Commissioner Andriukaitis puts the spotlight on food waste at conference in EXPO Milan

The European Commission has today published the results of the first Flash Eurobarometer survey on food waste and date marking. Key findings confirm that date marking ("use by" and "best before") is poorly understood by Europeans. Just under half (47%) of Europeans understand the meaning of "best before" labelling and somewhat fewer (40%) are aware of the meaning of "use by".

The study confirms the need to pursue targeted information and educational initiatives on date marking taking into account the level of understanding and information needs of different consumer groups in EU countries. The Commission will propose initiatives against food waste as part of the new circular economy package to be presented by the end of the year.European Commissioner in charge of Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis said: “If we do nothing, food waste could rise to over 120 million tonnes by 2020. In Europe alone, it accounts for estimated annual losses of €200 billion to the European economy. Food waste reduction requires commitment and action from farm to fork, and I am pleased to see that over three-quarters of Europeans recognise their own role alongside other actors. By working together to prevent food waste, we can save valuable food resources, money and lower our environmental footprint.”

On 15 October Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis will attend a high level, international conference titled "Fight Food Waste, Feed the Planet!" that will take place at the EXPO Milan 2015. Speakers will include representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), governments, NGOs (Slow Food, the European Federation of Food Banks) and food business (Belgian Farmers' Union, Boerenbond, Nestlé and Colruyt).