Future of Europe Conference: 23 recommendations to reduce food waste in the EU

Promoting local foods even in large-scale distribution, raising awareness of the advantages of seasonal produce, discouraging the purchase of non-seasonal fruits and vegetables and low-quality foods, supporting initiatives for the sale of about-to-expire and unsold foods, and combating food waste with food education in primary and secondary schools - these are some of the 23 recommendations aimed at reducing food waste in the EU made by the European Citizens’ Panel that met in Brussels on 10-12 February. This is the first in “a new generation of Citizens’ Panels launched as a follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe”, the Commission said in a statement, embedding “participatory and deliberative practices” in the EU’s policy-making process on certain key policy areas. In the coming months, the reduction of waste, particularly food waste, will be the subject of a legislative proposal by the Commission for 2023. This is why, the European Commission has summoned 150 citizens, randomly selected to represent the diversity of the European population, to help shape the proposal that is being finalised. The recommendations put forward by the citizens involved in the debate will indeed contribute to the revision of the Waste Framework Directive with binding food waste reduction targets.
Sarah Numico