Germans waste 55 kg of food per person each year
The average German wastes 55 kilos of food per year. The government has set a target of halving that by 2030.
As with many other wealthy nations, food wastage is a growing problem in Germany.
Including wastage by the food and catering industry and in private households, approximately eleven million tonnes of food is thrown away per year.
Per capita, that means that each German wastes around 55 kilograms of food every year.
SEE ALSO: Germany wastes 1.7 tonnes of bread a year
The German government has set a target of halving food waste by 2030.
Federal Nutrition Minister Julia Klöckner, who is overseeing the development of the strategy, said that the plan needs to include the business sector as well as consumers in order to be effective.
The government is considering an awareness campaign to highlight the level of food wastage, as well as other ideas such as setting guidelines for appropriate portion sizes in restaurants.
Governments across Europe have discussed various strategies of curbing food waste in recent years.
In 2016, France became the first country to ban supermarket wastage - requiring unsold food to be donated to food banks or charities.
Under the rules supermarkets can be fined up to €3,750 if they fail to comply.
The UK government has struck a voluntary arrangement with grocers to curb food wastage, although plans to introduce a French-style law have been unsuccessful.
While the scope of the German government’s plan remains unclear, Klöckner indicated that all measures would remain voluntary - thereby ruling out a French-style prohibition.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}
Comments
See Also
As with many other wealthy nations, food wastage is a growing problem in Germany.
Including wastage by the food and catering industry and in private households, approximately eleven million tonnes of food is thrown away per year.
Per capita, that means that each German wastes around 55 kilograms of food every year.
SEE ALSO: Germany wastes 1.7 tonnes of bread a year
The German government has set a target of halving food waste by 2030.
Federal Nutrition Minister Julia Klöckner, who is overseeing the development of the strategy, said that the plan needs to include the business sector as well as consumers in order to be effective.
The government is considering an awareness campaign to highlight the level of food wastage, as well as other ideas such as setting guidelines for appropriate portion sizes in restaurants.
Governments across Europe have discussed various strategies of curbing food waste in recent years.
In 2016, France became the first country to ban supermarket wastage - requiring unsold food to be donated to food banks or charities.
Under the rules supermarkets can be fined up to €3,750 if they fail to comply.
The UK government has struck a voluntary arrangement with grocers to curb food wastage, although plans to introduce a French-style law have been unsuccessful.
While the scope of the German government’s plan remains unclear, Klöckner indicated that all measures would remain voluntary - thereby ruling out a French-style prohibition.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.