By Janez Potocnik - 1st December 2011
We have a moral, environmental and economic responsibility to tackle the issue of food waste in the EU, argues Janez Potocnik.
Each year in the EU, we waste 90 million tonnes of food, much of which could have been eaten. Agricultural food waste and fish discards are not included in these estimates so the actual figure is much higher. Waste from households alone amounts to 76kg per person per year.
This is morally, environmentally and economically indefensible. Morally, because there are more than one billion hungry people in the world. Environmentally, because it directly and indirectly creates massive greenhouse gas emissions, not just in Europe but throughout the world. And economically, because this is a waste of resources we can no longer afford.
Food is wasted at all stages of the food chain, from producers, manufacturers, retailers, caterers and consumers. Food waste occurs for various reasons. For example, in the manufacturing sector it is mainly caused by overproduction, misshapen products, and by product and packaging damage.
In the retail sector it is caused by marketing standards – aesthetic issues or packaging defects, stock mismanagement and marketing strategies – two-for-one deals. In households, reasons include a lack of awareness on quantities of food wasted and on the environmental and economic costs of food waste.
The lack of knowledge on how to use food efficiently – making the most of leftovers, cooking with available ingredients – also contributes to food waste from households as does a lack of shopping planning and the misreading of date labels.
Finally, the catering sector contributes to food waste by offering only one portion size, while individuals have different portion needs, because of a difficulty in anticipating the right number of clients, and because taking leftovers home is not yet an accepted habit in Europe.
The commission has started to analyse with all interested parties, including the food industry, ways to minimise food waste and optimise food packaging without compromising food safety.
It is engaged in a constructive dialogue with the EU retail forum for sustainability, with the EU food sustainable consumption and production roundtable, with the high level forum for a better functioning of the food supply chain; and with an informal member states network.
All the links in the food chain have a role to play. Suppliers can help by providing more information on packaging, and making pre-packed portions the right size. And retailers can also give consumers more information. These initiatives must be encouraged and broadened.
We already have extensive legislation on waste in general. There is now a waste management hierarchy, which gives priority to preventing waste in the first place. The member states are obliged to put this hierarchy into practice in their national waste prevention programmes.
These are due by 2013 and will have to include food waste too. To help them with this task, the commission is preparing a guidance document on prevention of food waste, based on examples of best practice. This will be published on DG environment’s website shortly.
Business can help too. The manufacturing sector will have to do more to use its waste as by-products. The retail sector must improve its stock management and selling methods so as to prevent products ending their shelf-life before they are sold.
The restaurant and catering sectors will have to improve their management systems to reduce losses and ensure that customers do not leave half their meals on their plates.
The commission is addressing consumers on the issue of food waste in a recently launched campaign on resource efficiency called ‘generation awake’. It gives tips on making the right choices when we buy and consume – including foodstuffs.
The EU is confident that a combined effort by farmers, the food industry, retailers and consumers can significantly reduce edible food waste, and the commission has proposed an indicative milestone of a 50 per cent reduction by 2020.
This milestone is a feature of the EU’s resource efficiency roadmap, which aims to transform Europe into a resource-efficient, sustainable economy by 2050.
The roadmap identifies the sectors that consume the most resources, and suggests tools and indicators to help guide action in Europe and internationally. The food sector is one of its priorities, together with transport and housing.
Eliminating food wastage is an absolute necessity. Getting there will require the help and support of all those along the food chain: farmers, producers, retailers, suppliers and consumers.
The old adage is even more relevant now than it used to be: Waste not, want not.
Janez Potocnik is European environment commissioner
