Anna Maria Corazza Bildt (PPE). – Mr President, one bag out of four is thrown away in Europe. This is economically, environmentally and morally unacceptable. Back in 2011, when we did the report in this Parliament, I started a campaign in Sweden called Basta to Food Waste, a grassroots movement to get people to change their lifestyle without reducing their living standards. Therefore I very much welcome our vote today in favour of substantially reducing food waste, continuing to keep the issue high on our agenda and raising awareness.

We have voted to have a common definition and common methodology to measure food waste, and that will also help us to exchange good practices. Member States must facilitate food donations. There are still tax rules and legal requirements that make it easier for retailers and restaurants to throw away edible food rather than reusing it or giving it to those in need. Innovative solutions and shared economic co-cooking should also be encouraged and, most importantly, the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates has to be made clear to consumers.