As the European Union’s climate policies hit the fifth gear with ambitious climate commitments, with the circular economy approach at the core of the bloc’s green paradigm shift. However, research from organisations such as FeebackEU highlights major gaps in the EU’s legislative framework on circularity, particularly seen in food waste regulations.
In Europe, the current regulatory framework on food waste has been predicated on voluntary agreements within EU Member States, accompanied by voluntary and monitoring roles by EU institutions. Indeed, as highlighted by the report No Time To Waste, published by FeebackEU in September 2022, when the “right policies are in place” by businesses and Member States. Looking at examples from Central and Eastern Europe, in Poland, Novotel Warsaw Centrum achieved reductions of 55 per cent in their food waste in one year.
However, according to FeedbackEU, the voluntary nature of the existing framework is the primary reason for slow progress in waste reduction, despite individual success stories. Voluntary agreements have “serious limitations” when deployed on a national scale, particularly seen in a lack of a level playing field for businesses which can create fear of
being “a first mover.” As highlighted in the report, in 2013, when Tesco, became the first UK retailer to publish its food waste data, it faced singular scrutiny and criticism, leading to reluctance from other retailers to join the British food retailer in publishing their data.
The utility of circularity amid Europe’s cost-of-living crisis
As reiterated by a plethora of European politicians, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the global post Covid-19 recovery have both played a major role in sparking a cost-of-living crisis in Europe and exacerbating food insecurity across the globe. Around one-third of the world’s food is wasted, while 10 per cent of the world’s population faced hunger in 2020 – demonstrating that there is enough food to feed everyone, according to the FeebackEU report. In addition, reducing food loss and waste by a mere 25 per cent by 2050 would close the food gap by 12 per cent, according to the World Resources Institute.
Considering the current global supply chain issues, according to FeedbackEU, reducing food waste, particularly that which occurs on farmland, can enhance the resilience of communities across global supply chains by increasing the available food volumes, which as a result, provides a critical safety net in the case of global or local shocks. In addition, according to the European Environmental Bureau, halving EU food waste by 2030 could save 4.7 million hectares of agricultural land.
Looking further into the numbers, food waste costs EU businesses and households an estimated 143 billion euros a year and causes at least 6 per cent of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions – with around 20 per cent of the bloc’s food production currently wasted.
Food waste in the context of energy security
Not only can the reduction in food waste cut carbon emissions, but the EU’s energy paradigm shift also presents a strategic opportunity for strengthening food waste circularity. Alongside cutting Russian energy ties and diversifying supplies, the EU’s REPowerEU strategy announced a 2030 target for the production of 35 billion cubic metres (bcm) of biomethane which is produced using biological waste. Naturally, food waste could play an important role in order to avoid causing a distribution in the overall food production process.
According to the European Biogas Association, the EU’s bio-methane target would replace 20 per cent of natural gas imports from Russia. Reaching the target capacity will require an overhaul of the existing infrastructure with 5,000 new bio-methane plants. Whilst highly ambitious, the European Biogas Association said that it is feasible from a “technical perspective,” requiring an estimated 80 billion euros in capital investments.
What can we do about food waste today?
Whilst debates among policymakers on mandatory EU food waste reduction targets remain to be had, there are simple and cost-saving steps that we can all take to limit our food waste. According to recommendations by the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste: when at home, planning and freezing ready-made meals; asking to take away your leftovers at a restaurant; or making a simple shopping list and buying imperfect – usually cheaper – fruit at the grocery store can go a long way in tackling food waste.
When swiping through your phone, it may also be worth considering apps like Too Good To Go, providing a digital platform for restaurants, cafes and stores with surplus unsold food at a significantly discounted price. Interestingly, these food-saving initiatives have already recorded major success stories in Central and Eastern Europe. Since the start of Too Good To Go‘s operations in Poland in 2019, users and food service businesses have saved over 5.7 million meals that would have otherwise ended up in the bin. 2022 was a particularly breakthrough year as Poland saved 75 per cent more food than in the previous year, which – according to the company – was partly influenced by rapidly growing inflation.