EU Food Waste Briefing

The European Commission, as part of a series of Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre briefs, has published a briefing on food waste in the EU which can be found here.

The briefing aims to provide independent evidence for EU policy on food waste. Key results from the briefing are:

1. 129 Mt of food waste were generated in the EU in 2011, representing 20% of food production
2. 46% of food waste is generated at the consumption stage, 25% during primary production, and 24% during processing and manufacturing. Distribution and retail account for a very small fraction of food waste
3. Food waste in the processing stage has high valorisation potential.

The briefing also discusses food waste by different food groups, how valorisation can be achieved for different food groups at different stages of the supply chain, and methods for the design and implementation of actions to tackle food waste.