EU meat sector backs European food waste initiative
The UECBV, with 15 other EU food sector associations, has co-signed an ‘Every Crumb Counts’ declaration against food wastage, which aims to halve EU edible food waste by 2020. It has been launched by food sector umbrella group FoodDrinkEurope.
The text calls on the food industry and regulators “to consider how would-be food wastage that is not fit or cannot feasibly make it to human consumption can be converted into valuable commodities, such as animal feed or industrial products.”
It adds: “Using would-be food wastage from food supply chain actors as a raw material for another industry helps reduce agricultural pressures on the environment and generates mutual value by creating cost savings and new revenue.”
The declaration calls on policy makers to “develop, together with relevant food chain players, guidelines for member states to optimise the use of food that has been withdrawn (e.g. for quality reasons) but is still safe and suitable for use, with strict adherence to food and feed safety legislation.”
A UECBV communiqué welcomed the initiative saying: “The EU meat industry takes food waste issues very seriously and is proactive in developing sustainable solutions for its production chains, respecting the safety, quality and legislative requirements in place.”
The livestock union said it would use its involvement “to raise further awareness about the matter and to exchange best practices along the supply chain.”
And the declaration says waste management should ensure livestock feed is the first destination for food waste, not landfill, incineration or industrial use: “A first consideration should be whether it can be redirected to feed livestock subject to safety, quality and legislative requirements being met,” it said.
It added that waste needed to be looked after better: “The better food safety and quality are preserved, the more likely it is that food wastage can be prevented, used or redirected to feed animals and industrial use. So protecting food from damage and spoilage along the chain is paramount.”
