On 24 January, Members of the European Parliament will vote on a proposal to reduce food waste in the EU by 50% by 2030. Campaigners are urged to sign here to show their support. Action is urgently needed because a new report by the EU's own auditors has found that the EU's activities so far have been inadequate.
According to the campaign group This is Rubbish (TIR), the 88 million tonnes of food wasted in the EU every year would feed those living in food poverty nine times over. The food lost also represents a huge waste of resources, and accounts for a significant slice of carbon emissions.
MEPs will vote on 24 January on a proposal to halve Europe’s food waste by 2030. If passed, says TIR, the policy could enter UK law before Brexit and be difficult to reverse. It would also support EU (and UK) commitments to act on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which include a similar target.
The MEPs' vote comes as the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the body that ensures that EU policy avoids waste of any kind, reports (here) that the European Commission is not taking effective action on food waste. Its main initiative so far has been the Europe-wide Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, which is part of the Commission’s Circular Economy policy. According to the ECA report, this platform is not an adequate response -- by focusing on establishing the platform, the EC has lost time in implementing practical solutions.
Meanwhile, in the UK, a parliamentary committee is conducting a review of food waste, which has just taken evidence from UK retailers. You can follow its progress here.
Sustain campaigns for a greener, fairer and healthier food system. Find out more about our work on food waste here.
Published Friday 20 January 2017
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
