29 September 2021, Brussels, Belgium - European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition and the Ministry of Agriculture of Portugal, in close collaboration with FAO, launched a Portuguese version of “Do Good: Save Food!” teaching guides aimed to educate children on food waste and encourage behavioural change.

Initiated by the Portuguese MEP and Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition Isabel Carvalhais, and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of Portugal, the adaptation of FAO’s “Do Good: Save Food!” educational package to Portuguese stems from the country’s strong commitment to address the issue of food loss and waste at national level in line with the 2030 Agenda.

During his address at the launch event, Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economists at FAO, said that “making this training package available in Portuguese will provide the children of Portugal and all Lusophone countries a head start to leading our world to less food loss and waste and therefore a healthier planet and a healthier future”.

FAO has been working closely with the Members of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition to provide a platform for policy dialogue, exchange and awareness raising on the transformation of agri-food systems. In 2020, with the support of MEP and Member of the Alliance Biljana Borzan, FAO’s “Do Good: Save Food!” were translated into Croatian and disseminated at schools in Osijek city.

In addition to the Portuguese version, the “Do Good: Save Food!” materials are also available in Albanian, Croatian, English, French, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Turkish, and soon also in Macedonian, Romanian, Russian and Ukrainian.

The series of teaching manuals “Do Good: Save Food!” was developed by FAO and International Food Waste Coalition to help children and young people from five to fourteen years old and up to learn in an engaging way about the negative impacts of wasting food and the actions that children can take to reduce food waste and good habits that they can develop and introduce to their friends, families and communities to reduce food waste.

Making the next generation aware of how food waste impacts climate change and the society as a whole and providing them with the knowledge they need to fight it is vital in securing the future we want for them.

29 September 2020, Rome/Nairobi/New York – At the global event marking today the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners urged everyone to do more to reduce food loss and waste or risk an even greater drop in food security and natural resources.

Some 690 million people today are hungry and three billion cannot afford a healthy diet. Hunger has been on the rise for the past five years, and the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the food and nutrition security of up to an additional 132 million of people. On top of that, we are faced with an ecosystem decline and the consequences of climate change.

Yet, food continues to be lost and wasted. This year we have witnessed an increase in food loss and waste as a result of movement and transport restrictions due to the pandemic.

COVID-19 aside, however, each year about 14 percent of the world's food is lost before even reaching the market. Food loss is valued at $400 billion annually - about the GDP of Austria. On top of this comes food waste, for which new estimates are coming out early 2021. When it comes to environmental impact, food loss and waste generate eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Food loss occurs from farm up to and excluding retail, whilst food waste occurs at retail, food service and household level. Causes range from poor handling, inadequate transport or storage, lack of cold chain capacity, extreme weather conditions to cosmetic standards, and a lack of planning and cooking skills among consumers.

Simply put, reducing food lost or wasted means more food for all, less greenhouse gas emissions, less pressure on the environment, and increased productivity and economic growth. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic is putting governments, businesses, people and the economy, under severe pressure. While the focus of all actors is on protecting public health, the food supply chain is also impacted, and measures taken may, for some sectors, lead to increased food waste. Food banks and other charity organisations are also facing challenges as regards the availability of surplus food and/or volunteers.

The EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste prepared an overview of actions taken by its members in the different Member States of the EU to prevent food loss and waste in the context of this unprecedented crisis.

Please find the compilation of good practices here.

Food Loss and Waste Team of the Regional FAO Office for Europe and Central Asia compiled a practical guide for the establishment of effective and sustainable food recovery and redistribution systems.

Today, large quantities of foods still fit for human consumption are discarded by businesses in the food sector due to packaging or quality issues, excess supply, consumption habits, etc. In many countries, donation of excess food to charitable organizations by food business operators is limited because of legal and other hurdles, including tax barriers, liability and date marking issues. An enabling regulatory and policy environment plays a very important role in supporting and implementing food recovery and redistribution operations from food business operators to food insecure people.

This guide was prepared in response to the growing demand in the region to support the development of policies and legislation promoting food redistribution as part of the countries’ national strategies for food loss and waste reduction. To this end, the document offers guiding principles and recommendations to policy-makers regarding implementation of a favourable regulatory and legal framework that facilitates food recovery and redistribution activities in their countries.

The recommendations are supported by examples of policy measures and legislative adjustments introduced in different countries, in particular in the European Union.

The document was shared with the relevant ministerial divisions and other stakeholders in the FAO target countries in Europe and Central Asia for consideration, discussion and identification of the most appropriate models for a food recovery and redistribution system, based on their specific needs and context.

The guide is available here. 

FAO’s SAVE FOOD Initiative in Europe and Central Asia, and the International Food Waste Coalition will partner with Too Good To Go’s Movement against food waste to raise awareness of the consequences of wasting food and encourage more children and young people to value resources and thereby protect our planet.

Consumer behaviour is arguably one of the leading, albeit underlying, drivers of food waste in developed regions such as Europe, and steps to shift social norms and consumer attitudes are important. The education of future generation of consumers plays a critical role in this.

In line with its goal to inspire 500 schools all across Europe and using its experience of promoting and managing International education programmes, Too Good To Go will begin connecting schools and authorities to the “Do Good: Save Food!” series of teaching manuals, developed the FAO and the International Food Waste Coalition to influence and change the behaviour of school-age children and, through them, their families. The programme will launch in 2020, initially with a focus on the UK, France and Belgium.

Mette Lykke, CEO Too Good To Go: “At Too Good To Go we are committed to inspiring change at all levels, from consumers and businesses to students and politicians. Making the next generation aware of how food waste impacts climate change, and equipping them with the tools they need to fight it, is vital in securing the future we want for them. The 'Do Good: Save Food' initiative takes an engaging approach to education on food waste, encouraging behavioural change, and advising on concrete changes in ways that will resonate with all age ranges.”

Robert van Otterdijk, Agro-Industry Officer, FAO in Europe and Central Asia; Leader of the regional SAVE FOOD Initiative commented: “In the medium- and high-income countries, the efforts to reduce food waste at the producer and retail levels would be undermined if consumer education is not in place. Thus, teaching children – the consumers of tomorrow – about actions they can take and good habits that they can develop to reduce food waste will bring about the behavior change required to stem the problem now and in the future. Together with the International Food Waste Coalition we developed the “Do Good: Save Food! Materials to educate and, most importantly, empower young people to act differently.”

The education package was tested in 18 schools in France, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom for two academic years during 2015 – 2017.

Thomas Candeal from the International Food Waste Coalition, who led and coordinated a testing of the programme, said that based on the pilot phase results, an education campaign may prompt a minimum of 15 per cent reduction in food waste. He added that engaging other actors of the school food value chain - food producers and suppliers, school kitchens and canteens, school management and municipalities - would further enhance the impact.

16 October 2019, Budapest, Hungary – Trucks loaded with 50 tonnes of food donations crossed the central Budapest on the occasion of the World Food Day. While helping Hungarian families in need, this join action of FAO and the Hungarian Foodbank Association aimed to call attention to the issue of food waste and the importance of healthy diets.

“Achieving Zero Hunger is not only about nourishing people, but also nurturing the planet. This year, World Food Day calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone,” said Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative. He added that “reducing food loss and waste would contribute to achieving other important sustainable development targets, especially the ones relating to food security and environmental sustainability.”

The President of the Foodbank Association, Balazs Cseh, said: “The Foodbank wants to stress that we can only tackle food waste with authorities, private sector and civil society working closely together.”

Altogether, 20 Hungarian and international food processors and retail companies, all partners of the Association, joined the convoy. Throughout the year, these companies donate surplus produce to the Foodbank for distribution among food insecure people.