The European Parliament has adopted its proposals to better prevent and reduce waste from food and textiles across the European Union (EU).
In a vote held today (Wednesday, March 13) MEPs adopted their first reading position on the proposed revision of the Waste Framework Directive with 514 votes in favour, 20 against and 91 abstentions.
They propose higher binding waste reduction targets to be met at national level by December 31, 2030, which is at least 20% in food processing and manufacturing (instead of 10% proposed by the European Commission).
A 40% per capita reduction in retail, restaurants, food services and households (instead of 30%) waste was also proposed.
The parliament also wants the commission to evaluate if higher targets for 2035 (at least 30% and 50% respectively) should be introduced, and if so, asks them to come up with a legislative proposal.
Green Party MEP for Ireland South, Grace O’Sullivan, has welcomed the vote to progress legislation to set legally binding targets to tackle wasting food, including a ban on commercial operators, including supermarkets, from throwing away food that is still safe to eat.
O’Sullivan said: “Food waste is nothing short of a scandal, and I welcome the vote in the European Parliament to tackle this issue.
“The vote represents an important step forward for this legislation. Food waste is bad for the environment, it is bad for the economy, and it is socially unacceptable when there are people struggling to put good food on the table.”
The MEP noted that 75,000t of food is “wasted by the retail and distribution sectors in Ireland”.
Of this, O’Sullivan said “only a minor portion” is redistributed to charities, but added that before food enters the retail and distribution stage, there is a “problem”.
“The problem of food being wasted before even reaching retailers is worse again, with over 215,000t of food waste in the manufacturing and processing industry,” O’Sullivan said.
As part of the directive, EU member states will have to ensure that economic operators make available for donation unsold food that is safe for human consumption, which will see a ban on good food going to waste.
The Waste Framework Directive (textiles and food waste) will now progress to trilogue negotiations between the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU, with a final agreement expected to be reached under the next European Parliament mandate following the European elections in June.