Organisations called on to help cut Ireland's 800,000 tonnes of food waste by 50%

In 2020, Ireland generated 770,000 tonnes of food waste across primary production, manufacturing & processing, distribution & retail, restaurants & food services and households.

Every organisation in the food supply chain has been called on by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to commit to helping reduce Ireland’s food waste by 50% by 2030.

The newly expanded Food Waste Charter launched on Thursday aims to halve the almost 800,000 tonnes of food waste that is generated in Ireland annually within seven years. The new charter is an expansion of the one originally launched in 2017, which focused solely on the grocery retail sector.

Membership of the Food Waste Charter is open to businesses that produce, process, manufacture, distribute or sell food and drink and to supporting organisations that commit to championing the Food Waste Charter within their areas of responsibility.

Businesses that sign up voluntarily commit to measuring their food waste, set targets and take action to reduce food waste, and report annually on progress.

Bord Bia, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Enterprise Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Teagasc pledged their commitment to the Food Waste Charter at the launch.

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In 2020, Ireland generated 770,000 tonnes of food waste across primary production, manufacturing & processing, distribution & retail, restaurants & food services and households.

Households generated 31% of all food waste produced, while the manufacturing and processing sector was the second biggest producer of food waste accounting for an estimated 29% of all food waste (219,500 tonnes), according to the EPA.

In 2020, households generated 31% of all food waste produced in Ireland.

EPA director general Laura Burke called on every business within the food sector to sign the pledge to reduce food waste.

“With almost 800,000 tonnes of food waste generated in Ireland annually, meeting Ireland’s commitment to halve food waste by 2030 is very challenging, and we don’t have much time.

“We need to work together; every business along the food supply chain and in the food services sector must play their part to reduce food waste,” she said.

Ms Burke said global food waste accounts for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Food waste is also costly, and many food and drink businesses are looking at more efficient production processes and innovation to reduce and prevent food waste. By signing up and actively engaging with the Food Waste Charter, businesses will have the opportunity to support their climate action goals and reduce their costs,” she said.

Urging all stakeholders in the agri-food sector to sign up, Agriculture and Food Minister Charlie McConalogue called for a collective effort to help ensure there is accuracy and consistency of measurement of food waste across the food supply chain.

“Food is a precious and valuable resource. Reducing food waste helps our farmers, fishers, other food producers and our processors to be more viable and resilient, and will help us to achieve our climate action targets and improve the sustainability of the food sector. When we reduce our food waste, we show our respect for the safe and nutritious food that our primary producers and processors work all year round to provide,” he said.

Speaking at the launch, Circular Economy Minister Ossian Smyth said signing up to the Food Waste Charter is a “public demonstration of commitment” to a collaborative and collective manner to address food waste.

“Wasting food that we produce and buy is not only a waste of money but a mismanagement of valuable resources in a time when we all need to make a concerted effort to protect and use our resources wisely,” he said.