The European Commission wants to require the Twenty-seven to reduce food waste in shops, restaurants and homes in the EU by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020, according to a bill consulted this Friday by AFP. This legislative proposal, which must be made public on Wednesday and which will then be debated by the Member States and MEPs, is part of the European Green Pact.
By limiting food waste, it is intended to reduce the unnecessary use of water, fertilizers and energy to produce, process and preserve this food, which ends up in the trash. According to the proposed text, each member state would be obliged to reduce “the volume of food waste generated in shops, restaurants and catering services, and in homes” by 30% compared to the volume registered in 2020.
These figures are calculated “per capita” to account for population differences. Likewise, each country should reduce waste in the agri-food industry (production and processing) by 10%, strengthening the strategies of this sector to value by-products.
“Waste prevention”
On the other hand, no target is assigned to the agricultural sector, which is subject to hazards to crops and is likely to use its residues as fertilizer or to produce biogas. To achieve these binding objectives, “States will have maximum flexibility to adopt their waste prevention programs, because agri-food systems, types of cuisine or diet are specific to each country,” stresses a European official.
Brussels has already adapted several regulations to simplify food donations or more easily redirect them to the production of animal feed products that can no longer be used for human consumption. And work is underway to clarify the indications on expiration dates.
The proposal takes as reference the first EU-wide data collection exercise on food waste in 2020, following a harmonized methodology and using representative samples to measure household waste. This long-term statistical monitoring will allow year-on-year changes to be measured. According to figures published in March by Eurostat, the EU generated around 131 kg of food waste per capita in 2020.
More than half (70 kg per inhabitant) was due to households and 20% to the food industry (26 kg). They are followed by the agricultural sector (14 kg), restaurants and catering (12 kg) and shops and distributors (9 kg).
Source: BFM TV
