(Brussels, 22 March 2012) On the occasion of the United Nation’s annual World Water Day on March 22, Europe’s food and drink operators have reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a more sustainable use of water throughout the supply chain for their products.  With a demand for water expected to rise 25% by 2025 worldwide, addressing water scarcity is a key global priority. As the soon to be published FoodDrinkEurope 2012 Sustainability Report makes clear, through improved water efficiency, wastewater quality, better water re-use and water disclosure, the industry is making a conscious effort to save one of the world’s precious natural resources.

While the sector only accounts for about 1.8% of European industry’s water use, great strides have been made to achieve measurable water reduction and efficiency from the factory level to the final product.  Through the development and use of water consumption monitoring tools – from harvesting rainwater  and redesigning processing techniques to undertaking significant efforts to purify wastewater such as recovering water from steam -  the food industry continues to invest in processing innovations to enhance water sustainability.

FoodDrinkEurope members continue to be frontrunners in water efficiency and are actively working to develop a protocol on the assessment of the environmental impact (which includes water) of food and drink products in addition to continuing to raise awareness of the importance of water sustainability in support of the UN objectives for World Water Day.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Lisa McCooey, Deputy Director General/Director of Communications

Tel.: +32 2 508 10 24,

l.mccooey@fooddrinkeurope.eu

FoodDrinkEurope’s mission is to represent the food and drink industries of the EU – the largest manufacturing sector in the EU in terms of turnover and employment. FoodDrinkEurope works with European and international institutions, in order to contribute to the development of a legislative and economic framework addressing the competitiveness of industry, food quality and safety, consumer protection and respect for the environment. FoodDrinkEurope's membership consists of 25 national federations, including 3 observers, 26 European sector associations and 18 major food and drink companies. For more information on FoodDrinkEurope and its activities, please visit: www.fooddrinkeurope.eu