Did you know 53% of EU food waste occurs at home?

This means we all have an important contribution to make. In Europe, 70% of EU food waste results from a combination of households, restaurants, catering services and retail, whereas the remaining 30% occurs on farms and during processing [1]. Use of modern crop protection technologies have resulted in only 20% being lost to pests, weeds and diseases on farms [2].
 

Technological innovation could however further reduce losses throughout the food value chain by for example: development of extended shelf-life varieties and sustainable packaging, smart refrigerators and apps which guide food consumption at home, while shopping and in restaurants. The Too Good To Go app provides an innovative example of how businesses with surplus food can now be digitally connected to those who would like to consume it.

[1] Å Stenmarck et al. Estimates of European food waste levels, EU Fusions Project (FP7), 2016

[2] European Parliamentary Research Service, Farming without plant protection products, EP (STOA), 2019