Abstract
The European Commission and the German government are committed to the United Nations SDG target 12.3 of reducing food waste along production chains and halving it at retail and consumer levels by 2030. European member states are required to monitor national food waste levels and report annual progress to the European Commission from 2020 onward. In this regard, the main objective of our study is to provide food waste quantities for Germany by applying methods meeting the legal requirements for monitoring and reporting within Europe-wide harmonized methodology. Our results refer to 2015 and are based on the best available data, using a combination of official statistics, surveys, and literature. We found that approx. 11.9 ± 2.4 million tonnes (144 ± 28 kg/(cap·year)) of food waste were generated in Germany, while the reduction potentials varied throughout the different sectors. Even though the underlying data show uncertainties, the outcome of the study represents a starting point for the upcoming monitoring activities in Germany by uncovering data and knowledge gaps. To meet the political reduction targets, a national food waste strategy was launched in 2019 by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which is an important step toward cooperation and exchange between actors along the entire food chain, raising awareness, and improving data quality, monitoring, and implementation of prevention measures in practice.
Highlights
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations is a commitment to achieving sustainable development worldwide by 2030
This global action plan formulates 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 specific targets based on the three dimensions of sustainable development: economy, society, and environment
In addition to the present model, we suggest considering additional material streams that may support the interpretation of food waste trends in the course of time, such as agricultural commodities, harvesting and yield statistics, by-products, surplus food used for animal feed, and food waste disposed through sewers
Summary
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations is a commitment to achieving sustainable development worldwide by 2030. This global action plan formulates 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 specific targets based on the three dimensions of sustainable development: economy, society, and environment. The specific target 12.3 covers food loss and waste reduction and calls for halving global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, as well as reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses [1]. In 2011, the FAO commissioned a study that examined global food waste levels and reported that around one-third of the global food production (≈1.3 billion t/year) is either lost or wasted [2].
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