“Austria has committed to halving per capita food waste by 2030 and reducing it along the production and supply chain,” said WWF expert Dominik Heizmann and Theo Koch, manager of “Too Good To Go”. Its app helps to keep perfect food from the dustbin by having companies pack their excess food in bags and offer it on the app. The OÖN reported.
According to the WWF, around 40 percent of the food produced worldwide is wasted; in Austria it is at least one million tons every year across the entire value chain. This has devastating consequences for the environment, society and the climate: around ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to this waste. “We can no longer afford this, both from an ethical point of view and in view of the climate, energy and food crises,” warned Heizmann.
Even though the Austrian federal government announced measures against waste as early as 2020 in the government program, according to the WWF, the necessary steps are still largely missing. Voluntary measures are not enough to achieve the goal of halving food waste in eight years. “We now need effective laws to stop unnecessary waste,” said Heizmann. France and Italy could serve as role models here.
WWF and “To Good To Go” called for a five-point plan against food waste, which, among other things, should improve the data situation in all areas and anchor public reporting obligations for large companies in the food sector. In addition, there is a need for a decision on legally binding reduction targets for all sectors of the value chain and the definition of a clear hierarchy for dealing with excess food: passing on and further processing should come before disposal.
Source: Nachrichten
