Preliminary findings from a public consultation on sustainable food systems show strong support for a European strategy in this area, a European Commission official told the Retail Forum’s annual meeting last week. The commission received more than 600 responses from producers, farming associations, retailers, NGOs, member states and individual citizens, said Pavel Misiga of DG Environment. Final results will be issued in early 2014.
The forthcoming strategy on sustainable food, announced in the EU’s resource efficiency roadmap, will have a strong focus on tackling food waste, he stressed.
Retailers have a key role to play in helping consumers to avoid over-purchasing and to better understand date labels and store food, the official said, adding that EU rules on VAT for retailers which donate food to charities must be clarified.
These actions are in line with pledges and recommendations on food wastage reduction made in June by trade bodies representing different parts of the food chain. New European Commission guidance on food waste reduction for both public and private purchasing will also be issued in late 2014, said Mr Misiga.
Retailers’ key role in steering consumers towards more sustainable patterns was emphasised in a draft European Parliament resolution from July. The text prepared by MEP Cornelis de Jong, to be discussed in the internal market and consumer protection committee in early November, calls for a single label covering various social and environmental impacts linked to a product.
Last week’s event also saw the launch of the latest annual report on retailers’ environmental action programme, which gives an update on what 20 retailers including ASDA, Carrefour, Ikea and Tesco have achieved. A report on implementation of the retail agreement on waste signed by them in October 2012 will be released at next year’s meeting.
More Information
Retail Forum Report Retailers’ Environmental Action Programme Annual Report 2013 [pdf,4.33MB]
