University of Vechta fights against food waste in India!

University of Vechta fights against food waste in India!

Food waste is an issue that concerns us all. Innovative approaches are particularly in demand in times when sustainability and resource conservation are very important. The University of Vechta is now part of an international, interdisciplinary research project that starts at exactly this point. The focus is on the recycling of food waste in Bengaluru, India. According to Fleischwirtschaft the project is led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert from the University of Kassel and Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Schareika from the University of Göttingen coordinated. The aim of this collaboration is to analyze the interactions between urban and rural areas in order to find better solutions to reduce food waste.

A look at the current situation of food destruction in the EU shows that many member states have been researching the measurement of food losses and waste for years. Various methods are used, such as using existing statistics and surveys of households or searching through waste. The Thünen Institute has contributed valuable expertise, particularly in the Thünen platform, which was launched by the EU Commission in 2016 and in which all member states and international organizations are involved. A uniform framework for defining and measuring food waste was created in 2018 with the revision of the EU Waste Framework Directive.

EU projects and reduction targets

An important step in combating food waste was the EU Commission's proposal to revise the Waste Framework Directive in July 2023. This includes binding waste reduction targets for national levels by 2030. The plan is to reduce waste by 10% in food processing and production and 30% in retail, restaurants and households, as by [Europarl]. The EU Parliament has taken a clearer course and is even demanding a reduction of at least 20% in food processing and 40% in retail and restaurants.

Such an approach is more than necessary. Adult citizens in the EU throw away an average of 173 kg of food every year, a real absurdity. The EU plans to raise awareness of so-called “ugly” fruits and vegetables and make unsold but still edible food available for donation. These measures could help to significantly reduce the alarming figures surrounding food waste.

Where are we?

However, challenges in collecting and comparing food waste data remain. Different definitions and measurement methods make it difficult to get a clear overview. According to Thünen there is only sparse information on food losses in some EU states. Another catch is that only those that are legally classified as waste are considered food waste, which further complicates the discussion. Member States have been required to measure and report their food waste annually since 2020, but is this enough to take effective action?

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 change in consumer thinking, we could take an important step towards a more sustainable future.