In the fight against food waste, experts suggest practical changes so that significantly fewer products end up unnecessarily in the trash. Every food that is not used for nutrition involves a high consumption of valuable resources, according to a statement from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations for a Bundestag hearing this Monday. Specifically, the association suggests changes to vegetables and fruit in the supermarket. Radishes and kohlrabi should be sold without decorative foliage, which allows moisture to evaporate more quickly and can therefore lead to rapid spoilage.
Some types of fruit and vegetables are often sold at prices per piece and not by weight, the consumer advocates explain. However, anything that does not meet the minimum size or weight may not make it into the stores. Retailers should therefore forego their own requirements for size, uniformity and appearance. “Natural sorting should also become the norm in supermarkets.” Vegetables of different sizes should generally be sold by weight and not by price per piece. This would allow customers to shop more according to their needs.
The Federal Association of the German Food Trade points out the pitfalls of donations to organizations such as food banks. For loose fruit and vegetables, information on the origin, commercial class and means of surface treatment must be made available for each product, says the statement for the hearing in Parliament’s Nutrition Committee. This represents a major hurdle for donations because excess fruit and vegetables come from different batches at the end of the day and the information has to be assigned by hand.
There is currently no legally secure delivery option for products that have recently passed their best-before date. Yoghurt, which is usually edible even days after the expired date, cannot be donated because it must first be checked whether it is marketable and safe. This can only be done by opening and checking, but this is obviously out of the question, explains the association. Therefore, an exclusion of liability would be necessary for donors when making donations to charitable organizations and institutions.
In its statement, the umbrella organization Tafel Deutschland calls for better conditions for local activities. For the 970 food banks with around four vehicles per location, an exemption from vehicle tax would bring nationwide savings of 1.5 million euros. The association also points out that from July 1, 2024, smaller vans weighing 3.5 tons or more will also have to pay truck tolls on motorways and federal highways. The costs would be an additional burden for food banks and other nonprofit organizations.
Every year, eleven million tons of food end up in the trash in Germany, according to data from 2020, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. Trade accounted for 7 percent or 762,000 tons. The majority, 59 percent, came from private households. A further 17 percent occurred in restaurants and canteens, 15 percent in processing and 2 percent in agriculture.
The federal government’s stated goal is to halve food waste by 2030. The previous government had initiated a strategy that aimed for regulations on a voluntary basis for the respective stages of the food chain from harvest to plate. Target agreements have been concluded for out-of-home catering in restaurants as well as for supermarkets and wholesalers. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir calls for a more conscious handling of food. Bought too much, cooked too much or put too much on your plate – all of them could help stop the enormous waste, said the Green politician recently on the occasion of a week of action.
