Food waste in Belgium and Europe in five figures
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153.5 million
Each year, the EU wastes a fifth of its food production, 153.5 million tonnes of food.
138 million
In 2021, the EU imported 138 million tonnes of food (for 150 billion euros). It therefore wastes more than it imports.
6%
Food waste is responsible for 6% of EU greenhouse gas emissions.
143 billion
This waste also costs European households €143 billion a year.
345
A Belgian wastes 345 kg of food every year, mainly fruit and vegetables.
The end point
The European Environmental Bureau estimates that waste has doubled since the last estimates (also the fault of more accessible data). It therefore urges the European authorities to counter member countries to reduce by half by 2030. According to the EEB, these efforts would save 4.7 million hectares of agricultural land. Europe seems to have heard the call since the Commission will propose binding legal targets by the end of the year, which would be a world first. The BEE also insists that the figures include losses from agricultural labor and processing companies. “Limiting the targets to only retail and consumer food waste would mean that 48-76% of total food waste would be excluded“, explains his report. The extent of European waste could ultimately have an impact on its food security, as prices rise and the poverty rate widens. As a reminder, in Wallonia alone, the number of people seeking help from CPAS increased by 63% between 2010 and 2022.