Quantifying and preventing food waste

In the EU, over 59 million tonnes of food are wasted annually per year, estimated to be worth around 132 billion euros (SWD (2023)421), with around 10% of available food going to waste.
The sustainability impacts of food waste cannot be underestimated, and waste reduction targets have been enshrined already in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target by 12.3, which calls for halving per capita food waste by 2030. The EU has put in place several policy actions to meet this target, including the Circular Economy Action Plan, Farm to Fork strategy and Waste Framework Directive.
Our work has focused on the development of food waste accounting models to estimate the quantity of food waste at each stage of the supply chain. This harmonised model (version 1.0; version 2.0; version 3.0 ) is based on the application of material flow analysis, combining official statistics on food production and trade with technical and scientific coefficients to model food waste generation.
 

From quantification to action

Implementing effective and efficient prevention actions is fundamental to achieve ambitious reduction targets.
In 2019, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), in collaboration with DG SANTE, launched a project to gather and evaluate food waste prevention initiatives across the EU. The initiative included the development of a comprehensive framework with key criteria and indicators, and the development of a calculator to assess the environmental and economic benefits of reducing food waste. The Project was renewed in 2022, with a new data collection and evaluation exercise which further consolidated the knowledge base on prevention actions, uncovering emerging trends, and identifying new opportunities for intervention.

The Food Waste Prevention Calculator

Designed for stakeholders across the food supply chain, this tool assesses the impact of food waste reduction efforts. Through a consistent methodology based on life cycle thinking, it helps users quantify the nutritional benefits, economic and environmental savings associated with preventing food waste.
The tool calculates the environmental benefits, such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and resource use. It also helps users identify and evaluate potential trade-offs that may arise during implementation, ensuring informed decision-making.
Calculate the impacts of your own food waste prevention action here.

Tackling Food Waste in EU Households and Food Service Sectors

In the EU, 62% of food is wasted at the consumption stage, driving over 70% of the environmental impacts of food waste generation. This highlights the urgent need for focused prevention efforts in households and food service sectors.
The environmental impact is profound—food waste alone generates 252 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. If food waste were treated as a Member State, it would rank as the EU's fifth largest emitter.

Established by DG SANTE and the JRC, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum expert group gathered researchers and practitioners to collaborate, share evidence-based best practices and find solutions to consumer food waste. A toolkit of solutions and best practices was designed to support food chain stakeholders and policymakers at all levels to better design, implement and evaluate prevention actions. The project is closely related to the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste and was presented during a public event.
 

Policy support

The JRC supported the impact assessment of a legislative proposal setting legally binding EU food waste reduction targets by 2030, as part of the updated Directive 2008/98/EC on waste. This work involved analysing public consultation feedback, reviewing current food waste prevention efforts across the food supply chain, assessing Member States' progress, and developing models to assess the economic and environmental impacts of potential reduction targets.