Artistic expertise in solving food waste issues

City of Lapua, Uniarts Helsinki and the University of Vaasa are carrying out the Project “Nahistuneet naatit – koulujen ruokahävikki pienemmäksi”, which aims to reduce food waste in schools, particularly plate waste, through artistic expertise.

In recent years, Uniarts Helsinki’s Seinäjoki Unit has implemented projects focusing on the possibilities of artistic expertise. At the University of Vaasa, numerous projects have long concentrated on reducing food waste. The main implementer of the project is the City of Lapua, whose schools serve as the platform for the measures. Lapua can be considered a pioneering municipality in the prevention and reduction of food waste.

In the University of Vaasa’s earlier projects food waste has been successfully reduced, and kitchen and serving-line waste has decreased significantly. However, the measures have not substantially affected plate waste. Now, the aim was to change this through artistic expertise.

Already in the early stages of the project, it became clear that the reasons behind plate waste are not straightforward. Many factors influence the generation of plate waste simultaneously; some connected to diners’ own habits, others to the social and physical environment of school dining.

To support the planning of the artists’ solutions, the University of Vaasa presented a set of objectives that, when influenced, can help reduce plate waste: health and well-being, social objectives, ecological learning goals, and the physical environment and food. These objectives were developed by a multidisciplinary working group that includes a representative of food services, a school nurse, a teacher, a sustainability specialist, and naturally an artist in an expert role.

Four artists (Aeon Lux, Alexandra Furubacka, Iina Taijonlahti and Eero Tiittula) were selected through an open call. A “bootcamp” was organized for the artists at the beginning of 2025, presenting the challenge at hand, the actions already taken, and the various factors influencing plate waste. The solution concepts developed by the artists all addressed the underlying factors of plate waste and focused on creating change precisely in those areas.

The artists devised four solutions to reduce plate waste, which were piloted for one week each at Lapua Upper Secondary School in spring 2025. The solutions sought to influence, for example, students’ ability to recognize their own hunger levels, direct attention towards plate waste, reduce social pressure in the lunchroom, and increase opportunities for choice. The physical dining environment was also adjusted to make it more pleasant, and the solutions aimed to strengthen the sense of belonging and community.

In practice, the ideas included talks by professional athletes about recognizing personal needs and considering others, school-wide chain letters about plate waste, performative interruptions to everyday school dining, and creating a calmer, more inviting atmosphere in the cafeteria.

Plate waste has been measured in Lapua for several years enabling long-term comparisons with previous days using the same lunch menu. Preliminary results are very encouraging: during the test weeks, plate waste decreased by an average of 17%. In a school of 550 students, this corresponds to approximately 300 kilograms of food saved annually. Two of the most successful solution concepts were further tested at four primary schools in Lapua at the end of 2025. The final project results will be completed in summer 2026.

Project “Nahistuneet naatit – koulujen ruokahävikki pienemmäksi” is co-funded by the European Union. The Seinäjoki University Centre is an additional co-funder. The main implementer is the City of Lapua, with Uniarts Helsinki and the University of Vaasa as co-implementers.