FOLOU Twinning Regions meet in Barcelona to boost food-loss prevention in primary production

MIO-ECSDE was delighted to actively contribute to the first in-person workshop of the FOLOU Twinning Regions Programme (TWRP), held in Barcelona on 4–5 November 2025. The gathering marked an important milestone in the joint effort to replicate and scale up FOLOU tools and methodologies for preventing food loss in primary production across Europe.

Bringing together partners and regional representatives from six Twinning Regions, the two-day workshop offered a highly interactive learning environment combining field practice, technical demonstrations and policy exchanges. Participants had the opportunity to apply food-loss measurement methods at the Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat, engage in a hands-on gleaning activity (a community-based activity to recover surplus crops), and explore drone-based monitoring approaches developed within FOLOU. Comprehensive sessions showcased the project’s principal outcomes, including the FOLOU Food Loss Registry, the FOLOU Repository, the Definitional Framework, and approaches to evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of food loss — as well as the benefits of prevention.

Hosted by the Catalan Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARPA), the workshop also highlighted Catalonia’s pioneering regulatory and support frameworks for food-loss prevention. DARPA shared valuable insights from its experience as an early mover in the field, offering guidance to Twinning Regions that are aiming to incorporate FOLOU outputs and prevention-oriented measures into their policy frameworks.

On the second day, participants were welcomed by the Espigoladors Foundation at their facilities. A field activity in an apple orchard allowed participants to practice FOLOU’s harmonised measurement methodology. By classifying apples left in the field using the project’s definitional framework, regions gained direct, practical experience in conducting on-farm food-loss assessments, a cornerstone of the FOLOU approach.

As the workshop concluded, Twinning Regions outlined their next steps for the coming months. These include continued testing of the Food Loss Registry, Sustainability Tool and Quantification Manual; conducting on-site measurements; and validating FOLOU’s Definitional Framework and quantification methodology in real production settings. Furthermore, they will be invited to join upcoming national stakeholder workshops dedicated to validating policy recommendations — broadening collaboration and accelerating progress toward more sustainable, loss-prevention-oriented food systems.

The Barcelona workshop has set a solid foundation for more ambitious regional action, reinforcing FOLOU’s vision for reducing food loss at its source and advancing the transition toward resilient and sustainable European food systems.

Read in French here.