NEST Part 1

The study aims to increase the share of regional, organic and fair food in South Tyrolean restaurants through a regional circular approach. For this purpose, we develop implementation-oriented measures in coordination with the relevant actors. These include recommendations for action at the legal, logistical, and administrative levels. In a practical and application-oriented pilot project, we apply these recommendations to the entire value-added cycle from the field to the plate of South Tyrol's restaurants. To keep the ecological footprint as small as possible, we design accompanying concepts to counteract the loss and waste of food, or to reuse food leftovers.

The project approach examines the availability of regional food, logistical bottlenecks, questions of competitiveness and externalised costs. Selected case studies will be used to show under which conditions the most sustainable food supply, and resource-saving food use is possible in South Tyrolean restaurants. Key topics are the social and economic needs of the actors, true costs, and the relationship between the individual participants. Within the framework of a sustainable food system, out-of-home consumption with its up and downstream product cycles will be examined according to local, ecological, and fair criteria. These criteria will determine a pattern according to which South Tyrol's restaurants can become fair and socio-ecological. For this the interaction between agriculture, gastronomy and all actors along the value chain must be coordinated and optimised in terms of a circular economy. The food sector is increasingly perceived as a field where the environmental balance can be improved. The issues of food security, specific quality (organic, residue-free, etc.), and local availability also play a decisive role. Accompanying measures to raise awareness among all parties concerned are very important to ensure a successful implementation of a sustainable food system. These include corresponding recommendations for action for political decisions and administrative procedures.