Food donation sub-group

Reducing food waste is one of the objectives of the Farm to Fork Strategy, which will also contribute to achieving a circular economy. Redistribution of surplus food for human consumption, in particular through food donation, where safe to do so, ensures the highest value use of edible food resources while preventing food waste, and also has an important social dimension.

In the first mandate of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, the sub-group on food donation supported the Commission in the preparation of EU food donation guidelines (adopted in 2017 as part of the 2015 Circular Economy Action Plan) and contributed to the implementation of an EU Pilot Project on food redistribution and its related deliverables. The sub-group supported Platform members in sharing best practices, information and learning related to the recovery and redistribution of surplus food, in line with the waste hierarchy.

The Food donation sub-group will continue to support the work of the Commission and Platform members to facilitate safe food donation practices, ensuring that surplus food arising in the food supply chain is made available, as a priority, for human consumption.

More information about the objectives, tasks and membership of this sub-group can be found in its mandate:

• Mandate: Food donation sub-group

7-8 November 2022 - hybrid (Webex)

Joint meeting of the food donation sub-group of the eu platform on food losses and food waste (flw) and the EU Working group of the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA)

• Agenda
• Summary
• Presentation – Circular letter regarding the provisions applying to food banks and charities – Nathalie De Zutter, Federal Agency of the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC – FAVV – AFSCA)
• Presentation – Belgian Federation of Food Banks
• Presentation – National legislative developments regarding food donation and the impacts on Banco Alimentaire’s activity – Greta Caglioti, Banco Alimentaire
• Presentation – Assistance to the most deprived in Italy - National Fund and EU Fund – Matteo Rastelli, AGEA, Italy
• Presentation – Food redistribution in Estonia – Piet Boerefijn, Estonian Food Bank
• Presentation – Hungarian Food Bank Association - Balázs Cseh, HFBA
• Presentation – Food banks in Czech republic - Partnership of state and NGO in mission – Veronika Láchová, Czech Federation of Food Banks

12 July 2022 - On-line (Teams)

• Agenda
• Summary
• Presentation – Making a difference with data: what it means for FEBA and its members – Angela Frigo, Secretary General, FEBA
• Presentation – Food donation cooperation: an example from Germany – Kathrin Daivandran, Senior Project Manager Sustainability / Corporate Responsibility, REWE Group
• Presentation – Food donation and the Norwegian model for food waste reduction: how cooperation between the food industry and authorities facilitated the development of a robust network of food banks – Paula Capodistrias, Project Manager, Food Banks Norway