Almost a third of the food produced worldwide goes to waste. That's equivalent to around 1.3 billion tonnes. This waste is a global issue that has a negative impact on waste management systems, food insecurity, biodiversity and pollution. If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

In the EU alone, 88 million tonnes of food waste is generated each year. Costs associated with this are estimated to be around 143 billion euros.


The European Commission is committed to meeting its Sustainable Development Goals and halving food waste per capita, at the retail and consumer level, by 2030. At the heart of the European Green Deal is the Farm to Fork Strategy. This strategy is looking to make food systems fairer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. That's why the commission is proposing legally binding targets to reduce food waste across the EU by the end of 2023. It is also looking to revise EU rules on date-marking food by the end of 2022.

• Almost a third of the food produced worldwide goes to waste. That's equivalent to around 1.3 billion tonnes. This waste is a global issue that has a negative impact on waste management systems, food insecurity, biodiversity and pollution. If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

In the EU alone, 88 million tonnes of food waste is generated each year. Costs associated with this are estimated to be around 143 billion euros.

The European Commission is committed to meeting its Sustainable Development Goals and halving food waste per capita, at the retail and consumer level, by 2030. At the heart of the European Green Deal is the Farm to Fork Strategy. This strategy is looking to make food systems fairer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. That's why the commission is proposing legally binding targets to reduce food waste across the EU by the end of 2023. It is also looking to revise EU rules on date-marking food by the end of 2022.

Food waste affects many different areas, so there also are many ways to fight it.

Turning a profit

Sirplus supermarkets in Berlin have found one effective way to reduce food waste and turn a profit at the same time. The company sells food that can be visually unappealing, mislabeled, or close to the best-before date.

A Sirplus supermarketBerlin
All their products are inspected to ensure that they are safe to eat before being sold in their shops or online. It also sells this food to charities, such as refugee centres and soup kitchens that need cheap food. Food sold at Sirplus can be up to 70% cheaper than conventional supermarkets.

Susanne Zander, the outreach manager at Sirplus, tells us that in 2020 they were able "to save 3.5 million products". She says that ensuring that this food is not thrown away, means that they're doing their "bit for sustainability and fighting greenhouse gas emissions".