With the upcoming opening of the 2024 edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) on 2 September, EWWR, in collaboration with Zero Waste Europe, is launching the first factsheet for EWWR 2024: “Reducing food waste in the EU: current challenges and future targets”. The document highlights the alarming scale of food waste across the European Union, where over 58 million tonnes of food were wasted in 2021—equivalent to 131 kg per inhabitant and valued at approximately EUR 132 billion. The majority of this waste originates from households, accounting for 54% of the total, while the rest is lost across various stages of the supply chain, including farms, manufacturing, and retail. The factsheet underscores the significant disparities among EU countries in managing food waste and calls for immediate, unified action to address this pressing issue. 

The report also outlines the environmental, social, and economic implications of food waste, noting that it contributes to 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes a vast portion of the world’s agricultural land. With over 37 million people in the EU unable to afford quality meals every second day, the issue is both a moral and economic challenge. The EU has committed to halving food waste by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12.3), but current efforts fall short of this target. The proposed EU legislation on food waste, though still under negotiation, is seen as a crucial step towards achieving this goal. The factsheet calls for more stringent, legally binding targets and highlights successful local initiatives like Milan’s Food Waste Hubs, which aim to halve waste by 2030 through coordinated efforts across the food supply chain.