Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides on the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

Source: European Commission (EC) i, published on Monday, September 28 2020.

Tomorrow, 29 September, has been designated the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste by the United Nations. Ahead of this occasion, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides i, made the following statement:

“The figures speak for themselves: in the EU i, it is estimated that 20% of all food we produce is lost or wasted, yet at the same time 33 million people cannot afford a quality meal every second day. There is no excuse for food waste. It leaves the most vulnerable citizens exposed. It is detrimental to the environment. And it has huge economic cost. Surplus food should feed people who need it, not go in the bin.

We urgently need to redesign our food systems. This year, COVID-19 has not only forced us to rethink our way of life and adapt to new realities. The pandemic has also proven the importance of sustainable food systems, from how we produce and process food, to the supply chains that bring it to our homes.

At EU level, we have already taken important measures in recent years to reduce food loss and waste, by making sure food waste levels are measured and reported on. We have established an EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, which offers recommendations on the most efficient actions and we are using research and innovation to share solutions and knowledge about the causes of food loss and waste, bridging the gap between policymakers and actors on the ground. We have also developed guidelines on food donation and the safe reuse of otherwise unusable food for animal feed.

But we need to do more. Despite all the measures taken at local, national and EU levels, curbing food loss and waste remains an important challenge. With our Farm to Fork Strategy, we have embarked on the transition to a sustainable food system that ensures food security and access to healthy food from a healthy planet. As part of our ambitious work to achieve this transition, we will propose, by 2023, legally binding targets to reduce food waste in the EU. We need to act decisively if we are to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of halving per capita global food waste and reducing food loss by 2030.

We do not have a moment to spare. This is why I am proud to have joined the Champions 12.3, a coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organisations and civil society as well as researchers and farmers, aiming precisely to help halve global food waste by 2030 while also reducing food loss.

I call on everyone, whether they are consumers, farmers, food businesses, civil society and policy makers, on this International Day: let us all commit to fighting against food loss and waste each and every day!”

More information:

Commission website on food waste

EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste

United Nations International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction