Final event of the European Consumer Food Waste Forum

Final event of the European Consumer Food Waste Forum
European Parliament, Brussels (BE), 29th June 2023

At the end of June, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum welcomed policymakers and experts alike to the European Parliament in Brussels to offer their perspectives and discuss proposed solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our time, food losses and waste. One of the highest shares of food waste is generated at consumption level.

At its core, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum advocates for empowering citizens to reduce food waste, save money, and be part of a more sustainable food system in Europe. The phenomenon of food waste ‘at consumption level’ occurs in many settings, from supermarkets to all-you-can-eat buffets as well as at home. Identifying effective interventions is essential in parallel with greater awareness, and successful change requires difference responses at local levels and integration with other sustainability goals for an improved cost:benefit. This can only be achieved by acting on data collection (e.g., as occurring in WASTELESS) and stakeholder collaboration.

To this end, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum has emphasised shareability and ease-of-use in outputs, such as drivers of food waste and levers for behavioural change, best practices, and validated tools. This compendium offers a flexible resource that can be utilised by everyone to implement actions. It is built on four key principles: i) groups with shared characteristics (e.g., those looking for solutions), ii) intention to combine interventions, iii) connections with other issues (e.g., climate change), and iv) engagement of citizens, as the final step in food supply.

The European Consumer Food Waste Forum was set up by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).

To learn more about the European Consumer Food Forum and the tools available, visit https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/projects-activities/european-consumer-food-waste-forum_en