Food Waste in Europe:
Sustainable Food Systems & Strategies to Stop Wasting Food

Around 143 million euros are associated with approximately 88 million tonnes of food waste in the European Union. It is estimated that 20% of food produced is lost or wasted, while food poverty has been shown to increase. Looking at the global view, a third of all food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted at all stages of the supply chain. Moreover, food waste is not only an ethical and economic problem, but also a drain on the environment with its limited natural resources. When throwing food, we waste all resources that went into production and transport such as land, water, fuel etc. without any added benefit. Furthermore, food waste generates between 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To counteract this, the Commission will propose legally binding targets to reduce all food waste across the Member State by the end of 2023. However, since almost 50% of food waste is generated in EU households, reduction targets should not be reached by addressing small food businesses only. This event will bring together policy- and decision makers, experts and interested stakeholders to discuss the importance of sustainable food systems as well as EU actions and measures to prevent food waste anchored in the EU Farm2Fork strategy and how the legally binding targets impinge on SME food entrepreneurs.