About the targets
In order to accelerate the EU's progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3, the Commission is proposing to set legally binding food waste reduction targets to be achieved by Member States by 2030, as part of the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, adopted by the Commission on 5 July 2023.
The results of the first EU-wide monitoring of food waste levels carried out in 2020 will serve as a baseline to assess progress towards the targets.
More specifically, Member States are required to take the necessary measures to reduce food waste by the end of 2030:
- by 10%, in processing and manufacturing
- by 30% (per capita), jointly at retail and consumption (restaurants, food services and households).
The legislative proposal, amending the Waste Framework Directive, provides for a formal review of progress made by Member States, by the end of 2027. The Commission will then carry out a formal review of progress made by Member States including the possibility to adapt targets if evidence suggests that the EU can contribute even more towards the global ambition.
The Joint Research Centre has contributed to the preparation of the Impact Assessment supporting the legislative proposal, by gathering data on food waste prevention activities and by analysing the environmental,economic and social impacts of different target levels.
The Commission's legislative proposal is subject to negotiation with the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in view of its adoption by colegislators according to the ordinary legislative procedure (codecision).
- European Parliament position - adopted on 13 March 2024
- Council position (General Approach) – adopted on 17 June 2024
The legislative proposal was open for feedback for a period of 8 week(s) on the Have your say! portal. The feedback received has been summarised by the European Commission and presented to the European Parliament and Council with the aim of feeding into the legislative debate.
Links to the legislative proposal and related impact assessment report:
- Communication on Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
- Press Release
- Factsheet
- MEMO
- Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste - Annex
- Commission Staff Working Document – Executive Summary of the Impact Assessment Report
- Commission Staff Working Document – Impact Assessment Report – part 1/4 (main report)
- Commission Staff Working Document – Impact Assessment Report – part 2/4 (Annexes 1-6)
- Commission Staff Working Document – Impact Assessment Report – part 3/4 (Annexes 7-10)
- Commission Staff Working Document – Impact Assessment Report – part 4/4 (Annexes 11-17), including Citizens' Report (Annex 16)
- Subsidiarity grid (SWD(2023)420)
- Opinion of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board (SEC(2023) 420)
- JRC Technical Report, Setting the scene for an EU initiative on food waste reduction targets
- JRC Science for Policy Report, Assessing the economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste reduction targets – a model-based analysis (2023)
- JRC Science for Policy Brief, Food consumption and waste: environmental impacts from a supply chain perspective (2023)
More information on the public consultation
On 1 October 2021, the Commission published the Inception Impact Assessment on setting EU-level targets for food waste reduction through the Have your say portal.
The Inception Impact Assessment presents the policy context, the objectives and policy options of the proposal to set EU-level targets, as well as a preliminary assessment of its expected impacts. Furthermore, it also offers an indicative timeline regarding the adoption of the legislative proposal.
During the one-month feedback period, the Commission received 85 responses from 19 countries. In general, respondents expressed wide support for the establishment of the targets with the majority of the comments calling for ambitious action.
The Commission also held a targeted consultation on 22 October 2021 with members of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste (FLW) on the policy options proposed in the Inception Impact Assessment (information below).
The Commission launched an online public consultation on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive on 24 May 2022, including setting of EU food waste reduction targets. Citizens and other interested parties were invited to submit their opinion on food waste prevention until 24 August 2022 via the Have your say portal.
Findings from the public consultation show overall support for setting food waste reduction targets and agreement with benefits related to reducing food waste, in particular reducing environmental and climate impacts. According to respondents, the most important challenge concerns the need for consumers to adopt new habits.
A summary of the replies is available on the portal and contributed to the work on the impact assessment that accompanies the Commission proposal to set EU targets to reduce food waste.
Meetings
13 March 2023
Joint meeting of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste and the Advisory Group on Sustainability of Food Systems
Presentation of the state-of-play on the legislative proposal and the different policy options considered in the preparation of the impact assessment. The presentations and summary report of the meeting can be found here.
7 March 2023
Meeting of the Member States Expert Group on Food Losses and Food Waste
Exchange with Member States on the first EU-wide monitoring of food waste levels. Presentation by the Commission on the state-of-play on the legislative proposal and the different policy options considered in the preparation of the impact assessment and exchange with Member States. Please see the summary report of the meeting.
20 October 2022
Presentation of the state-of-play on the legislative proposal to set food waste reduction targets and results of the public consultation carried out between May-August 2022, the data collection exercises on the costs and benefits of food waste prevention initiatives and assumptions underlying the impact assessment for the legislative proposal. The presentations and summary report of the meeting can be found here.
17 February 2022
Presentation of the state-of-play on the legislative proposal to set food waste reduction targets and surveys to be launched to collect data for the modelling exercise. The presentations and summary report of the meeting can be found here.
18 November 2021
Presentation of the feedback received on the Inception Impact Assessment during the plenary meeting of the EU Platform on FLW. The presentation and summary report of the meeting can be found here.
22 October 2021
Targeted consultation on the Inception Impact Assessment with the EU Platform on FLW. The agenda, presentation and summary report of the meeting can be found here.
Citizens’ panel on food waste
For the first time, the Commission organised Citizens' panels in order to exchange views with citizens and harness their insights on how to step up action to reduce food waste in the EU. The first Citizens' panel met between December 2022 and February 2023 to discuss food waste. The outcome of this panel are citizens' recommendations to support the Commission's work on food waste, including the legislative proposal to set EU food waste reduction targets. These recommendations also serve as a guide to help Member States in achieving the future targets. Further information can be found here.
10-12 February 2023, 3rd citizens’ panel
- Agenda
- Summary
- Plenary discussions on 10 February: 14:00 - 16:00
- Plenary discussions on 12 February: 09:00 - 13:30
20-22 January 2023, 2nd citizens’ panel
- Agenda
- Summary
- Plenary discussions on 20 January: 14:30 - 19:00
- Plenary discussions on 22 January: 12:00 - 14:00
16-18 December 2022, 1st citizens’ panel
Follow the first Citizens’ panel taking place between 16 and 18 December 2022!
Frequently Asked Questions
See a selection of FAQs on the subject of "Reducing food waste in the EU"