University of Vechta fights against food waste in India!

University of Vechta fights against food waste in India!

food waste is a topic that concerns us all. In times when sustainability and resource protection are very popular, innovative approaches are required. The University of Vechta is now part of an international, interdisciplinary research project that starts exactly there. The focus is on the utilization of food waste in Bengaluru, India. According to [meat economy] (https://www.fleischwirtschaft.de/forschung/forschung-und-deckwinzti-universitaet-vechta-gdschafts- Lebensmittel-62821), the project of Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert from the University of Kassel and Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Schareika from the University of Göttingen coordinated. The aim of this cooperation is to analyze the interactions between urban and rural areas to find better solutions to reduce food waste.

A look at the current Situation of food extermination in the EU shows that many Member States have been researching food losses and waste for years. Various methods are used, such as the use of existing statistics and surveys of households or the search of waste. The Thünen Institute contributed valuable expertise, especially in the [Thünen] (https://www.thuenen.de/de/themenfelder/welternaverehr-und-globale- resources/weniger-ist-est-- and-bafaelle-reduced in 2016 by the EU Commission and at which all member states and international organizations are involved. A uniform framework for the definition and measurement of food waste was created in 2018 with the revision of the EU waste framework directive.

EU projects and reduction targets

An important step to combat food waste was the EU Commission's proposal for revising the waste framework directive in July 2023. This includes binding waste reduction goals for national levels until 2030. [Europarl] (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/de/article/20240318sto19401/weniger- Lezetzmittelchwaltung-welche-Mass-Dreift--eu) reported. The EU Parliament has taken a clearer course and even requires a reduction of at least 20% in food processing and 40% in retail and restaurants.

Such a procedure is more than necessary. Adult citizens in the EU throw an average of 173 kg of food a year, a real absurdity. The EU plans to promote awareness of so-called "ugly" fruit and vegetable varieties and to release them not sold but still consumable food. These measures could help to significantly reduce the frightening numbers around food waste.

where are we?

However, the challenges in the collection and comparison of data on food waste remain. Different definitions and measurement methods make it difficult to get a clear overview. According to [Thünen] (https://www.thuenen.de/de/themenfelder/welternaehrung-und-globale-dessourcen/weniger-ist-mehr-Ehre- und-ABfaelle reduced), there is only sparse information on food losses in some EU countries. Another catch is that food waste only applies to those who are legally regarded as waste, which also complicates the discussion. Member States have been obliged to measure and report their food waste annually since 2020, but is that enough to take effective measures?

It remains to be seen whether the newly introduced measures will actually lead to a noticeable reduction in food waste. But the direction is right, and with a combination of research, political will and a rethink of consumers, we could take an important step towards a more sustainable future.