Corfu Food & Wine Festival Highlights Sustainability and Circular Economy
Corfu, May 16 – The 8th Corfu Food & Wine Festival continued its journey in 2026, emphasizing gastronomy as an experience of culture, sustainability, memory, and human connection. An open experiential event held yesterday, Friday, May 15, at Faliraki in Corfu, specifically at the Scout Camp, focused on the circular economy, sustainable food management, and the reduction of food waste.
The initiative, organized by the Corfu Food & Wine Festival in collaboration with the Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands, as part of the European project CIRCUS of Interreg IPA ADRION, was primarily aimed at students, children, and families in Corfu.
Engaging the Community in Sustainable Practices
Participation was notably high, with students, residents, and foreign visitors attending presentations, engaging in experiential activities, and learning firsthand how food, nature, and daily habits can be linked to sustainability and respect for the environment. Attendees also enjoyed local products and flavors of Corfu.
The event commenced with a greeting from the Deputy Mayor for European Programs and Culture, Nikos Vradis, who highlighted the economic significance of recycling, waste reduction, and the environmental footprint of everyday choices. Professor of Environment, Iosif Bodetsagias, further elaborated on the topic, presenting the basic principles of the circular economy in an accessible manner.
Innovative Approaches to Food Management
Subsequently, the President of the Corfu Chefs’ Club, Chef Spyros Voulismas, demonstrated to children the creative utilization of food by preparing jams and chutneys from fruits and vegetables that often end up as waste, showing that even leftovers can gain new value.
Dimitris Fanariotis, representative of Bio7Nisa, also intervened, focusing on the principles of regenerative agriculture and the actions implemented by the non-profit company in the KOISPE garden. He presented practical methods of coffee recycling and the reuse of organic materials to enhance soil health and sustainable cultivation.
The series of presentations concluded with Iosif Polenakis, Professor of Informatics at the Ionian University and scientific director of the CIRCUS project, who outlined the program’s objectives and emphasized the importance of cooperation, education, and innovation for transitioning to more sustainable patterns of life and production.
Practical Demonstrations and Local Insights
Composting presentations were held in the outdoor areas of the Scout Camp, giving students the opportunity to learn how organic residues return to the earth as natural fertilizer. A distinct moment was the participation of olive oil producer Spyros Dafnis from the olive oil craft company ‘The Governor’, who spoke about the history of the olive and presented circular economy practices in olive cultivation, explaining how production residues can be reused in the olive grove.
The Agri-Food Partnership of the Ionian Islands Region participated with informative and interactive activities on the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, as well as a special educational game for middle school students on food waste reduction.
Attendees tasted the jams and chutneys prepared on-site, as well as products from Lazaris Distillery & Artisan Sweets, and learned about the excellent extra virgin olive oil from ‘The Governor’, through an experience that connected gastronomy with local tradition, quality, and sustainable production.
The clear message of the day was that food waste is not only an economic issue but also a significant environmental challenge, especially for island regions like the Ionian Islands. And change can start from the smallest daily choices.
Source: enimerosi.com
