“From Excess to Impact: Reducing Food Waste and Feeding Communities” International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and

Event Description

Food loss and waste occurs at every stage of the value chain, and impactful, mitigative decisions require mobilisation of a wide range of stakeholders across those value chains. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, measured by two indicators, aims to halve global food waste per capita and reduce food losses along food production and supply chains. In this context, wasting food not only does lead to the unnecessary use of resources—such as water, land, energy, and labor—but it also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions when disposed of in landfills, thereby exacerbating climate change. Overall, food waste undermines food security, reduces the availability of nutritious food, and increases food costs. Addressing food waste is, therefore, key to ensuring sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. Throughout the panel discussions, the event will focus on the following areas:  

• The Role of Food Manufacturers: Discussing how food manufacturing companies are tackling food waste by developing food processing technologies that help reduce food loss during production, manufacturing and optimising packaging solutions that also help reduce food waste by keeping products safe for longer, while ensuring recyclability. The role of the so-called ‘hidden middle’ in the agri-food value chain as well as that of policymakers in enabling these actions will also be explored. 

• The Role of the Retail Sector: Grocery retailers play a pivotal role in reducing food waste across the supply chain by implementing targeted actions at every stage - collaborating with upstream suppliers, optimising in-store practices, and facilitating downstream interventions, such as food donations. By bringing them into this conversation, we not only can strengthen partnerships but also share solutions to fight hunger and reduce waste. This segment will focus on 1) success stories from retailers that  contribute to the reduction of food waste and the alleviation of hunger by collaborating with food banks and new food distribution business models, implementing innovative solutions and organising consumer information campaigns and 2) policy recommendations to remove remaining barriers to further reducing food waste, including those hindering food donations (e.g., liability protection, VAT reform, and date labelling). 

• Best Practices in Food Donation: Showcasing success stories from across the food supply chain that support food banks to reduce waste and alleviate hunger. Policy solutions to remove barriers to food donation will be proposed. 

• Innovative Approaches to Reducing Food Waste: Highlighting initiatives that change consumer behavior and expand food donation programs. Best practices and alignment with regulatory expectations will be discussed. 

• Food Loss due to Livestock Diseases:  Highlighting livestock diseases prevention through surveillance and early detection, vaccination programs, biosecurity measures, education and training and regulatory and policy support.

  
  

  Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the collaborative role each part of the supply chain must play in achieving a food system where waste is minimized, food is distributed more equitably, and environmental impacts are reduced.

Agenda

Moderator: Ignazio Corrao, Senior Policy Officer, European Food Banks Federation 

14h00 - 14h15 Opening remarks 

• Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare (video message) 

• MEP Stefan Köhler, Chair of the European Food Forum  

• MEP Pietro Fiocchi, Vice-Chair ENVI Committee 

• Bernard Valluis, President of European Food Banks Federation  

  
  

14h15 - 14h25 Strategic Outlook keynote speech 

• MEP Anna Zalewska, Rapporteur Waste Framework Directive, ECR 

14h25 - 14h35  Setting the scene: Food donation policy: a pathway to reduce food loss and waste & alleviate hunger 

• Emily M. Broad Leib, Clinical Professor of Law, Director Food Law and Policy Clinic, Director, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School, Presentation of Food Policy Atlas 

14h35 - 15h10  Session I. Breaking Barriers, Building Solutions: EU Collaboration to Fight Food Waste and Poverty

• MEP Mario Furore, The Left 

• MEP Ana Miranda Paz, Greens  

• Klaus Berend, Director Food Safety, Sustainability, and Innovation DG SANTE 

• Ruth Paserman, Director for Funds Programming and Implementation, DG EMPL 

15h10 - 15h50  Session II. Best practices, opportunities and challenges for food loss and waste reduction, food recovery, donation and distribution 

• Alessandro Piccione, Environment & Circular Economy Manager, FoodDrinkEurope 

• Els Bedert, Director, Product Policy & Sustainability, EuroCommerce 

• Els Bruggeman, Head of Policy and Enforcement, Euroconsumers 

• Angela Ruttledge, Head of Policy, FoodCloud 

• Jovana Mitrovic, Head of PA and Government Relations for FR and BENELUX, Tetra Pak 

• Nathalie Renaudin, Public Affairs Director, Edenred 

  
  

15h50 - 16h00 Closing remarks by hosting MEPs and Esteban Arriaga, Chief Executive Officer of European Food Banks Federation 

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