FOOD WASTE IN EUROPE: FACTS, EU POLICIES AND 2030 TARGETS
While it is estimated that around 10% of food that is available for EU consumers may be wasted, there are about 40 million people in the EU who cannot afford a quality meal every second day.
The European Union aims to prevent and reduce food waste across Europe. In September 2025, the European Parliament approved new binding food waste reduction targets for EU countries by 2030.
Key facts and statistics for Europe
Every year, about 60 million tonnes of food is wasted in the European Union. This is about 130 kg per inhabitant.
Households generate over half of the food waste in the EU (53%). About 9% of the waste (12 kg per inhabitant) comes from primary food production such as farming and 18% (23 kg per inhabitant) comes from the processing and manufacturing sector.
Restaurants and food services account for 12% of the food waste (15 kg per inhabitant), and retail and food distribution for another 8% (10 kg per inhabitant).
In 2022, the EU countries that generated the largest amount of food waste per inhabitant were Cyprus, Denmark and Greece. The countries generating the least amount of food waste were Spain, Slovenia and Croatia.
Why is wasting food a problem?
Many people feel that wasting food is ethically wrong. But the impact is much larger as food waste hurts the environment, the economy and society.
The environmental impact
Food waste accounts for approximately 16% of all greenhouse gases from the EU food system. Reducing food waste would mean fewer emissions and would support measures against climate change.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the production and transportation of food that is later wasted accounts for 8% of global greenhouse emissions.
Food waste also consumes natural resources that are already scarce. For example, the water used to produce food that gets thrown away makes up 12% of the total water used in food production and consumption in the EU.
The economic cost
Food waste is also an economic issue. Households pay for food that they never consume, and farmers and businesses lose money at every stage of the food delivery chain because some part of the food ends up as rubbish.
The costs associated with food waste are estimated to be about 132 billion euro in market value.
On top of that, surveys quoted by the European Commission in its impact assessment estimate around 9.3 billion euro of extra costs related to collecting and dealing with the food waste.
The social consequences
Wasting food has important social effects. It wastes resources that could be used better. In the EU, people spend about 13% of their money on food according to Eurostat.
Throwing away consumable food, instead of distributing it through donations, misses an important chance to improve food security and help people struggling to get quality meals.
What are the causes of food waste?
Various actors in the food chain have a role in generating food waste.
At consumer level, impulsive buying as a result of retail promotions, inappropriate packaging size, lack of access to a fridge or a freezer, insufficient shopping and meal planning, or unwillingness to buy "ugly” looking fruits and vegetables, are just some of the reasons for food waste by households.
Food date labelling can also be an issue. In the EU, foods carry different food date labels. A “best before” label on foods such as pasta, rice, tinned goods, frozen foods, and snacks means that after the indicated date, the food may lose some of its taste or freshness but it is still safe to eat. A “use by” label (on meat, fish, salads or milk) means that the food should not be consumed after the indicated date.
Some consumers may be confused by food date labels and throw away food that is good enough to eat. A study carried out by the European Commission in 2018 shows that up to 10% of annual food waste may be due to misinterpretation of the labels.
Food manufacturers waste food when they make more than needed, when the supply chain is not efficient, or when food is stored or handled badly. Waste also happens if shops change their orders or ask for very fresh products only.
Standardised portions and overestimating the number of guests are among the reasons for food waste in restaurants and food services.
How can food waste be reduced? The EU solutions
The reduction of food waste and food loss are two of the EU’s main objectives in order to achieve a circular economy by 2050.
Binding reduction targets for countries
The Commission put forward a proposal for a revision of the Waste Framework Directive in July 2023 to do more to reduce food and textile waste. Among the changes, it proposed binding waste reduction targets on the national level by the end of 2030.
The European Parliament and the EU governments reached an agreement on the legislative updates in February 2025. They were then adopted by Parliament in September 2025.
Ten percent of waste should be reduced in food processing and manufacturing, and 30% in retail, restaurants, food services and households by 2030 compared to the annual food waste average between 2021 and 2023.
"We succeeded in ensuring feasible and realistic provisions for member states to implement food waste reduction policies and we managed to ensure that the agriculture sector will not be negatively impacted,” said Anna Zalewska (ECR, Poland), the MEP in charge of steering the legislation through Parliament, after the agreement was reached.
Make date labelling clearer
The European Commission has carried out consumer research to identify potential new ways to mark dates and has developed different consumer profiles with regard to food waste.
Facilitate food donation
Food donation is another way to reduce unnecessary food waste. The EU food donation guidelines were adopted in 2017 with the aim of facilitating the recovery and redistribution of safe, edible food to those in need.
In the negotiations on the update of the Waste Framework Directive in 2025, MEPs secured measures that would facilitate the donation of unsold food that is safe for human consumption.
Create a common method to measure food waste
Additionally, a common EU methodology was adopted in 2019 in order to measure food waste at each stage of the food-supply chain. Common methodology eases the monitoring and reporting of food waste across the EU.
Read more on EU actions about waste
