Around 132 kilogrammes of food per inhabitant were wasted in the EU in 2022, generating 59.2 million tonnes of food waste, including edible and inedible parts.
The 2022 figures were released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, marked on 29 September.
Household waste accounted for 54% of all food waste, which is the equivalent of 72 kg per inhabitant.
The remaining 46% was waste generated upwards in the food supply chain: 19% by the manufacture of food products and beverages (25 kg per inhabitant), 11% by restaurants and food services (15 kg per inhabitant), 8% in the retail and other distribution of food (11 kg per inhabitant), and 8% in the primary production (10 kg per inhabitant).
The information supplied by Eurostat is based on a food waste reporting obligation established in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) by sector of activity according to the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE rev. 2) and by households.
Statistics Explained article on food waste and food waste prevention – estimates
