Brussels, 16/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Foodstuffs are a resource not to be wasted, the European Commission repeated on World Food Day, 16 October. Around the world, however, 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted per year according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and, in the EU alone, about 90 million tonnes of food is wasted annually.
“The EU has set itself an ambitious target, and is aiming to halve edible food waste by 2020”, said Environment Commissioner and champion of resource efficiency Janez Potocnik. Health Commissioner Tonio Borg encouraged EU member states to follow Belgium which recently moved to abolish VAT on food donated to food banks.
The Commission is currently looking at how the concept of resource efficiency can be better applied to the production and consumption of food, with a focus on avoiding food waste. It plans to come forward with an initiative in this area in the coming months. (AN/transl.fl)