Brussels: Europe and Arabs
Today, Sunday, September 29, marks the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. On this occasion, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said in a statement issued by the European Commission in Brussels that food waste has negative effects on society, and affects not only food security, but also our economies and societies. It is shocking that in 2024, nearly a third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted. In Europe alone, 59 million tons of food are wasted every year, at a cost of billions of euros. At the same time, millions of Europeans cannot afford a healthy meal every day. This is an unacceptable waste of resources, from water and land to energy and labor.
Food loss and waste also pose a risk to our environment. Every ton of food waste contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change and depleting our planet's natural resources. Therefore, it is morally and environmentally imperative that we take action. In the EU, we are committed to halving per capita food waste in retail and consumer by 2030, in line with our pledge under UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for responsible consumption and production worldwide. To accelerate our progress, we have set a set of legally binding targets to reduce waste across the food chain, from manufacturing to households. This is what our citizens expect from us. Achieving this target will require collective efforts from all sectors of society – governments, businesses and individuals. Fighting food waste largely depends on our daily choices and actions. It is time to improve the way we buy and eat food, rethink our diets and encourage sustainable consumption habits. The positive effects of this will also be felt in our wallets as we spend less money on food waste. Next Sunday, I urge every European citizen to think about what we can do to help the planet, the economy and society around us. Food means life. It is too precious to end up in the bin. "Let us work together now to make this vision a reality and let us all be part of the solution," the European official concluded the statement.