The European Union has decided to tackle the subject of food waste head-on and has set itself rather ambitious objectives for 2030. The European Commission wants to require the Twenty-Seven to reduce by 30% within seven years the food waste of shops, restaurants and households in the European Union (EU) compared to 2020, according to a legislative proposal presented on Wednesday.
According to Eurostat figures, the EU generated around 131 kg of food waste per capita in 2020, an estimated total loss of €132 billion. About a tenth of the food in households, restaurants and businesses ends up being thrown away.
“Waste on this scale, when 30 million Europeans can only eat a quality meal every other day and world hunger is on the rise, is simply unacceptable”, hammered the vice-president of the Commission, Frans Timmermans.
The text, which will be debated by States and MEPs, aims to reduce the unnecessary use of water, fertilizers and energy to produce, process and preserve these foods which end up in the trash.
Each member state would be required to reduce “the volume of food waste generated in shops, restaurants and catering services and in households” by 30% compared to the overall volume recorded in 2020 – figures calculated “per capita”.
Similarly, each state should reduce waste in the agri-food industry (production and processing) by 10% by strengthening the strategies of this sector to valorize by-products.
On the other hand, no objective is assigned to the agricultural sector, which is subject to crop hazards and likely to use its waste as fertilizer or to produce biogas.
In order to achieve these binding objectives, States will be able to use the waste prevention programs of their choice, adapted to their agri-food systems and types of cuisine.
Brussels recalls having already adapted several regulations to simplify food donations or redirect more easily to the production of animal feed products that can no longer be intended for human consumption. In addition, work is underway to clarify the indications on use-by dates.
The proposal takes as a baseline the first data collection exercise on food waste across the EU in 2020, following a harmonized methodology and using representative samples to measure household waste. This monitoring will be continued to measure changes.
If the planned reductions materialize, this would represent an annual saving of around 400 euros for a family of four, the Commission estimates.