The UK is the biggest producer for food waste in the EU, according to a study published yesterday (12 August) in the Environmental Research Letters Journal. Research for the ‘Lost water and nitrogen resources due to EU consumer food waste’ study was carried out by a team based at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It sought to quantify EU consumer food waste and the associated natural resources required for its production. It found that around 16 per cent of all food reaching consumers in Europe is wasted, around 22,000 tonnes every year, with an average of 123 kilogrammes (kg) being thrown away by every European consumer per year. Moreover, up to 80 per cent of that waste (97kg per person per year) was found to be avoidable, with the UK producing the most avoidable waste of the six countries studied. Romania was said to be the EU member state with the lowest recorded food waste, producing an average of around 45kg of avoidable food waste per person per year (roughly equal to an apple a day), while the UK’s figure could reach up to 153kg per year – around the same as wasting ‘a small loaf of bread a day’. Unsurprisingly, perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables were among the products most wasted, with the study concluding that this was due to consumers not using them quickly enough, or over-buying them due to the fact that they are generally cheaper per weight than other food product groups. Wasted natural resources also studied The study also sought to quantify the associated levels of natural resources used for the production of food that was wasted, in terms of water and nitrogen. The average water footprint of avoidable food waste from EU consumers was estimated to be around 294 litres per person per day of green water (soil water formed by precipitation) and 27 litres per person per day of blue water (water in rivers, lakes and aquifers). Indeed, the average water footprint of EU food waste was found to be equal to 1.5 times the annual flow of the River Arno, which runs for 241 kilometres through central Italy. Avoidable food waste was also estimated to contain around 0.68kg of nitrogen per person per year, with 2.74kg of nitrogen per person per year being lost through the production process of avoidable wasted food. Meat, a typically resource-intensive food, had the highest food waste footprints for water and nitrogen, meaning a small reduction in wasted meat would equate to a large reduction in wasted water and nitrogen resources. Study the ‘most accurate’ look into European food waste The study claims to be the ‘most accurate’ to have been carried out, due to its study of a number of values and products groups, as well as the data used. It used data from the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Romania, as they were said to be the only member states with ‘reliable’ information. The researchers added that an ‘essential limitation’ of previous quantification studies on consumer food waste for Europe is that they ‘only use one value (total and/or per product/product group), thereby not taking into account the uncertainty and lack of reliable data on food waste statistics’. Taking action can cut down food waste levels

Davy Vanham of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, who led the study, said: “In some ways it's good that this waste is 'avoidable', because it means we're able to do something about it.

“Education in schools would be valuable - and the food production industry is quite cautious - a lot of food is still 'good' but is thrown away when it passes its sell-by date.”

Touching on the fact that data from just six countries was used for this European study, Vanham said: “Ideally, we’d like data from all the member states—but the data from the other countries is not as reliable. Certainly it would be useful if governments invested more in measuring waste with greater accuracy.”

Action is being taken in Europe to try to cut down the amount of food waste, particularly from supermarkets. Arash Derambarsh, a councillor in France who kickstarted the drive to change the way supermarkets treat their unused produce, is calling for a European Directive that will require all supermarkets in Europe to pass on their unsold supplies.

Indeed, a food waste petition was presented to the European Parliament in July, seeking to get the issue considered in the upcoming European Circular Economy Package, which is currently under consultation.

Find out more about European food waste in the ‘Lost water and nitrogen resources due to EU consumer food waste’ study.