The European Parliament has taken a firm stance on the proposed reform of the 2008/98 EC directive related to waste by increasing the requirements beyond what was initially proposed by the European Commission. According to this new position, by 2030, Member States should achieve a 20% reduction in food waste generated in processing and manufacturing processes. In addition, they set a target to reduce food waste per capita by 40% in sectors such as retail, catering, and households.
The European Commission had initially presented, on July 5, 2023, a proposal that established the goal of reducing food waste in food processing and manufacturing by 10% and by 30% in per capita consumption in retailers, restaurants, and catering by 2030. However, the text recently approved by the plenary of the European Parliament increases these objectives, demanding a 20% reduction in the generation of food waste in processing and manufacturing and a 40% decrease in the generation of food waste per capita in shops, restaurants, catering services, and households, over the average annual levels between 2020 and 2022.
Now that the European Parliament has approved the text, the next step will be its approval by the Council. This legislative process will continue with the new Parliament following the European elections scheduled for June 6-9. According to the European Parliament, this target increase reflects a stronger commitment to reducing Europe's food waste.
Source: fepex.es