Food waste
Food waste is any food that has become waste under the condition that (1) it has entered the food supply chain, (2) it has been removed or discarded from the food supply chain or at the final consumption stage, and (3) it is finally destined to be processed as waste[1]. In this context food (or ‘foodstuff’) means any substance or product, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed, intended to be, or reasonably expected to be ingested by humans[1].
Origin and composition
Depending on its origin the food waste can be divided into two types which are kitchen waste and food industry waste. The following non-exhaustive list shows the potential contents of those two types:
Kitchen waste
- Cat litter with Ecolabel
- Cheese rinds without plastic
- Coffee grounds, coffee filter, coffee pads
- Egg shells
- Flowers and (house) plants
- Food waste (boiled, fried, raw)
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Gravy
- Kitchen paper, soiled with food
- Peanuts and nuts shells
- Plant pots made of organic material
- Tea leaves and bags
- Used cooking oil & grease
Food insustry waste
- Beverages
- Bread
- Bulk organic waste
- Dairy products
- Decommissioning of the agri-food industry
- Fruit and vegetable waste
- Packaged food waste (various packaging except glass and ceramic) including raw and processed meat, poultry and fish waste
- Packaged organic waste (e.g. tetra, tin, foil)
- Raw materials from the food industry
- Rejects from food industry
- Prepared dishes, sauces non-exhaustive list of all food waste in synthetic packaging and bulk
- Meat, eggs, fish, ...
- Sweets, food supplements
Occurrence and treatment
| Area | Food waste generated [kg/capita] | Food waste collected [kg/capita] |
|---|---|---|
| EU-27+ | 116.7 | 18.8 |
| Austria | 118.5 | 22.8 |
| Belgium | 105.7 | 16.4 |
| Bulgaria | 80.2 | - |
| Croatia | 84.4 | 1.5 |
| Cyprus | 79.8 | 3.8 |
| Czechia | 93.7 | 9.1 |
| Denmark | 103.5 | 22.6 |
| Estonia | 111.8 | 3.3 |
| Finland | 102.0 | 15.3 |
| France | 122.3 | 25.7 |
| Germany | 94.4 | 25.0 |
| Greece | 142.7 | 6.1 |
| Hungary | 110.0 | 5.5 |
| Ireland | 118.2 | 9.4 |
| Italy | 127.7 | 60.6 |
| Lativa | 107.4 | 4.5 |
| Lithuania | 121.4 | 6.9 |
| Luxembourg | 118.4 | 15.9 |
| Malta | 55.9 | 4.7 |
| Netherlands | 111.8 | 17.0 |
| Norway | 78.8 | 35.2 |
| Poland | 112.0 | 5.4 |
| Portugal | 127.2 | 2.2 |
| Romania | 127.7 | 3.6 |
| Slovakia | 84.4 | 7.9 |
| Slovenia | 108.4 | 14.6 |
| Spain | 144.0 | 3.7 |
| Sweden | 105.7 | 14.5 |
| UK | 118.21 | 14.9 |
References
- ↑ a b eurostat, 2021: Guidance on reporting of data on food waste and food waste prevention according to Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2000 - version of July 2021 , Last access 2021-08-03. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/342366/351811/Guidance+on+food+waste+reporting/5581b0a2-b09e-adc0-4e0a-b20062dfe564
- ↑ Favoino, E., Gavini, M., 2020: Bio-waste generationin the EU: Current capture levels and future potential. Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Brussels, Belgium.