Food waste carries a heavy cost for the EU, both in terms of regional economies and for the environment. The EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions therefore supports targets of reducing food waste by 30 % by 2025. As underlined by Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, in the Plenary Session on Wednesday, "Europe's regions play an essential role in mobilising and implementing change."
During the debate that followed, Mark Weinmeister took the floor to underline the need for better education on expiry dates, echoing the Group's Milan declaration from 2015. "In Hesse, we have experience of turning farms into classrooms" he said. Róbert Szabó added that there is scope for improvement during food processing and called for a coherent, integrated and sustainable food policy at the EU level.
"When so many go hungry each day, it is simply unacceptable that so much food goes to waste. From raising awareness to shortening the supply-chain to food collections, local and regional governments can make a difference. But they need the EU to lead the way" concluded CoR President Markku Markkula.
