Reducing food waste

8.9.2020

Question for written answer E-004881/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Traian Băsescu (PPE)

Each year, 88 million tonnes of food is wasted in the EU.

There are many reasons for this, such as the strict rules imposed by the EU and distributors themselves regarding the appearance of foods acceptable for sale. Other causes may be excess production, the view that disposal is cheaper than use or reuse or failure on the part of consumers to plan their purchases properly.

This is also an environmental problem, since wasting food means wasting all the water and energy necessary to grow it, not to mention, harvesting, transport and packaging. In the light of the European Green Deal and the ‘farm to fork’ strategy, food waste reduction must be incorporated into Commission environmental policies. It is essential to formulate a statutory definition of food waste, define the obligations of all involved along the supply chain and set targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from food waste. In view of this:

• 1.What legislative initiatives can the Commission be expected to table with a view to combating this problem, making it a statutory obligation to minimise and recycle food waste?
• 2.What action is it taking to educate the public and raise awareness of the need to combat food waste in the Member States?