GUSTOS is an European project that promotes the prevention and reduction of food waste in school canteens in the Basque Country and Catalonia. We work to involve the entire educational community in building a more conscious, fair, and sustainable food model.
Through educational and gastronomic interventions, GUSTOS encourages reflection, action, and the measurement of food waste in each school.
Partners
Who we are
The project, coordinated by Ausolan and developed in collaboration with Elika, Espigoladors, GOe Tech and DARPA, combines technical knowledge, social innovation, and gastronomic expertise to achieve a common goal: to reduce food waste by 15% before 2027.
Beyond the numbers, we seek to create shared learning experiences and transform school canteens into true spaces for change that inspire a more sustainable future.
In GUSTOS, we design five interventions that combine educational and gastronomic strategies to address food waste from an integrated perspective, considering the school canteen as a living space for experimentation, critical awareness, and collective learning.
What types of interventions do we foster?
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS
We will implement three educational and training interventions in 10 schools in the Basque Country and Catalonia, with the objective of reducing food waste by at least 15% and fostering a shift in awareness toward more sustainable eating habits within the educational ecosystem.
Intervention 1: Training for school canteen staff.
Practical training addressed to the monitoring team so they can actively contribute to preventing and reducing food waste in the canteen, while promoting more sustainable habits together with the students.
Intervention 2: Educational games during the midday break.
Design and implementation of pedagogical games during the lunch break, with the goal of raising students’ awareness about food waste through playful and engaging activities that encourage critical observation and active students involvement in reducing food waste.
Intervention 3: Transformative pedagogical methodologies.
Application of the Service-Learning methodology so that students can research, think over and act regarding food waste, encouraging concrete initiatives that generate a positive impact in their immediate environment and integrating learning through action and community engagement.
What types of interventions do we foster?
GASTRONOMIC INTERVENTIONS
In GUSTOS, we use gastronomy as a driver of change to reduce food waste by at least 15% in 10 Basque Country and Catalonia school canteens. The interventions combine culinary creativity, education and participation to tailor the menus to the real tastes and needs of the students, and significantly reduce food waste in the canteen.
Intervention 1.
Using participatory methodologies, we co-create delicious, healthy and sustainable menus together with students and canteen staff.
Intervention 2.
In addition, we focus on the co-design of utensils that allow better portion control, avoiding excess and promoting more mindful consumption.
Small decisions in the kitchen trigger big changes for the planet!
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Participating schools play a key role in the GUSTOS project. Thanks to their commitment, school canteens become vibrant spaces for learning, experimentation, and change, where students, canteen staff, and the wider school community work together to prevent and reduce food waste. The active involvement of each school allows for the implementation, measurement, and improvement of the project’s educational and gastronomic interventions, generating real-world learning and results that can be transferred to other educational contexts.
Basque schools:
- Colegio Calasancio – Escolapios Bilbao | Bilbao
- Jesuitak Indautxu – Colegio Nuestra Señora de Begoña | Bilbao
- Jesuitinas Bilbao La Inmaculada | Bilbao
- Colegio Público Maestra Emília Zuza Brun Kabiezes | Santurce
- CEIP Aldaialde HLHI | Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Olabide Ikastola Kooperatiba Elkartea | Vitoria-Gasteiz
- La Salle Berrozpe Andoain | Andoain
- Zumaiena Ikastola | Zumaia
- Elgoibar Ikastola | Elgoibar
- Irungo La Salle | Irún
Catalan schools:
- Zürich Schule Barcelona | Barcelona
- Lestonnac School Barcelona | Barcelona
- Escola La Mar Bella | Barcelona
- Escola Països Catalans | Lérida
- Escola Flama | Sant Fruitós de Bages
- Escola Maria Ossó | Sitges
- Escola Els Picots, Lliçà D’Amunt
- Escola Lluís Piquer | Parets
- Escola Can Cladellas | Palau Solità i Plegamans
- Escola Sant Cristòfor | Begues
TOOLBOX
The GUSTOS project places in your hands a complete Toolbox, featuring the best results and practical tools developed throughout the project. A resource kit designed so that the educational community and school catering services can apply, share, and transform their environments in a simple and effective way! This resource box includes:
Digital tool for quantifying food waste
Easily measure food waste in school canteens and check the impact of your actions. Start today!
Factsheets
Visual and effective educational and culinary strategies to prevent food waste. Get inspired and take action!
Personalized prevention plans
Example and structure of a food waste prevention plan for the school canteen, involving the entire educational community. A model that is easy to replicate at your school. Put it into action today!
Best practices and success stories
Discover real examples of schools that have significantly reduced food waste. Explore them and start transforming your environment!
Knowledge Generation
Join GUSTOS Initiatives
To ensure the project continues to grow and have a real impact, GUSTOS promotes training and exchange activities to share the project’s lessons learned and facilitate its application in other school cafeterias.
Events and Knowledge Transfer
GUSTOS organizes exchange meetings at the regional, national, and European levels to share experiences and best practices.
Discover the GUSTOS European webinar
Training Course
Practical training aimed at education and school catering professionals to learn about and apply the tools developed by GUSTOS.
CONTACT
For any questions or inquiries, please contact:
