Filenews 19 October 2024
European citizens collectively waste almost 60 tonnes of food per year and European authorities aim to reduce this number by 2030.
Citing recent Eurostat data, the average EU citizen produces 132kg of waste every year, equivalent to 59.2 million tonnes per year across the European Union. Households are responsible for 54% of all food waste, while 46% comes from supply chains.
Cyprus and Denmark are by far the countries with the highest food waste among the 27 member states.
According to Eurostat, Cyprus produces an average of 294 kg of food waste per person per year and Denmark 254. Portugal ranks third with 185 kg per inhabitant.
To explain this waste, analysts point to reasons such as impulse purchases (of food that is not necessary or in quantities greater than needed), poor planning, poor cooking skills and low perception of the value of food – but also misconceptions about food labelling, such as "use by", resulting in products that could be safely eaten.
