Funding of almost €180,000 has been awarded by government to a food waste reduction project.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue confirmed today (Tuesday, May 30) that €178,301 will be given to the FoodCloud Growers Project.
FoodCloud was established in 2013 by Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien who had a shared vision of “no good food going to waste”.
The funding is sourced through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund, for food waste reduction initiatives.
Project
Ireland generates over one million tonnes of food waste each year.
Minister McConalogue said that “it is now more important than ever to continue to develop initiatives to help address this issue”.
“Food waste costs the average Irish home approximately €700 per year and it is estimated that between 8% and 10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are as a result of food waste.
“So, by tackling food waste we improve the climate while saving money,” he said.
“I am delighted that we can continue to support projects in rural areas in reducing food waste and contribute to our commitment to reduce the amount of food we waste in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“This includes SDG 12.3 which calls on all nations to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030,” the minister added.
“This initiative will further enhance the work previously funded to identify, target and address what is a rapidly growing issue not just here in Ireland but globally,” Minister McConalogue said.
The announcement comes ahead of National Food Waste Recycling Week 2023 which runs from the June 5-11.
The awareness campaign aims to generate awareness of the role of recycling in diverting food waste from landfill and allowing it to be transformed into renewable energy and fertilisers for horticulture and agriculture use in Ireland.