The European Parliament will today push the European Commission to come forward with a coordinated EU strategy to halve food waste by 2025. 

MEPs in Strasbourg will vote on a report to improve the efficiency of the food supply chain from the production stage to storage, processing, distribution, management and consumption. It is estimated that almost 50% of edible and healthy food gets wasted along the entire food supply chain each year.

Liam Aylward (Fianna Fáil, Ireland), who negotiated the report on behalf of the ALDE Group, said:

"It is outrageous that almost 90 million tonnes of perfectly fine food gets wasted each year while an estimated 79 million people in the EU live beneath the poverty line and around 16 million depend on food aid from charitable institutions.

"In a time where food security is a growing problem we have a moral obligation to cut back on food waste and to make smart decisions as consumers, retailers and manufacturers to purchase, consume and dispose of food responsibly."

"To improve resource-efficiency at all stages of the supply chain we need both a coordinated EU strategy as well as sharing of best practices across Member States. Most importantly, however, all players in the food supply chain need to be brought on board and help devise guidelines to improve efficiency and minimize waste."

The report also asks the Commission to undertake a detailed analysis of the causes and economic, social and environmental effects of the disposal, wastage and land-filling targets by 2014. 

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