European citizens collectively waste nearly 60 tonnes of food annually, and authorities are aiming to slash the figure by 2030.
Europeans produce a staggering amount of food waste.
According to the latest Eurostat data, the average EU citizen generates 132 kilograms each year, amounting to an annual total 59.2 million tonnes across the bloc.
Households are responsible for 54% of the total, while 46% comes is produced in supply chains.
Among the 27 EU member states, Cyprus and Denmark are by far the biggest food wasters: the Mediterranean island produces an average of 294 kilograms of food waste per person annually, and Denmark 254.
Portugal ranks third with 185 kilograms per capita.
To explain these high numbers, authorities point to things like impulse buying, poor planning and cooking skills, and low perceived value of food — but also misconceptions about the meaning of food labels like “best before” and “use by”.
The EU has pledged to halve per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level by 2030.
For more information, watch the Euronews video in the player above.
Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz
