Vidzeme Restaurant Representatives Invited to Join New Project Aimed at Reducing Waste and Promoting Resource Efficiency in the Food Service Industry
Vidzeme restaurant representatives have the opportunity to participate in a new project, Ce4Re (Circular Economy Solutions in Restaurants), which will help reduce waste and promote efficient resource use in the food service sector. The Ce4Re project was launched on November 8 in Līgatne, at the “Pavāru māja” restaurant, with an introductory seminar.
Ce4Re is an international collaboration project implemented by Satakunta University of Applied Sciences and its Tourism Business Development Center, along with partners from the Vidzeme Planning Region in Latvia, Ekomatcentrum in Sweden, and the Pyhäjärvi Institute in Finland.
The project aims to develop unified circular economy solutions for restaurants, covering the stages of food procurement, preparation, and serving. In collaboration with restaurants and industry experts, digital tools will be developed to help create circular economy-compliant menus and reduce waste.
A total of 300 restaurants will participate in the project, with over 60 actively involved in developing and testing solutions.
At the opening seminar, restaurant representatives were able to learn more about the project and the implementation of circular economy principles in the restaurant industry. They also heard experiences shared by the President of the Restaurant Association, Jānis Jenzis, Head of the Environmental Education Fund, Jānis Ulme, Head of the Chefs’ Club, Svetlana Riškova, and chef and owner of the restaurant “Pavāru māja,” Ēriks Dreibants.
Lienīte Priedāja-Klepere, project manager for Ce4Re in the Vidzeme Planning Region, encourages restaurant representatives to apply for the project, which will give them the opportunity to improve their business sustainability and competitiveness. “Ce4Re is a great opportunity for restaurants to gain new knowledge and skills regarding circular economy principles and how to apply them in their operations. The project will also provide restaurants with the knowledge and practical experience to reduce costs, improve quality, brand awareness, and appeal, as well as promote environmental protection and social responsibility,” she says.
Project implementation period: September 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026. Total project budget: €1,117,759.60, with the Vidzeme Planning Region’s budget at €195,859.20.
The seminar was organized within the framework of the Interreg Central Baltic Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2021-2027 for the Ce4Re project (Circular Economy Solutions in Restaurants) (project no. #CB0100058).
Ce4Re is a project of the Central Baltic Program 2021-2027, co-funded by the European Union and its project partners. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission, which bear no responsibility for them.
For more information about the Ce4Re project, visit: https://centralbaltic.eu/project/ce4re/.
