Food waste

Revision as of 13:12, 15 September 2021 by Lars Krause (talk | contribs)

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 divited 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
  • Manure of small pets
  • 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

Food waste generated (anually theoretical potential)[2]
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

  1. 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
  2. Favoino, E., Gavini, M., 2020: Bio-waste generationin the EU: Current capture levels and future potential. Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Brussels, Belgium.