Improving the monitoring and data collection of food waste and loss is key to providing better insight into the scale and causes of the problem, according to the European Council.

Food waste has become an increasingly prominent and pressing issue, with the council reporting that nearly a third (1.3 billion tonnes) of all the food produced is wasted each year. This contributes eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and costs the global economy around £630 billion each year. Despite these high levels of food waste, hunger is still a major problem.

This week (28 June), the council adopted a set of conclusions relating to the issue of food waste within Europe and gave recommendations for moving forward.

In particular, it highlighted that measuring the scale of the problem is a pre-requisite to reducing food loss and waste and improving policy on the issue.

Calls on member states

As part of its conclusions, the council called on member states to confirm their commitment to achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goal (SDG) of halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030.

To do this, it states that they must actively contribute to the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, which is to be established as part of the EU action plan to promote a circular economy and to monitor progress towards SDG 12.3.

Among the other measures set out, the council called on member states to support education and raise awareness among the population with regards to sustainable food production processes, consumption and food losses and waste, explaining that it is necessary to encourage the implementation of the waste hierarchy.

Member states are also expected to aim to reduce food losses and waste and valorise food resources from primary production through to consumption and to put the issue of food loss and waste reduction on the agenda of actors on the food supply chain.

Calls for definition of food waste

The conclusions also sets out actions for the European Commission to undertake, urging the institution to design a common and practical EU protocol that provides a definition of food waste and how it should be quantified at each stage of the supply chain.

A similar framework, designed for use around the world, was unveiled earlier this month by the Food Loss and Waste Protocol, a multi-stakeholder partnership convened by the World Resources Institute and featuring the likes of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Consumer Goods Forum and the Waste & resources Action Programme. The standard seeks to set a global definition of food waste, as well as consistent reporting requirements to measure and assess action against food loss and waste.

The council also called on the commission to better valorise biomass, when food is no longer fit for use in the food and feed chain, minimise the potential negative impact on food losses and waste of existing policies and regulations and promote an improved understanding and use of date marking on food products amongst consumers, food manufacturers and retailers.

The council concluded that it was necessary for the commission to foster discussions involving all member states to explore the ways and means to strengthen the management of the food supply chain. Cooperation between actors is required to minimise the amount of food that is unsold. Agreements between retailers and food banks and other charitable organisations, it asserted, would also be beneficial.

From 2018, the council will begin assessing the progress that has been made since the implementation of these conclusions.

The full report can be found on the European Council’s website.