Foster, Life, EuropeanCommission, VET, FoodWaste, Training, Sustainability, Gastronomic, Food waste, restaurant industry, circular economy

THE PROBLEM

The recent FP7 funded project FUSIONS (1) analysed the food waste in EU. In the report “Estimates of European food waste levels”, the collection and analysis of data from across Europe generated an estimate of food waste in the EU-28 of 88 million tons. This estimate is for 2012 and equates to 173 kilograms of food waste per person in the EU-28.

The food service industry produces 10.5 million tons of food waste each year. This means, that it contributes with 12% to the total food waste.

Italy
France
Spain
Malta

The distribution and restaurant industry, according to the 2015 Waste Watcher Report, contribute to 203 million tons per year in waste, accounting for nearly a sixth of the total (about 13%) of food waste.

The food waste in the restaurant industry, estimated by a parliamentary initiative in 2014, reaches 1,080 Kilo tons, which represents 11% of total food waste in France.

Spain has the 7th highest level of food wastage of any EU country (7.7 million tons).

According to a national study, approximately 14% of food loss and waste occurs in the restaurant industry and 5% occurs during distribution.

Sector specific food waste data for Malta is unavailable. Although figures are unavailable, the Maltese hospitality sector is a considerable generator of food waste if you consider that Malta has a population of 460,000, around 2 million inbound tourists per annum with an average stay of 7.6 days, and an additional 626,000 cruise ship tourists (most of which only visit for a few hours).

Foster, Life, EuropeanCommission, VET, FoodWaste, Training, Sustainability, Gastronomic, Food waste, restaurant industry, circular economy
Sources:
  1. Fusions (2016), Reducing food waste through social innovation (http://www.eu-fusions.org/phocadownload/FUSIONS%20Feasibility%20studies%20evaluation%20report.pdf)
  2. Observatory Catering Collective and Nutrition, 2015
  3. Garot G., 2014: Lutte Contre le Gaspillage Alimentaire:Ministre délégué à l’Agroalimentaire
  4. More food, less waste. Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Media Ambiente. Secretarfa General Tecnica. Madrid, 2013.
  5. Gustavsson, J.; Cederberg, C.; Sonesson, U.; Emanuelsson, A. (2013). The ethodology of the FAO study: “Global Food Losses and Food Waste- extent, causes and prevention” – FAO, 2011. SIK – The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology.
  6. FAO (2011). Global food losses and waste-extent, causes and prevention. Roma, Giugno 2013.