Published statistics on food wastage in Europe for 2021 reveal that Maltese individuals discard an average of 154 kilograms of food per person, placing Malta in 7th position among 27 countries.
Across the European Union, the average food wastage per person stands at 131 kilograms, according to Eurostat’s estimations.
Cyprus leads the chart with the highest food wastage per capita, amounting to approximately 400 kilograms per person.
Other countries ranking high in food wastage include Belgium, Denmark, Greece, and Portugal. Conversely, Sweden, Croatia, and Slovenia exhibit significantly lower levels of food wastage per person.
In total, food wastage in the EU surpassed 58 million tonnes in 2021. Private households accounted for 54% of this figure.
The second-largest contributor to food wastage was food processing and production, comprising 21%. Restaurants generated over 5 million tonnes of food wastage, equivalent to 9% of the total, while other food sectors contributed more than 4 million tonnes, representing 7% of total food wastage.
Food wastage encompasses not only uneaten food but also includes discarded food products such as peels, fruit pulp, and bones. These statistics underscore the significant challenge of reducing food wastage across Europe and highlight the need for sustainable practices to minimize this environmental and economic burden.
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