In 2020
, the first year of the covid pandemic,
around 127 kilograms of food per inhabitant were wasted in the EU.
Families generated 55% of food waste, equal to 70 kg per inhabitant.
The remaining 45% is made up of waste generated in the food chain.
This is what emerges from the latest
Eurostat
monitoring .
In this case, Italy is worse than the EU average: 146 kilos of food that end up in the dustbin (107 for families).
At the top of the waste Cyprus with almost 400 kg, but only 70 for each inhabitant.
"The fight against consumer food waste - explains Eurostat - remains a challenge both in the EU and worldwide
.
Domestic food waste accounts for almost double the food waste from the primary production and food and beverage manufacturing sectors (14 kg and 23 kg per inhabitant; 11% and 18%, respectively), sectors where strategies exist to reduce food waste, for example with the use of waste parts as by-products.
Restaurants and catering services accounted for 12 kg of food waste per person (9%), while retail and other food distributions were the sector with the least amount of food waste (9 kg; 7%);
however, the impact of covid lockdowns on these two sectors is still being analyzed.
"L'
rising prices and concerns about our environmental footprint make us all aware of the need to use the resources we have efficiently, while minimizing waste.
An easy way would be to raise awareness of the annual amount of food waste we produce.
Food waste in particular has a high environmental and climatic impact, as it constitutes an additional source of greenhouse gas emissions ".
