CozZo was implemented in households in Finland (Tampere area), Austria (Vienna area) and Greece (Athens area). About 50 regular and student households in Finland, Austria and Greece have used the CozZo app in their daily lives for a period of 3 or 6 weeks. The amount and type of avoidable food waste was measured before and after this period. The participants also answered a survey before and after the implementation of the innovation.
A workshop was held in May 2023 to discuss and share the experiences of users in each country in testing the app. The topics discussed during the meeting were the easiness of starting using the app, its usability and usefulness, and the overall strengths and weaknesses users find when making real-life use of it.
Preventing food waste in households involves several interconnected routines and practices, for example, related to planning purchases and meals, shopping, cooking, and storing food. The app has several features that aim to help households in these. However, integrating a new digital app into these existing routines can be a bit tricky. Many households seem to have used the app in a way that supports their food waste reduction activities the best.
The reduction in the amount of food waste was very good, and was partly due to the awareness of the households about the food waste problem thanks to the implementation of the innovation.