Minister McConalogue today welcomed the publication of the launch of a public consultation on Ireland’s draft National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has stated that food waste contributes annually to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims, by 2030, to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. As outlined in Ireland’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead Department for the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.
In line with the commitment in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, the stakeholder-led ten year strategy for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, Food Vision 2030, includes an action to develop a National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap that sets out a series of actions to deliver the reductions necessary to halve our food waste by 2030, meet any other related targets, and promote our transition to a circular economy.
Minister McConalogue stated:
“In line with Food Vision 2030, I would like to encourage all relevant stakeholders in the agri-food sector, including retailers, food service, processors, consumer representatives and primary producers, to participate in this consultation. Tackling food waste – cutting back or eliminating it altogether – is good for food producers, consumers and the environment and will require behavioural change by all of us. We want now, in this consultation, to hear from those who can provide insight into how food waste reduction can be achieved and to achieve the target to halve our food waste by 2030.”
Minister McConalogue added:
“I am fully committed to pursuing ambitious food waste reductions and other measures that contribute towards a sustainable food chain in the Agri-Food sector. I look forward to collaborating across Government on implementing this and other actions provided in Food Vision 2030, the Climate Action Plan and the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy.”
Submissions on the draft National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap are now invited from the public and interested stakeholders. The closing time and date for submissions is 5.30pm on Thursday, 24th March 2022.
For information on how to make a submission, click here.
https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/96a04-public-consultation-on-the-draft-national-food-waste-prevention-roadmap/
