Because actions to combat food waste have had little effect so far, Brussels wants to turn the current non-binding agreements into a legally binding target.
The European Commission states that most (70%) of the waste occurs in processing, retail, hospitality, and households, and therefore believes a target for the primary sector is unnecessary. Brussels aims to reduce waste in the processing and packaging industry by 10 percent, and in retail, hospitality, and households by 30 percent.
According to Agriculture Minister Piet Adema, this is significantly less than the 50 percent (for retail and consumers) that the Netherlands and other EU countries are already applying. Therefore, the Netherlands wants to maintain that 50 percent reduction, and moreover, include the primary sector under it.
The Netherlands will present this proposal next week at the EU Environment Council, where the new Waste Framework Directive will be adopted. The agricultural aspects of the proposal will be discussed in the LNV Agriculture Council.
Minister Adema also believes that agriculture, horticulture, and livestock farming should start keeping their own records of production and harvest losses. ‘This is to protect the sector against the shifting of waste responsibility by parties further along the chain.'
‘There will also be a push for a reporting obligation for individual organizations and not just member states, in line with the successful Dutch voluntary monitoring,’ Adema said.
According to researchers from Eurostat, food waste also has a strong economic, social, and ecological impact. Approximately 89 million tons of food waste (131 kilograms per inhabitant) is thrown away annually in EU countries, amounting to a loss of about 132 billion euros.
In the Netherlands, an average of 34.3 kilograms of edible food per person is discarded, of which just under five kilograms is still untouched in peel or packaging. In total, households waste just under 10 percent of their weekly purchases, with an average value of 120 euros per person per year. Dutch households account for about 30 percent of the total food waste in the entire chain (including producers, hospitality, and supermarkets).