food waste
target, measure, act
goal
Food loss and waste reduced by 50% in all aspects of the supply chain by 2030.
The EU wastes tens of millions of tonnes of food every year. Up to 40% of all food produced worldwide is never eaten. UNEP’s Food Waste Index suggests that 931 million tonnes of food is thrown away globally by consumers, retailers and the food service industry each year. This wasted food accounts for 6% of global greenhouse emissions. At the EU level, the best estimates indicate that some 88 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, equivalent to 173 kg of food per person every year.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Follow the food waste hierarchy: sell the food products; if you cannot sell them, reduce their sale price; if you still have some left, donate them for redistribution to humans; if you still have some, send them for use by local animal charities; if possible, use food waste for renewable energy generation.
In general, be open and innovative (e.g. with regard to food that does not meet specifications or to crop flushes)!
Measure and report food waste and surplus in your operations, including the waste stage (e.g. storage, products past their sell-by date), the destination of the surplus (e.g. redistribution, animal feed) and waste.
Commit to the 50% reduction target across your own operations, the supply chain, on the farm and in households, e.g. through the Champions 12.3 approach. https://champions123.org/
Support farmers and producers in supply chains to measure and report food loss and waste generated on their property.
Review annually and minimise supply chain practices which may contribute to food waste and implement alternatives on farms (e.g. whole crop purchasing, improved demand forecasting, relaxing cosmetic standards and reviewing the role of brokers in driving food loss volumes) and in the home (e.g. lack of smaller pack sizes at fair prices).
In production and packaging development protocols, implement practices to target product issues which may contribute to food waste in the home (e.g. date, storage and freezing advice, shelf life, availability of appropriate pack sizes/formats).
Mobilise customers to significantly reduce food waste in the home, through awareness raising, communication and collective action.
ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
Advocate for mandatory food waste measurement and reporting from farm to fork.
EXPLORE THE OTHER PRINCIPLES
about wwf
WWF is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
As a member of the WWF global network, WWF-CEE exists to promote WWF’s mission across seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Member organizations include WWF-Bulgaria, WWF-Hungary, WWF-Romania, WWF-Slovakia, WWF-Ukraine and WWF in Czechia.
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