Jyväskylä launches app to tackle food waste as residents embrace surplus meals from schools

In Jyväskylä, Tapio Manninen is loading a large container of leftover sausage soup into his car. He is picking up food he purchased from the kitchen of Mankola School. Manninen regularly buys surplus food, taking advantage of the opportunity to save money and reduce waste. He appreciates the quality and taste of the meals available.

Every year, the Jyväskylä region generates enough organic waste to fill a 50-meter swimming pool thirty times. Nationwide, Finland produces approximately 78 million kilograms of food waste, with 61 million kilograms categorized as avoidable waste. Schools contribute to 11% of this food waste, while daycare centers account for 4%. Most waste arises from serving lines.

Kylän Kattaus, the catering service, prepares about 18,000 meals daily for local schools and daycare centers, leading to an estimated 2,000 servings ending up as waste. Although they have not quantified waste from serving lines, they are focused on significantly reducing food waste through improved processes.

For several years, Jyväskylä’s ten schools have been providing leftover lunches to seniors, unemployed individuals, and families with children. Since last spring, a free app called ResQ has been introduced, allowing residents to purchase surplus food directly from various schools and daycare centers.

Surplus meals are available in one-liter and half-liter packages, with a one-liter portion priced at three euros. If meals don’t sell quickly, prices automatically decrease. Currently, around 37% of prepared meals in the Jyväskylä region are sold. The limited afternoon pickup hours might contribute to lower sales, but efforts are being made to increase customer awareness. Plans are underway to expand this service to all local schools and daycare facilities with kitchens. ResQ app usage is already established in nine cities across Finland, with an average of 70% of surplus food sold.