By the end of 2030, EU countries must achieve a ten percent reduction in food production and trade, and a thirty percent reduction in retail, hospitality, and households.
The Netherlands wanted the target to also apply to the primary sector, such as agriculture, horticulture, and livestock. The European Commission does not want this at present.
Consumer organizations warn, however, that the currently proposed reduction does not yet match the international ambition to halve food waste. Therefore, EU countries will be allowed to maintain their existing own regulations on top of the EU obligation.
Eurostat states that approximately 89 million tons of food (131 kilograms per inhabitant) are discarded annually in the EU countries. In the Netherlands, on average 34.3 kilograms of edible food per person are thrown away, of which a little 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.
Besides food waste, the agreement now reached in Brussels also targets the textile industry, which leaves behind 12.6 million tons of waste annually. New rules require textile producers to contribute financially to the collection and recycling of textile waste. This is intended to drastically reduce the large amounts of waste that are currently incinerated or landfilled.