Ankara Turkey – FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey organized a special session today with the Union of the Municipalities of Turkey as the part of the joint SAVE YOUR FOOD campaign.

Launched in May, the Campaign released the National Strategy and Action Plan on the Prevention and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste in Turkey, developed in collaboration by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, while taking into consideration reviews and recommendations of over 100 related stakeholders, ranging from private sector to NGOs and academia to interest groups.

The Strategy and Action Plan aim to empower and provide guidance for policy- and decision-makers, as well as the actors who actively engage on the matter, and accelerate efforts to prevent food loss and waste through adopting concrete solutions.

As per the initial step, a dedicated session was organized with the Union of the Municipalities of Turkey, which participation and support would be of utmost importance for a successful implementation of the Action Plan. 

In his opening remarks, Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey stated that the Action Plan of the Strategy comprises 95 concrete measures, including legal and policy, technical, education and communication measures, addressing the issue at each stage of the food value chain and continued as follows:

“Among these, as many as 33 targeted actions were identified to be taken by local authorities and businesses to further improve food waste prevention, separation, and reuse. Adequate support and guidance from the Union of the Municipalities of Turkey would be crucial to deliver on the targets.”

Fatma Şahin, President of the Union of the Municipalities of Turkey said that fruits and vegetables made the majority of food wasted in the cities - nearly 50 percent, while the daily bread waste amounted to nearly 4.9 million loaves. “As municipalities are in the closest reach to the public, we are set to actively support the campaign and spread the message”, she added.

33 actions outlined in the Action Plan were introduced to the Union of the Municipalities of Turkey, said Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, emphasising the significant role of municipalities in the prevention and reduction of food loss and waste.

“We know that the municipalities have started addressing food waste at marketplaces and we expect them to introduce relevant compost and biogas facilities. We would be glad to increase the support for logistics and cold chain solutions to aid food donation in provinces and districts”, he added.