Why we need to tackle food waste and what social enterprises are doing about it

27th September 2019 | Publications

With 88 million tonnes worth of food wasted annually in Europe,[1] there are strong reasons for the new Commission to keep the fight against food waste at the top of its agenda.

By 31 December 2023, the EU Commission will establish food waste reduction targets for Member States, including guidelines to ensure that targets are met by 2030 in line with SDG 12.3. As part of Member States assessments, the Commission aims to address the issue of food waste throughout the supply chain, examining why and where food waste is occurring, in what numbers and how to best remedy such losses.[2] The most recent review of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), adopted on 30 May 2018 includes provisions addressing the level of food waste to be transposed into national and regional law by summer 2020.

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[1] FUSIONS (2016) Estimates of European food waste levels  (Available here).

[2] European Commission (2017) Mandate of sub-group established under the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste to support EU activities on measurements of food waste (Available here).

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Press contact:
Kelly Piron, Communication and Advocacy Officer, ke*********@rr****.org