Food loss and waste monitoring sub-group

About the sub-group

In the first mandate of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste (2016-2021), the sub-group supported members in sharing information on food loss and waste measurement activities carried out by national authorities and actors in the food value chain and monitoring food waste levels. The sub-group also exchanged information with UN Agencies concerning the monitoring of the SDG Target 12.3 in order to align EU reporting obligations and contributed to developing a common EU methodology and indicators to measure food waste.

As called for by the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission proposed legally binding targets to reduce food waste across the EU, by end 2023, defined against a baseline for EU food waste levels set following the first EU-wide food waste monitoring. In addition to quantifying food waste levels, the Commission will investigate food losses at the production stage and explore ways of preventing them.

The sub-group on Food loss and waste monitoring would support measurement actions at country level, but also discuss measurement methods on a smaller scale (e.g. by individual food business operators).

More information about the background and tasks of this sub-group can be found in its Terms of reference:

• Mandate: Food loss and waste monitoring sub-group

The full list of the sub-group members can be consulted (under the section "Members")

Meetings 2026

1 July (virtual)

• Agenda

Presentations

• Modelling food waste generation at primary production and manufacturing: the food system material flow analysis model - Joint Research Centre (JRC)
• Defining Food Loss Beyond Waste: A Definitional Framework for Primary Production in the European Union - developed within the framework of the European project FOLOU - Fundació Espigoladors
• Measuring and reducing food waste guidance for meat and dairy sectors - Irish EPA
• Key messages on food waste measurement by European retailers and wholesalers - EuroCommerce
• Food Waste Measurement at METRO AG – METRO AG
• How Spain measures and reduces food waste – La Asociación Nacional de Grandes Empresas de Distribución (ANGED)

Previous Meetings