In the fight against food waste, supermarkets and wholesalers have committed to further steps and goals. Food waste is to be reduced by 30 percent by 2025 and halved by 2030, according to an agreement between 14 trading companies and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture presented on Tuesday. Concrete measures are recorded so that fewer products end up in the garbage. Shops should increasingly pass on groceries and expand cooperation with food banks and other social institutions or platforms.
Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) spoke in Berlin of a pact so that valuable food ends up in the pot and on the plate instead of in the bin. Less waste protects the environment and climate, but is also a lever in the fight against hunger in the world and has to do with appreciation for the work of farmers. The “interface function” of trade with its relationships to suppliers and consumers should also be used.
From Aldi to Rewe
The agreement includes the large supermarket and discounter chains Aldi, Edeka, Kaufland, Lidl, Metro, Netto, Norma, Penny and Rewe. Özdemir said: “Our pact is based on a voluntary basis, but it is anything but a loose agreement, because we have agreed on clear and binding rules.” The agreement is valid from now until the end of 2031. Public interim reports on the goals are also planned.
In concrete terms, food that is not sold should be reused or recycled in the best possible way. For example, improvements in logistics and cold chains are planned. Products that are about to reach their sell-by date and fruit and vegetables with “blemishes” are to be sold in a targeted manner. “Even an apple with dents tastes very good,” said Özdemir. He also appealed to supermarket customers not to expect as full a range in the evening as in the morning.
Every year, eleven million tons of food end up in the garbage in Germany, as determined by the Federal Statistical Office based on data for 2020. Trade accounted for 7 percent or 762,000 tons. The majority, 59 percent, came from private households. Another 17 percent was generated in restaurants and canteens, 15 percent in processing and 2 percent in agriculture.
Voluntary Commitment
The President of the Food Trade Association, Friedhelm Dornseifer, spoke of a milestone in the industry’s commitment to reducing food losses: “We are showing that you can also voluntarily agree what other EU countries have to regulate by law.”
The “Alliance for Food Rescue”, which includes the German Environmental Aid and the environmental organization WWF, welcomed the targets. However, the voluntary self-commitment is a “blunt sword without the possibility of legal sanctions”. Özdemir must make legally binding provisions against food waste for the entire supply chain. The upstream production and processing initially remained without reduction targets.
The government’s 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. A target agreement for out-of-home catering in the catering trade has already been concluded.
