Europe wastes 89m tons of food a year

The EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik Monday strongly criticized the wastage of 89 million tons of food in Europe every year. "This is morally and economically unacceptable and is all the more horrific when you consider the true scale of the resources required to produce those 89 million tons! We are also wasting all those resources. There's something wrong with the system," he said in press statements. The EU official noted that a growing number of analyses question the long-term sustainability of current trends in the production and consumption of food in Europe. That is why the European Commission, he said, is asking for opinions about the European food production and consumption system. The consultation asks stakeholders, citizens, businesses, NGOs and public authorities for ideas on immediate action to reduce food waste and more generally on how to ensure that the food system is using resources efficiently. These will provide input for a EU report on Sustainable Food to be published later this year.