In the European Union, in terms of agricultural products, more food is wasted than is imported.
According to a recent report by the environmental organization Feedback EU, the EU imported almost 138 million tonnes of agricultural products in 2021, while the latest estimates show that it wastes 153.5 million tonnes of food each year.
The released data show that food waste in Europe can be subdivided by sector: 89.8 million tonnes in primary production, 15.4 million tonnes in product processing, 5.3 million tonnes in wholesale and retail, 10.5 million tonnes in catering and 32.5 million tonnes in households.
This amount of food waste costs EU companies and households approximately EUR 143 billion per year. It is also estimated to be responsible for at least 6% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
In response to this situation, an international movement of 43 organizations from 20 EU countries intends to ask the European authorities to introduce stricter rules to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, in all sectors, from production to consumers.
