International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023- For the People! For the Planet!
29/09/2023
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in Brussels and the UN Environment Programme Brussels Office celebrated jointly this year’s International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Participants included policymakers from European, national and regional levels, UN staff s, local actors in the economy, representatives from non-governmental organizations, civil society, and academia. The event took place at the BE-HERE sustainable village, a space for young Brussels-based entrepreneurs to develop their sustainable businesses, many of them in the agrifood sector.
Under the slogan “Stop Food Loss and Waste. For the People! For the Planet!”, the event highlighted that reducing food loss and waste is crucial in ensuring better nutrition for the world’s current and future generations.
Opening the event, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels Raschad Al-Khafaji and the Head of the UN Environment Programme Brussels Office Veronika Hunt Šafránková highlighted the role of private and public entities in reducing food loss and waste.
BE-HERE employs business-to-business supply models, a circular economy, and other sustainable practices. FAO LOB director Raschad Al-Khafaji said in his welcome speech: “This [event] is an experience on its own; I have never spoken at a place like this.” BE-HERE works tirelessly to reduce their food loss and waste; therefore, it was fitting that the event took place at this venue.
UN Environment Programme’s Šafránková stressed the immensity of food loss and waste by mentioning that “13% of food is lost before it reaches the retail sector” and “17% of food is wasted in retail and home use.”
The panel discussion included policy officer at the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) of the European Commission Cristina Lisetchi, member of the Belgian Federal Parliament for the Green Party Barbara Creemers, and project manager of the regional Good Food Strategy for Bruxelles Environment Kim Lebeau. Joining them was Josep Puxeu Rocamora, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), representing the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation, and one of the Vice Presidents of the EESC's Bureau of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment.
Participants were then asked to write a personal pledge to reduce food loss and waste for a pledge wall. The commitments will be displayed in the BE-HERE sustainable village for the coming month. “At BE-HERE, awareness of food loss and waste is not just one day, it is every day,” said Allison Oostendorp, Project Development Manager at BE-HERE.
You can learn more about the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste here.
Under the slogan “Stop Food Loss and Waste. For the People! For the Planet!”, the event highlighted that reducing food loss and waste is crucial in ensuring better nutrition for the world’s current and future generations.
Opening the event, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels Raschad Al-Khafaji and the Head of the UN Environment Programme Brussels Office Veronika Hunt Šafránková highlighted the role of private and public entities in reducing food loss and waste.
BE-HERE employs business-to-business supply models, a circular economy, and other sustainable practices. FAO LOB director Raschad Al-Khafaji said in his welcome speech: “This [event] is an experience on its own; I have never spoken at a place like this.” BE-HERE works tirelessly to reduce their food loss and waste; therefore, it was fitting that the event took place at this venue.
UN Environment Programme’s Šafránková stressed the immensity of food loss and waste by mentioning that “13% of food is lost before it reaches the retail sector” and “17% of food is wasted in retail and home use.”
The panel discussion included policy officer at the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) of the European Commission Cristina Lisetchi, member of the Belgian Federal Parliament for the Green Party Barbara Creemers, and project manager of the regional Good Food Strategy for Bruxelles Environment Kim Lebeau. Joining them was Josep Puxeu Rocamora, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), representing the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation, and one of the Vice Presidents of the EESC's Bureau of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment.
Participants were then asked to write a personal pledge to reduce food loss and waste for a pledge wall. The commitments will be displayed in the BE-HERE sustainable village for the coming month. “At BE-HERE, awareness of food loss and waste is not just one day, it is every day,” said Allison Oostendorp, Project Development Manager at BE-HERE.
You can learn more about the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste here.