25 April 2013

The European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA) organised a public hearing in the European Parliament on 25 April to discuss food surpluses in Europe and ways that these surpluses could be recovered to feed those who struggle for adequate food in the EU. The meeting brought together actors from the European Parliament, the European Commission, academics, and representatives from the food banks themselves. It was made very clear to participants both that some food waste is inevitable, and can even be an intentional decision by economic players, but that food surpluses which are wasted can and should be vastly reduced, and that this is an ethical and moral responsibility that we all share.  Surplus and waste happens at all levels of the food supply chain - from Agruculture and Fishing, to Manufacturing, to retail, to service, to the individual consumer.  

According to a study presented, people in the EU each waste up to 179 kilos of extra food per person annually, of which an estimated 55% are of medium to high recoverability. The panellists engaged in a lively presentation and debate of ways that this is possible without compromising food safety nor the quality of food donated. There were various suggestions of  how this situation could be improved: one panellist suggested a general information and awareness campaign, which would help people to understand the way that food in the EU is labelled and what it means for their individual consumption. This would prevent households from throwing food away which is still perfectly safe to eat. Another suggestion was networking and best practice sharing between stakeholders in the food industry, which would help disseminate methods for recovering surplus that work among those who need to know. One panellist also pointed out that there is a certain stigma among companies concerning food surplus -- many think that it's something that they should be ashamed of, which prevents them from doing anything constructive which would draw attention to it. If this stigma can be elliminated, perhaps the EU would be able to take steps toward using its surpluses for people who need it. 

Resources were distributed at the meeting which can help people understand their individual and corporate role in food surplus in the EU. For more information about this event, please contact Natalie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .