Matvett in English

On this page you can read more about Matvett's work, the Norwegian model for food waste reduction and the Negotiated Agreement. You will also find the latest figures and facts, tools for food waste prevention and reduction in the food industry, information about projects and best practice cases.

About Matvett

Matvett is the food and hospitality industry's organization for preventing food waste in Norway through collaboration with research organizations and the authorities, on behalf of the industry. Our main goal is to reduce food waste in Norway with 50 percent by 2030, aligned with SDG 12.3 and "The negotiated agreement" between Norwegian authorities and the whole value chain for food.

The Norwegian Model

The Norwegian Government and the food industry entered into a historic cooperation agreement in June 2017. The goal of the agreement is to reduce food waste in Norway by 50 percent by 2030, in line with the UN's sustainability goals.

"KuttMatsvinn" for The Food Service Industry

"KuttMatsvinn Servering" is a collaboration between Matvett and actors in the food service industry with the goal of halving food waste by 2030 in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and The Negotiated Agreement on Food Waste Reduction, which serves as Norway's framework and involves collaboration between authorities and the entire food value chain.

10 principles for reducing food waste together

Together with leading companies from the Norwegian food industry, NORSUS and Matvett, under the auspices of the research project BREAD, have developed ten principles for responsible and inclusive innovation and collaboration processes to reduce food waste. The principles can be referred to as a roadmap for the entire food industry with shared values and norms and provide an important direction for food waste work towards 2030.

"Best before" often means "good after"

Norway with Matvett took the initiative in 2018 in using additional labelling on "best before" labelled products. Three years later, you can find "often good after" or "not bad after" in a wide range of food products. This is an important step forward in the food waste fight and signals simply and clearly that food labeled "best before" often is edible after the date has expired.

Expiry date included in barcode reduces food waste

A lot of food is thrown away at supermarkets because of expiration dates, especially fresh meat and fish products. NorgesGruppen has included the expiry date as part of the barcode on food packaging for selected meat products. This will revolutionize product turnover through more efficient date management which will in turn contribute to reduced food waste.

Grandma tackles food waste; Cut food waste and save money!

Did you know that you can save a lot of money by not wasting food? Alongside Grandma, who always knows how to appreciate food, we're here to provide you with some great money-saving tips in a time when everything is becoming more expensive.

Zero food waste with a sustainable model for food trade shows

In collaboration with the food trade show “ Østlandske Storhusholdningsmesse”, Matvett has developed a "best practice" model for how various actors can collaborate to carry out sustainable food trade shows. The goal of the pilot project, which took place in 2021, was a zero food waste trade show, with the best possible use of resources. The result was extraordinary and should be used as a standard for similar events in the future.

CutFoodWaste Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry’s historic collaborative project, CutFoodWaste2020 ended after four years of good results, with a food waste reduction of 15 %. Key actors, including group purchasing organizations, have joined forces with Matvett to continue the work of cutting food waste in the hospitality industry.