Recognizing Central Europe’s Upcycling Breakthrough – A New Era in Food Retail?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 04. 22. 09:13

At the Czech & Slovak Sustainability Summit, the upcycled food category co-developed by Rohlik.cz and TransFoodMission was awarded a Sustainability Star, standing alongside initiatives from IKEA, Decathlon, and Škoda.

The recognition signals a systemic shift: upcycling – the value-driven transformation of by-products, surpluses, or cosmetically imperfect ingredients – is no longer just a sustainability goal, but a commercial strategy.

The category launched in October 2024 with over 40 products from local producers. In just six months, more than 50,000 units were sold, giving a second life to 15 tonnes of nutrient-rich raw materials.

Beyond food waste reduction, upcycling creates new markets for manufacturers, builds circular supply chains, and unlocks value from underutilized resources. The Hungary-based TransFoodMission serves as the project’s implementation partner, coordinating category-related processes from sourcing to consumer engagement.

“This award reinforces our belief that upcycling is not a niche – it’s a real-world solution for the future of food systems,” said Júlia Dalmadi, founder of TransFoodMission and Secontaste. “The model works – in stores, in homes, and in terms of economic viability.”

The Summit’s scientific jury highlighted projects with measurable impact and scalable potential. Among the ten awardees was the Czech branch of the Hungarian Munch platform, Nesnězeno, recognized for its food waste reduction collaboration with Penny, highlighting the growing importance of implementing waste reduction strategies across all levels of the food supply chain.

Upcycling plays a key role in this transition: its impact can be tracked in ESG reports, and the use of such ingredients helps reduce the demand for virgin raw materials.

This is only the beginning. More upcycled products will continue to enter the category, many of them spanning traditional food segments. Several Hungarian brands have already joined the offering through TransFoodMission’s expert support, either via co-development or distribution.

TransFoodMission aims to bring this category-building model to additional markets across Europe, expanding partnerships and accelerating circular transformation.