European Commission Proposes Legally-Binding Targets to Combat Food Waste Crisis

In response to growing concerns over food security, inflation, and the environmental impact of food waste, the European Commission has taken action by unveiling a comprehensive strategy to tackle the issue.

The proposed measures, presented early in July, include ambitious targets aimed at reducing food waste across member states in the European Union.

According to the plan, member states will be required to make significant reductions in food waste by 10 percent in processing and manufacturing, and an even more substantial 30 percent per capita for restaurants, food services, and households.

While EU countries have implemented waste prevention programs in the past, the Commission acknowledges that these efforts have fallen short of the desired impact.

In 2020, the EU witnessed a staggering 59 million tonnes of fresh mass in food waste, which is equivalent to the weight of approximately 250,000 blue whales, the largest animals on earth. On a per capita basis, this corresponds to a concerning 131kg of food waste annually.

The EU Commission plans to use the 2020 food waste levels as the baseline for monitoring progress towards the proposed targets. An evaluation of member states’ achievements is scheduled to take place by the end of 2027.

Households are identified as the leading contributors to the food waste problem in the EU, accounting for over half of the total waste generated. Following closely behind are the processing and manufacturing sectors.

Efforts to reduce food waste at the household level have dual benefits: alleviating environmental strain and easing financial burdens for families.

Wasted food also results in the loss of other valuable resources such as water, energy, and agricultural inputs, which contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions when discarded in landfills.

However, some advocacy groups argue that the proposed targets do not align with the United Nations’ sustainability goals.

Brussels-based NGO, Zero Waste Europe, has called for more ambitious action, requesting a food-reduction target of at least 50 percent during the ongoing intra-institutional negotiations.

In the context of the UN’s sustainable development goals, target 12.3 specifically calls for a halving of per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, along with reducing food losses within the supply chain by 2030.

As the European Commission moves forward with its plan, it will be crucial to ensure that its objectives align with international sustainability goals in the fight against food waste.