Press Release: Food losses and food waste: Council conclusions

On 28 June 2016 the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on food losses and food waste.

Every year nearly a third of all the food is lost or wasted. In its conclusions the Council set out a series of initiatives to reduce waste and losses in the future. These measures included calls on member states and the European Commission to improve monitoring and data collection to better understand the problem, to focus on preventing food waste and losses and enhancing the use of biomass in future EU legislation, and to facilitate the donation of unsold food products to charities.

While the Council conclusions supported the current EU initiatives, they also urged the Commission to extend the scope of its action to include food losses.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 27-28 June 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/agriculture-and-fisheries-council-27-28-june-2016/

The Economist, 23.08.16: Vegetable fritter Lawmakers and greens are trying to get Europeans to stop wasting food http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21705593-how-dissuade-homes-restaurants-and-supermarkets-squandering-leftovers-lawmakers-and

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