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Food Safety

Food loss and waste monitoring sub-group

About the group

In the first mandate of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste (2016-2021), the subgroup on food waste measurement 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 subgroup also exchanged information with UN Agencies concerning the monitoring of the SDG 12.3 target 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 will propose 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.

At the inaugural meeting of the Platform under its second mandate (2022-2026), it was agreed that the subgroup on food loss and waste monitoring would support these key actions. While the abovementioned actions refer to measurement at the country level, the subgroup will also discuss and disseminate food loss and waste measurement methods that could support action and implementation of food loss and waste prevention measures on a smaller scale (e.g. by individual food business operators).

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