Participatory and multi-disciplinary science dataset and surveys for the assessment of the microbiological and behavioural factors influencing fresh fruits and vegetables' waste at home.

Adopted in September 2015 by the EU, the Sustainable Development Goal “12.3” targets to halve the per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level by 2030. Households account for 53% of food waste in Europe, more than any other actor in the food chain. Fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) are known to constitute the higher volumes of wasted food mainly associated with microbial contamination and spoilage. The FOODREST project was financed by the French National Research Agency (ANR-20-CE21-0006). Its goal was to better understand the microbiological and behavioral aspects of FFV waste at the household level, and to propose efficient recommendations acceptable by households to reduce FFV waste. The FOODREST project aimed at i) studying microbiota associated with FFV storage facilities at home as well as identifying the predominant microorganisms and factors responsible for FFV spoilage, ii) studying consumer perceptions and practices towards spoiled products and food waste, and iii) producing a set of efficient recommendations appropriate to consumer practices by evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of hygiene recommendations aiming at reducing food waste while guaranteeing food safety and by providing a best practices handbook and risk model for better food waste management at the consumer level.