The Prevent Waste Coalition has surveyed EU member states for their views on binding food waste targets

24 January 2025

40% of food is wasted worldwide, causing 8-10% of all emissions and wasting the production of 28% of agricultural land. In 2021, the EU wasted 58.4 million tonnes of food, with a cost of €143bn annually.

The European Union is negotiating legally binding targets to reduce food waste. The European Commission proposes a 30% reduction for household, retail, restaurant, and food service waste and 10% for manufacturing and processing by 2030, with no targets for primary production. The European Parliament, in turn, supports more ambitious targets with 40% and 20% reductions respectively.

Across Europe, a movement is growing for strong action on food waste. 65 organisations, including NGOs like SAFE, businesses, and research groups, have signed a joint statement urging the EU to set legally binding targets to reduce food waste by 50% from farm to fork by 2030.

As part of this effort, the Prevent Waste Coalition, which includes SAFE, surveyed EU member states on their views regarding these targets. The Netherlands, Austria, Romania, Finland, and Estonia support the 50% target. However, key countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland did not respond. Support from these influential countries is crucial for achieving ambitious targets. The coalition’s policy briefing, already featured by Politico and Euractiv, argues for higher targets, highlighting benefits for the environment, consumers, and businesses.

Find the results of the EU Food Waste Survey here.