consumption. This systematic effort enables authorities to report annual waste levels—currently 122 kg per capita—and assess progress towards national targets, including the ambitious objective of reducing waste by 20% by 2025. Mattias also described Sweden’s approach to measuring waste in public institutions, where different types of waste (kitchen waste, service waste, plate waste) have been mapped in detail to inform tailored interventions.

Lorena Lourido Gomez, Global Food Manager at IKEA Retail (IKEA Global), presented the company’s impressive progress in reducing food waste. Since 2012, IKEA has accelerated its efforts through digital monitoring technologies, achieving a 60.5% reduction in production food waste compared to 2017—amounting to more than 37.8 million saved portions by 2024. She outlined IKEA’s three-level approach: reducing operational waste, testing plate-waste measurement solutions, and supporting customers in reducing waste at home. Lorena emphasised the importance of digital solutions and partnerships with innovators such as Winnow and Minska.

Complementing the global perspective, Raluca Mocanu, Sustainability Leader at IKEA Romania, presented local results: the use of Waste Watcher to measure production waste, pilot solutions for post-consumption waste, a more sustainable food offering where 46% of the menu is plant-based, and the implementation of circularity initiatives such as on-site composting and collaborations with local communities.

Romania’s Contributions: legislation, retail, and circular solutions

The Romanian segment of the dialogue highlighted both progress and current challenges. Larisa Petre, Advisor within the Directorate for Food Industry and Trade at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, presented the updated legislative framework, including the provisions of Law 217 and the obligations of economic operators regarding prevention and donation of food. She emphasised the need for regular publication of data and the consolidation of a unified reporting system that would provide a clear picture of donation flows and valorisation opportunities.

Further contributions from the private sector provided an operational perspective. Raluca Mocanu, representing IKEA Romania, detailed how digital solutions reduce food waste in the company’s restaurants and highlighted the potential of plant-based products to influence consumer behaviour.

Claudia Ivan, Sustainability Manager at PENNY Romania, presented a strong operational performance for 2024: over 2,000 tonnes of food waste sent to biogas facilities, around 52 tonnes converted into animal feed, 3,070 tonnes donated to food banks, a 22% reduction in total food waste, and a 31% reduction in the waste-to-turnover ratio. She also highlighted the use of AI-based forecasting technologies and accelerated-sale systems for products nearing expiration.

Conclusions and Next Steps

The event concluded with a dialogue on the need for a continuous collaboration mechanism between authorities, retailers, NGOs, and international experts to standardise data collection and develop integrated food waste prevention solutions. The Swedish experience underscored the importance of investing in data, behaviour change, and governance, while the Romanian experience showcased the potential of circular solutions already implemented in retail.

Participants agreed on several next steps: launching a technical working group, transmitting Sweden’s guidance on food donation, ensuring regular publication of donation and surplus data, and preparing a dedicated session to design an operational mechanism that supports collaboration and legislative progress.

In the coming period, the Sustainable Living Podcast will release a special episode featuring Swedish experts Karin Fritz, Mattias Eriksson, and Lorena Lourido Gomez, offering the public an in-depth discussion on solutions, policies, and perspectives for a sustainable food system.