This is the first report from the ForMat-project, which is a joint project between the Food and Drink Industry in Norway, the Retail and Grocery Sectors and the supplying industry to the retailers, supported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment. This report summarizes results from systematic and quantitative studies of avoidable food waste from the food manufacturing industry, from the grocery sector and from the retail sector in Norway in 2009, and consumer studies from 2010. Methodologies have been constructed to systematically follow the development, in amounts and composition, of food waste from the distribution chains of food in Norway over an extended period of time. This will also follow the behavior, attitudes and consumers’ knowledge about avoidable food waste. The goal for the ForMat project is to contribute to a 25% reduction in avoidable food waste in Norway before the end of 2015. The intention of this type of study is to follow both development in the different sectors and overall for the period 2010-2015

The study focuses on 21 different product groups aggregated in 9 groups of food. Data has been received from 11 different manufacturing companies and from a number of production plants all over Norway. Data has also been received from 13 different grocery centrals in Norway, and from 31 retail shops that are spread out in 6 different regions and areas with different population densities to give representative data. Finally, more than 3000 consumers have been interviewed in web-based studies to get data on frequency of food wasting in two different weeks (week 18 and 34 – with 1000 consumers in each), and on the behavior around and attitudes to handling of food, meal planning and reasons leading to food waste (week 24 -1000 consumers).