In recent years, food waste in the EU has gradually become a complex and pressing matter. This subject is attracting the attention of researchers, scientists, activists and consumers alike.

In the EU, a significant 20% of the aggregate food produced goes to waste or goes missing. Moreover, over 55 million individuals can’t afford a decent meal every day.

Keep in mind that households generate over fifty percent of the aggregate food waste in the EU. This volume alone aggregates to around 47 million tons. In addition, about 70 percent of food waste arises at household, retail outlets and food services.

It is a paradox, as the EU places considerable emphasis on agricultural efficiency to enhance food production and security. Moreover, a third of the total food produced ends up in the waste bins.

We will discuss the main reasons for food waste in the following sections:

Recycling Barriers

95% of the seven billion pounds of food waste produced by food manufacturers in 2015 came from various landfills. Manufacturers repurpose a huge majority (nearly 87 percent) of this waste as animal feed. The remaining went to compost, fertilizer, and biofuel.

In addition, families in need received donations or gifts of about 106 million pounds of mislabeled, discontinued, bulk or otherwise unsellable but safe food.

Manufacturers often work with huge volumes of ingredients and food, as well as a comparatively small number of manufacturing locations; this makes recycling one of the most attractive food waste diversion methods.

However, more than 60 percent of food manufacturers claim that there are many barriers when it comes to food waste recycling. These include the availability of recycling plants, transportation costs of long travel distances, liability concerns, and strict internal requirements with respect to food waste handling. Moreover, there are stringent regulatory requirements, which limit the reuse of specific kinds of food waste.

In total, the European Union wastes about 89.2 million tons of food on a yearly basis. The United Kingdom is easily the most wasteful out of the EU’s 27 states. The food waste total for the UK is about 14.3 million tons per year, as per the most recent stats from Eurostat.

Other countries are not far behind. The food waste generated by the leading countries in the EU is

Germany — Over 10 million tons

The Netherlands — Over 9 million tons

France and Poland — Close to 9 million tons

On the other hand, Malta is the least wasteful state. The food waste they produce is around 25,000 tons per year.

Logistical Problems

Grocery stores tend to divert around 42% of the total food waste generated. While recycling is the most common waste diversion tactic, it is worth mentioning that grocery stores usually have the greatest donation rate of the three sectors (around 13.2 percent), largely because of the predominance of various finished food products.

That said, food waste diversion is one of the most significant logistical and management challenge for most retailers. They have many locations as well as an extensive range of products. An inquiry done by the House of Lords prior year indicates that the number of 89 million tons would increase to about 126 million tons by 2020 in case no preventative actions are taken. This raises the prospect of considerable costs to both the economy and the environment.

In addition, keep in mind that compared to the remaining parts of the world, Europe is second, when it comes to per capita food waste and losses, to North America and Oceania, as per a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

Organisational Diversity

Restaurants divert about 15.7% of the 2.2 billion pounds of food waste and loss generated on an annual basis. This is the lowest rate of diversion among all the sectors. That said, it is important to bear in mind that manufacturers and retailers do not handle considerable amounts of food waste. Consumers generate most of this waste. However, restaurants handle the waste they produce.

Keep in mind that options to decrease and divert food waste could differ considerably throughout the restaurant sector. These options include a variety of businesses. The businesses include quick-service restaurants and managed-services cafeteria operations, as well as fine dining establishments.

In addition, companies that have franchise-based business models tend to face serious challenges when it comes to centrally tracking food waste and instituting system-wide and effective food waste programs.

Even many centralized, and single-unit restaurants usually face difficulties in dedicating scarce staff time and resources in order to effectively manage and operate food waste programs.

Despite the European Union’s high level of food loss and waste, a considerable portion of it is avoidable, as per the European Commission.

They conducted a comprehensive study, which covered the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Finland, and Romania. This study suggests that almost 75% of the total food waste in these countries is avoidable, which is an encouraging sign.

Keep in mind that waste for animal fats, cereals, and cream are reportedly completely avoidable, as they are edible. On the other hand, avoidable food waste in case of meat (53.10%), fruit (49.41%), and fish (51.03%) is comparatively lower, but still significant.

What You Can Do

The food industry in EU is working hard to lower overall food waste and loss via three primary avenues. First, the industry is forging partnerships and collaborating with organizations like the Food Waste Alliance.

The industry is also affecting various policy changes by working with EU policymakers in order to make food recycling and donation easier. Lastly, it is improving logistics through collaboration with partners in an effort to overcome transportation and food shortage limitations.

That said, it is important to keep in mind that food waste account for only a portion of total food loss.

Keep in mind that food waste is related mainly to retailer and consumer behavior. On the other hand, food loss results from the diminishing levels of edible food throughout the various stages. These stages include production, harvest, as well as post-harvest along with the processing stages of food supply chain.w