LIFE GLEANSMART: New Sustainable Circular System for reducing food loss via Fruit Gleaning and Upcycling

Introduction

LIFE GLEANSMART will reshape the paradigm of fruit food losses by proving a tested methodology to strategically plan new harvesting and gleaning procedures. This initiative aims to improve farmers' competitiveness and decrease food losses through upcycling, introducing non-harvested fruits into a new circular value chain.

Background on Food Waste

In Europe, a total of 28.4 Mt per year of fresh fruit is lost or wasted, representing 22% of the overall EU food waste. Fruit losses occur along the whole value chain, but a remarkable 23% (6.5 Mt) is lost in the primary production stage, during cultivation and harvesting.

Challenges in Quantification

However, accurate quantification of these losses, coupled with their intrinsic reasoning, is missing. This gap hinders the development of suitable strategies for reducing fruit losses. By saving 6.5 Mt of fruit, we would also be saving 2.3 Mt CO2-eq related emissions, which is equivalent to the GHGs emitted by 343,238 EU citizens.

Project Goals

The project goal is to develop a new circular value chain based on the accurate quantification of food losses. This will facilitate the planning for the recovery of at least 25% of the current fruit losses at the primary stage and its transformation into:

1. 6 added-value upcycled powdered food ingredients
2. Validation in 3 food products

Consortium and Budget

GLEANSMART will be developed by an interdisciplinary consortium of 5 partners over 3 years, with a budget of 2 M€.

Methodology and Innovations

The LIFE GLEANSMART project will validate a methodology for upcycling food losses based on data-driven decision-supported decisions. It will also include:

• An innovative autonomous robotics system (up to TRL-7)
• A digital support platform to help farmers strategize harvesting and reduce fruit losses

Field Validation

Robotic solutions will be validated in 3 real fruit orchards located in Spain, covering 3 types of fruits:

• Pomes
• Citrus
• Stone fruits

This approach will encompass the most representative EU crop types.

Contribution to EU Initiatives

LIFE GLEANSMART contributes to the achievement of the new Action Plan for the Circular Economy, the Farm to Fork Strategy at the heart of the EU Green Deal, and the EU's commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (12.3) target on food waste.