With innovative solutions against food waste and loss, the Save Food Initiative at Interpack 2026 presented the winners of its Awards and international project competition, thereby providing important impetus along the entire value chain.
The Save Food Project Competition specifically highlights projects that effectively contribute to reducing food loss and waste, particularly in the areas of processing and packaging. At the same time, it reflects the initiative's mission: to promote a more responsible approach to resources in food production and processing and to bring concrete solutions where they are most urgently needed.
The winner of this year's Save Food Project competition is Trueways Enterprises with the project „Edible Primary Packaging Innovation Pilot,“ which is being implemented in collaboration with the Institute of Packaging Professionals Kenya. The approach: edible primary packaging based on fruit leather. The aim is to reduce both food loss and packaging waste by processing excess or non-marketable fruit into a new packaging material that can replace conventional plastic solutions.
The solution impacts various stages of the value chain: it reduces post-harvest losses, avoids packaging waste, and particularly opens up new opportunities for sustainable packaging solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. The award also comes with financial support to facilitate the further development and practical implementation of the project.
Award-winning packaging solutions
Alongside the project competition, the winners of the Save Food Design Awards and the Sustainability Design Awards were also honoured at the trade fair. The award ceremony took place as part of the Save Food Expert Talks, which for the first time brought together experts from business, science and practice to discuss current challenges and solutions for reducing food loss.
The Save Food Design Awards recognise solutions that reduce food waste and loss – from materials and technologies to holistic end-to-end concepts. The 2026 winners are Grupolantero / Laninver, Greiner Packaging and Innoscentia. Their award-winning solutions tackle different points in the value chain – from better protection for sensitive products and extending shelf life to reducing spoilage through innovative packaging concepts and technologies. In this way, they help to specifically reduce food loss in handling, transport and consumption.
The Sustainability Design Awards recognise products, machines, systems, and services with a positive environmental impact and a reduced CO₂ footprint – for example, through material efficiency, recyclability, or innovative system solutions. Alfa Machine Kourtoglou, Irplast, and AeroFlexx Packaging Company were honoured here. The focus is on solutions that specifically reduce material usage and environmental impact while meeting functional requirements. These include resource-efficient packaging systems, recyclable materials, and new approaches to flexible packaging that combine ecological and economic demands.
Source: Messe Düsseldorf
