What is the MBO Challenge Food Waste?
The MBO Challenge Food Waste is an annual event in which MBO students work on a food-waste issue from the business community. The Challenge is suitable for all programmes, but is particularly interesting for students studying food, hospitality, logistics, retail, agribusiness, arable farming/livestock farming or horticulture. Students from all years and at all levels can participate. The learning outcomes are greater when attention is paid to the challenge over a longer period, the learning resources (lesson materials and webinars) are used, and the teacher applies the DOON method.
Theme 2023–2024: Working towards a sustainable food system
For the 2023–2024 edition, the theme of the Challenge has been broadened to ‘Working towards a sustainable food system’. In addition to combating food waste, this new theme provides room to look more broadly at the entire food system, from food production to food consumption. There is scope to work on sustainability at various points in this system. Consider, for example: food production (agriculture, horticulture and livestock farming), food preparation (from wholesale to hospitality and home preparation), food logistics (from transport to loading, unloading and transshipment), and food technology (innovation in food). But also consider new forms of food production and preparation arising from the protein transition (including precision fermentation). With this broader scope, we hope to offer schools more opportunities to participate in the MBO Challenge!
Practical information for teachers
Teachers register the students via the website. The students work for at least 10 weeks in teams of between 3 and 5 people and ultimately submit a film and a report clearly explaining the problem they have solved, what the solution is and what the entrepreneur gains from it. An expert jury assesses the submissions and announces the winner. At the bottom of this post, you will find a document containing more information about, among other things, the content of the assignment and the assessment criteria.
Until March 2024, student teams work on food-waste issues from companies and organisations and think about innovations that contribute to combating food waste. An expert jury assesses the submitted cases. Nominated teams are invited to the final. The final event will take place in April 2023; the date has yet to be determined.
You can register your class here.