Food Waste Reduction Training With PENNY Apprentices Successfully Completed

By early summer 2018, almost 900 PENNY trainees had been trained on reducing food waste as part of a REFRESH pilot project in Germany. Now the food retailer PENNY and the CSCP wanted to know to what extent the topic was still fresh on the apprentices’ minds months after the training.

The CSCP — in close cooperation with PENNY — developed a concept and various teaching materials for a train-the-trainer workshop and for the training of PENNY apprentices. We aimed to raise awareness of the general importance of reducing food waste, as well as to raise awareness of appropriate measures within the markets and to support customers.

A qualitative impact assessment of the concept was carried out with the help of various surveys. The evaluation of the surveys showed very good results from the training, validating the effort and setting a good precedent for future training efforts. In the evaluation, 97% of trainees said they would recommend the training to others. Immediately after the training, 50% were of the opinion that it had sharpened their awareness of the topic. The review showed that 80% of trainees discussed the topic with others even months after the training: 25% of them in the family, 23% with other trainees and colleagues and 18% with friends. 42% of trainees felt what they learned during the training helped them behave more sustainably in everyday life and at work.

The trainers were similarly excited: they enjoyed the training content and appreciated the topic’s relevance for their personal lives, which made teaching even more interesting. A variety of methods and materials supported the trainings, which were grouped into training blocks consisting of similar elements. This was perceived as essential to facilitate future implementation.

From the perspective of the coordinating Corporate Social Responsibility team, the initiative was a success. Mirka Stark, Senior Project Manager for Sustainability at the REWE Group to which PENNY belongs said: “The apprentice training within the framework of REFRESH was a very successful activity. We are satisfied we were able to anchor the important topic of the appreciation of food and the great importance of reducing food waste even more firmly in our company.”

It is particularly great that the enthusiasm and commitment of the trainees also contributed to a competition of ideas against food waste, which PENNY launched internally. We are looking forward to many more activities to reduce food waste.

For further questions, please contact Nora Brüggemann.

Photo by Romina veliz on Unsplash