Taking with you what you do not eat should become the new normal, says Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns (CD&V). The ‘leftovers box’ is part of a new action plan against food waste, after new OVAM figures show that households and the catering industry in particular remain major wasters.
Source: Het Nieuwsblad
Every year a huge amount of food ends up in the trash. However, there are also a number of sectors in which food waste is decreasing. According to the most recent figures from the Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM), waste in the food industry decreased by 7 percent between 2020 and 2023, from 301,143 tons to 279,114 tons.
Hospitality industry sees waste increasing again
Households remain the biggest food wasters. Despite a decrease of 13 percent compared to 2020, they waste 52.2 kilograms per inhabitant every year. “That food mountain not only has a major ecological cost, but also an economic one,” says OVAM. For example, an average family would throw away 2 to 3 full shopping carts of food every year, worth around 400 euros.
The catering industry is the only sector that is not doing better compared to 2020. There, waste even increased by 2 percent, from 9.3 to almost 9.5 kilograms per inhabitant per year. Although the corona pandemic does play a major role there, because the catering industry had to close its doors for a long time.
The new ‘doggy bag’
According to the European target, food waste must be reduced by 30 percent by 2030. That is why Minister Brouns will sit down with Horeca Vlaanderen and OVAM in the coming months to develop a new action plan. Concrete measures should already be on the table by the autumn.
One of the ideas is a new ‘doggy bag’, so that taking leftovers home becomes the new normal. Further consultations must determine what the new ‘leftovers box’ will look like. “Anyone who does not finish their food should simply be able to take it with them,” the minister said today in ‘Het Nieuwsblad’.
CEO of Horeca Vlaanderen Matthias De Caluwé responds enthusiastically in ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ to the new ideas to combat food waste. “We are already looking for ways to avoid waste. And training also focuses on various tips and tricks. But we can always move up a gear.”