Europe aims to cut annual food wastage by half

The European Parliament aims to halve food wastage by 2030. MEP Mark Demesmaeker has drawn up, together with the other groups, an ambitious resolution with various specific recommendations. “In Europe, some 88 million tonnes of food go to waste each year. The average Flemish consumer throws away 18 to 26 kg of food a year, mainly fruit, vegetables and bread. It is time to stop this form of food wastage,” says Mark Demesmaeker. “What’s more, this is at loggerheads with the recommendations concerning the transition to a recycling economy.”

Flanders has already taken the lead in the past with its own action plan to reduce food wastage by 15 percent by 2020. For example, Flemish Minister of Poverty Reduction Liesbeth Homans is supporting food recovery by supermarkets. At the federal level, Minister of Finance Johan Van Overtveldt has exempted food donations to local initiatives from VAT. “It is now up to the European Commission to draw up a similar action plan in which the focus is on awareness-raising and prevention,” says Mark Demesmaeker. “Regional and local governments can provide the best tailor-made solution in this regard.”

A matter that concerns us all

Mark Demesmaeker further points out a number of other interesting developments in Flanders. “So-called ‘ugly’ vegetables and fruit are once again making their appearance on store shelves. A visual imperfection can no longer be a reason to throw away a piece of fruit,” he notes. “And thanks to digitisation, there are many online platforms and apps that make it easier to donate food.”

Finally, the MEP calls on all governments to scrutinise their own policy carefully. “The fight against food wastage is a matter that concerns us all, in which governments must set a good example. We have to work together in this regard,” he concludes.